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THE ALABAMA
PSYCHOLOGIST P. O. Box 97—Montgomery, AL 36101-0097
Winter Edition 2017
Register Now for the
2017 aPA Annual Convention
Psychology 2017:
Real Facts—Real Progress
June 2-4, 2017
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“In This Issue” 4
aPA 2016 Elections/
2017 Call for
Nominations
4
How Can Parents Help
Adolescents Navigate
the Road Ahead
CE Opportunity
5-6
Drivers with
Developmental
Disabilities
CE Opportunity
7-8
Professional Growth:
Building Opportunities
for Training and
Leadership at aPA
9
Alabama Psychologists
in the News
10
Trust Webinar 11
Announcements 12
CE Quiz 14-15
CE Self-Study
Workshops
15
Inside this issue
Friday, June 2, 2017
Mental Health in Older Adults
Understanding Chronic Pain for Better Clinical Practice and Future Research
Looking Forward—From Novel Research to Technological Integration and
the Future of Psychological Practice
Student Poster Session
Saturday June 3, 2017
Autism Spectrum Disorders Across the Lifespan: Adaptations of Evidence-
Based Practice to Address Emotional and Behavioral Difficulties
Theoretically Informed Suicide Risk Assessment
Integrating Mindfulness-Based Interventions into Your Practice
Trauma-Focused Assessment and Intervention for Justice-Involved Youth
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Demystifying EMDR Therapy: An Introduction to the Basics
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EXECUTIVE COUNCIL 2017
Officers
President—Fernelle Warren, Ph.D.
President-Elect—Donna Fleitas, Ph.D.
Past President—Dan Marullo, Ph.D.
Secretary—Margaux Barnes, Ph.D.
Treasurer—June Nichols, Psy.D.
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APA Council Rep.—Dan Marullo, Ph.D.
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Ethics—Ellen Spence, Ph.D.
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Public Education—Heather Austin, Ph.D.
Technology Chair—Dale Wisely, Ph.D.
Early Career—Vacant
Other
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PPPAC Chair—Kimberly Ackerson, Ph.D.
Convention Chair/CE Committee-Gaye Vance, Ph.D.
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Executive Director—Kelley Durrance
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Heather Austin, Ph.D.
& Margaux Barnes, Ph.D.
4
This issue of the Alabama Psychologist offers readers an opportunity to earn 1 CE. Two articles are
provided related to safe driving for youth.
By reading the newsletter, taking the CE quiz and completing the program evaluation, a 1 (one) hour
CE credit will be sent to you. The following are the learning objectives for this edition of The
Alabama Psychologist’s CE program:
1) Readers will be knowledgeable about how parents can keep new drivers safe and learning.
2) Readers will be knowledgeable about state level policies for licensing novice drivers.
3) Readers will understand the driving challenges faced by individuals with Attention-Deficit/
Hyperactivity Disorder and individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
4) Readers will be able to describe previous literature on Developmental Disabilities and driving.
5) Readers will understand the importance of mobility in the population of teens and adults with
Developmental Disabilities.
In this issue of The Alabama Psychologist
The following are the results of the 2016 Nomination/Election cycle for 2017 Positions:
Treasurer (Jan 2017—Dec 2019) - June Nichols, Psy.D.
President-Elect (Jan 2017-June 2017) - Donna Fleitas, Ph.D.
Alabama Board of Examiners Nominees:
Mary Bowers, Ph.D.
========================================================================
2017 aPA Nominations
Nominations are currently being solicited for two positions on aPA’s Executive Committee as well as one position for
the Alabama Board of Examiners in Psychology. Volunteer yourself or nominate a colleague to serve in one of these
important positions. Nominations should be sent to aPA by May 25, 2017. The slate of candidates will be presented
during the Annual Meeting at the 2017 Convention in Orange Beach, AL.
President-Elect:
Remaining term for 2017 through Dec 2019, then will serve as President for 2 yrs and then Past President for 2 yrs.
Secretary:
Jan 2018 through Dec 2019
Alabama Board of Examiners—Practitioner:
5 year term (Jan 2018-Dec 2022)
Submit Nomination
Other Open Positions:
Early Career
Disaster Response Network
aPA Nomination/Elections
5
In adolescence, negotiating the balance between
safety and independence can result in some natural con-
flict as teens test their boundaries and attempt to independ-
ently regulate their behavior.1–3 With more independence,
comes the opportunity for more mistakes – however, teens
need the independence in order to learn and be responsible
independent adults. One of the most notable domains
where this tension between independence and safety plays
out is in the car. We often refer to getting a driver’s li-
cense as an ‘official’ rite of passage, owing to the in-
creased adult-like independence it confers. Of course,
driving is not without its dangers, especially for young
novice drivers who are over-represented in motor vehicle
crashes compared to other age groups.4–6 Parents are aware
of the risks driving holds,7 yet historically there hasn’t
been clear and strong guidance for parents on how to en-
courage their teen’s independence behind-the-wheel while
also keeping them safe.8
Fortunately, Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL)
programs provide an excellent framework for parents to
lean on as they and their teen initiate the learning-to-drive
process. The learner phase of GDL provides a minimum
amount of protected time for a teen to practice driving un-
der the supervision of a parent or other qualified adult. In
addition, some states require participation in formal driver
education. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
(IIHS) maintains and a list of GDL regulations by each
state: http://www.iihs.org/iihs/topics/laws/
graduatedlicenseintro?topicName=teenagers
The problem is that research indicates that many
families do not use their practice time together effectively;
practice drives are often superficial, routine, and do not
focus on significant skill deficits common to new drivers
like hazard detection.7,9 Insufficient, poor quality practice
coupled with weak and inconsistently available driver edu-
cation means that many teens enter licensure unprepared
for independent driving.10 Indeed, inexperience is a major
crash contributing factor, especially during the initial
months of licensure.11 So what can parents do about this?
First, they can make sure their teen gets high qual-
ity and diverse practice (i.e., exposure to a wide array of
driving conditions and environments) as both practice
quantity and diversity are independently protective against
making safety relevant driving errors.12 Second, they
shouldn’t treat GDL like a conveyer belt. Just because
teens are eligible to take the test doesn’t automatically
mean that they have to. Further, the behind-the-wheel li-
cense test is not going to cover the wide range of environ-
ments and challenges teens face during the intermediate
phase of licensure.13 Teens learn at their own pace and it is
perfectly acceptable to delay licensure due to lack of time
to practice, engagement in other activities, or simply be-
cause the teen and/or parent isn’t ready.14
Once teens are licensed they are at their highest
lifetime risk for a fatal motor vehicle crash.15 To help pro-
tect teens – and other road users – states have create a sec-
ond phase of GDL programs called the restricted or inter-
mediate period. This period of GDL is designed to keep
teens out of high risk situations known to increase crash
risk (e.g., driving with multiple peer passengers) while
they develop their skills.16 Compliance with GDL provi-
sions is important and it may be helpful to convey to teens
that these restrictions are in place to help keep them safe
and not to control their personal lives. Parents who are
authoritative, who establish strong household rules, who
stay knowledgeable about teenagers’ whereabouts, and
who control the keys have teens who are less likely to
crash and less likely to engage in a variety of other risk-
taking behind-the-wheel.17–20 Parents could consider fram-
ing the intermediate period of GDL as a learner permit
“plus” not a full license “minus.” By passing the behind-
the-wheel test, teens have demonstrated that they’re ready
to practice independently.
Other important considerations for parents include
modeling safety positive behaviors and being clear about
the “non-negotiables”: no driving impaired (this includes
driving fatigued), no texting or talking on the phone while
driving, and always wear seatbelt; each of these behaviors
are associated with adolescents’ crash or injury risk.21–23
Parents may also want to consider what kind of vehicle
their teen drives. Safer choices include well-maintained
passenger vehicles with functioning airbags, and electronic
stability control as opposed to vehicles that are more likely
to roll-over, like pick-up trucks.24,25 Parents of teens who
have a history of norm-breaking behaviors (e.g., prior his-
tory of drug use) or teens with medical or psychological
conditions that interfere with impulse control, attention,
and decision-making may want to seek the advice of medi-
cal and health professionals prior to making a decision
about licensure for their teen.26–29 While there is less re-
search in this area, we do know that there are some indi-
vidual difference variables that tend to co-occur and possi-
bly interact to increase crash risk.30
In conclusion, driving can serve important and
practical functions for teens and their families. Many teens
need to drive to get to school, to work, out-of-school time
activities, and to assist with transporting other family
members. Driving is an excellent opportunity to assume
responsibility and to demonstrate healthy independence
from parents. As scientists and health professionals, it is
Continued on page 6
How can parents help adolescents navigate the road ahead?
6
References
1. Smetana JG, Asquith P. Adolescents ’ and Parents ’ Concep-
tions of Parental Authority and Personal Autonomy Author
( s ): Judith G . Smetana and Pamela Asquith Published by : Wiley on behalf of the Society for Research in Child Develop-ment Stable URL : http://www.jstor.org/stabl. Chlld Dev. 1994;65(4):1147-1162.
2. Smetana JG, Villalobos M, Tasopoulos-Chan M, Gettman DC, Campione-Barr N. Early and middle adolescents’ disclosure to parents about activities in different domains. J Adolesc. 2009;32(3):693-713. doi:10.1016/j.adolescence.2008.06.010.
3. Fuligni a. J. Authority, autonomy, and parent-adolescent con-flict and cohesion: A study of adolescents from Mexican, Chi-nese, Filipino, and European backgrounds. Dev Psychol. 1998;34(4):782-792. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.34.4.782.
4. Mayhew DR, Simpson HM, Pak A. Changes in collision rates among novice drivers during the first months of driving. Accid Anal Prev. 2003;35(5):683-691. doi:10.1016/S0001-4575(02)00047-7.
5. McCartt AT, Shabanova VI, Leaf WA. Driving experience, crashes and traffic citations of teenage beginning drivers. Accid Anal Prev. 2003;35(3):311-320. doi:10.1016/S0001-4575(02)00006-4.
6. Braitman KA, Kirley BB, McCartt AT, Chaudhary NK. Crashes of novice teenage drivers: characteristics and contrib-uting factors. J Safety Res. 2008;39(1):47-54. doi:10.1016/j.jsr.2007.12.002.
7. Mirman JH, Kay J. From Passengers to Drivers: Parent Percep-tions About How Adolescents Learn to Drive. J Adolesc Res. 2012;27(3). doi:10.1177/0743558411409934.
8. Curry AE, Peek-Asa C, Hamann CJ, Mirman JH. Effectiveness of parent-focused interventions to increase teen driver safety: A critical review. J Adolesc Heal. 2015;57(1). doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2015.01.003.
9. Goodwin AH, Foss R, Margolis LH, Waller M. Parents, Teens and the Learner Stage of Graduated Driver Licensing. 2010:1-
96. doi:10.1037/e671962010-001. 10. Durbin DR, Mirman JH, Curry AE, et al. Driving errors of
learner teens: Frequency, nature and their association with practice. Accid Anal Prev. 2014;72C:433-439. doi:10.1016/j.aap.2014.07.033.
11. Curry AE, Hafetz J, Kallan MJ, Winston FK, Durbin DR. Prevalence of teen driver errors leading to serious motor vehi-cle crashes. Accid Anal Prev. 2011;43(4):1285-1290.
doi:10.1016/j.aap.2010.10.019. 12. Mirman JH, Albert WD, Curry AE, Winston FK, Fisher Thiel
MC, Durbin DR. TeenDrivingPlan effectiveness: The effect of quantity and diversity of supervised practice on teens’ driving performance. J Adolesc Heal. 2014;55(5). doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2014.04.010.
13. Haire ER, Williams AF, Preusser DF, Solomon MG. Driver License Testing of Young Novice Drivers. Washington, DC;
2011. doi:10.1037/e621702011-001. 14. Tefft C B, Williams F A, Grabowski G J, Tefft BC, Williams
AF, Grabowski JG. Timing of driver’s license acquisition and reasons for delay among young people in the United States, 2012. 2013;(July):24p. https://www.aaafoundation.org/sites/default/files/Teen Licensing Survey FINAL_0.pdf.
15. National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIP). Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System
(WISQARS).
16. Williams AF, Ferguson SA, McCartt AT. Passenger effects on teenage driving and opportunities for reducing the risks of such travel. J Safety Res. 2007;38(4):381-390. doi:10.1016/j.jsr.2007.03.009.
17. Ginsburg KR, Durbin DR, Garcia-Espana JF, Kalicka EA, Winston FK. Associations Between Parenting Styles and Teen Driving, Safety-Related Behaviors and Attitudes. Pediatrics. 2009;124(4):1040-1051. doi:10.1542/peds.2008-3037.
18. Garcia-Espana JF, Ginsburg KR, Durbin DR, Elliott MR, Winston FK. Primary access to vehicles increases risky teen driving behaviors and crashes: National perspective. Pediatrics. 2009;124(4):1069-1075. doi:10.1542/peds.2008-3443.
19. Hartos JL, Shattuck T, Simons-Morton BG, Beck KH. An in-depth look at parent-imposed driving rules: Their strengths and weaknesses. J Safety Res. 2004;35(5):547-555. doi:10.1016/j.jsr.2004.09.001.
20. Simons-Morton BG. Increasing Parent Limits on Novice Young Drivers: Cognitive Mediation of the Effect of Persua-sive Messages. J Adolesc Res. 2006;21(1):83-105. doi:10.1177/0743558405282282.
21. Bianchi A, Summala H. The “genetics” of driving behavior: Parents’ driving style predicts their children’s driving style. Accid Anal Prev. 2004;36(4):655-659. doi:10.1016/S0001-4575(03)00087-3.
22. Olsen EO, Shults RA, Eaton DK, et al. Texting While Driving and Other Risky Motor Vehicle Behaviors Among US High School Students. Pediatrics. 2013;131(6):e1708-e1715. doi:10.1542/peds.2012-3462.
23. Williams a F, McCartt a T, Geary L. Seatbelt use by high school students. Inj Prev. 2003;9(1):25-28. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24628560.
24. Hellinga LA, McCartt AT, Haire ER. Choice of teenagers’ vehicles and views on vehicle safety: Survey of parents of nov-ice teenage drivers. J Safety Res. 2007;38(6):707-713. doi:10.1016/j.jsr.2007.10.003.
25. McCartt AT, Teoh ER. Type, size and age of vehicles driven by teenage drivers killed in crashes during 2008-2012. Inj Prev.
2015;21(2):133-136. doi:10.1136/injuryprev-2014-041401. 26. Peach HD, Gaultney JF. Sleep, impulse control, and sensation-
seeking predict delinquent behavior in adolescents, emerging adults, and adults. J Adolesc Heal. 2013;53(2):293-299. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2013.03.012.
27. Pharo H, Sim C, Graham M, Gross J, Hayne H. Risky business: Executive function, personality, and reckless behavior during adolescence and emerging adulthood. Behav Neurosci.
2011;125(6):970-978. doi:10.1037/a0025768. 28. Fabiano GA, Hulme K, Linke S, et al. The Supporting a Teen’s
Effective Entry to the Roadway (STEER) Program: Feasibility and Preliminary Support for a Psychosocial Intervention for Teenage Drivers With ADHD. Cogn Behav Pract. 2011;18(2):267-280. doi:10.1016/j.cbpra.2010.04.002.
29. Huang P, Kao T, Curry AE, Durbin DR. Factors associated with driving in teens with autism spectrum disorders. J Dev
Behav Pediatr. 2012;33:70-74. doi:10.1097/DBP.0b013e31823a43b7.
30. McDonald CC, Sommers MS, Fargo JD. Risky driving, mental health, and health-compromising behaviours: risk clustering in late adolescents and adults. Inj Prev. 2014:1-8. doi:10.1136/injuryprev-2014-041150.
Adolescents navigating the road ahead — continued from page 5
7
Driving is an automatic process for most indi-
viduals. However, for some, driving is an obstacle that
must be overcome every day to enjoy the independence that others take for granted. Drivers with developmental
disabilities (DD) face this challenge on a daily basis.
Driving among individuals with DDs is a topic that be-comes more relevant with each passing year as the
prevalence of DDs in the United States continues to
increase, and more of these individuals are transitioning into adulthood [1]. For brevity’s sake, the current article
will focus on drivers with two of the most common
DDs; the two that saw the greatest percent increases in
prevalence over the past few decades: Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autism Spectrum
Disorder (ASD) [1].
Drivers with ADHD
ADHD is a neurodevelopmental behavior disor-
der affecting approximately 11% of the population, with males overrepresented at a ratio of three to one [2].
Teens with ADHD exemplify a particularly vulnerable
driver population whose impairments in attention and
executive function may only exacerbate the already cognitively demanding task of driving safely [3]. Several
research studies have aimed to identify the impact of
ADHD on driving safety through the use of driving simulators, a safe and controlled way to study driving
behavior in at-risk groups. Reimer and colleagues [4]
conducted one such study to investigate the driving per-
formance of young drivers (ages 17-24) with ADHD. Participants were asked to navigate a high-stimulus,
urban roadway then navigate a low-stimulus, highway.
During the highway scenario, drivers with ADHD had significantly more speed fluctuation and speed limit
exceedances for longer distances compared to controls,
suggesting that driving impairments associated with ADHD may be most prevalent in non-demanding driv-
ing scenarios, such as low-stimuli highways.
Previous research studies have also investigated the impact of distraction (i.e., texting or talking on a
phone) on the simulated driving performance of indi-
viduals with ADHD and typical development [5, 6]. Overall results suggest a negative impact of ADHD on
driving performance regardless of whether or not
ADHD drivers are distracted [5, 6]; more specifically that teens with ADHD are more likely to deviate in their
lane position and speed, engage in risky driving behav-
ior (e.g., distracted driving), report being in more motor
vehicle collisions (MVCs) and report intentional driving
violations (i.e., speeding or tailgating) [7, 8].
Drivers with ASD
Affecting nearly 1 in 68 children in the United
States, ASD is a neurodevelopmental disorder charac-terized by deficits in social communication and social
interaction, as well as the presence of repetitive behav-
iors and restricted interests, accompanied by a complex combination of diminished, intact and enhanced cogni-
tive abilities [9]. Several areas of impairment associated
with ASD are particularly relevant to driving, including:
executive functioning, attention, emotion regulation and social skill[10]. For the surge of children diagnosed with
ASD in the early 2000’s, the decision to drive and the
challenges that will accompany this task are nearing quickly [9], and little research has been done to charac-
terize the driver with ASD. Survey data has revealed
that only 24% of adults with ASD, most of whom de-scribed themselves as “high functioning,” reported be-
ing independent drivers [11]. This number is dramatically
lower than the 87% of individuals in the general popu-
lation who consider themselves to be independent driv-ers [12]. Research investigating the self-reported driving
behaviors of licensed drivers with ASD has revealed
that compared to non-ASD drivers, drivers with ASD report significantly lower ratings of their driving abili-
ties, suggesting that they are less confident in their driv-
ing than typically developing controls [13]. Drivers with
ASD also report more intentional violations (e.g., speeding or tailgating), driving mistakes (i.e., making a
maneuver without checking mirrors, pressing the wrong
pedal), and slips or lapses than do typically developing controls[13]. Parents of adolescents with ASD who were
driving or trying to receive their driver’s license have
also reported that their child’s ASD “moderately” to “extremely” negatively impacted their child’s driving
abilities [14]. Teens with ASD from the same study de-
scribed “interacting with other drivers” and
“interpreting traffic situations” as some of the most dif-ficult driving skills [14].
Reimer and colleagues [15] were one of the first to test the driving capabilities of individuals with ASD
using a driving simulator. Findings indicated that com-
pared to typically developing controls, drivers with ASD had significantly slower reaction times identifying
driving hazards. This is important when considering
that delayed reaction
Continued on page 8
Drivers with Developmental Disabilities By Haley J. Bishop, M.A., Doctoral Candidate,
UAB Department of Psychology
8
Drivers with Disabilities—continued from page 7
time is a significant predictor of motor vehicle colli-sion-related injury or death [16]. Cox and colleagues [17]
conducted another driving simulator study in a popula-
tion of individuals with ASD who had received their
learner’s permit compared to typically developing indi-viduals who had just received their full driver’s license
(novice drivers). Results indicated that the group with
ASD exhibited poorer driving performance (i.e., in-creased swerving, increased lane changes) and decre-
ments were further compounded with the addition of a
working memory task. The latest research on ASD and driving, undertaken by Bishop and colleagues [18], has
focused on one specific driving skill: hazard perception,
a skill essential to driving safety.
Drivers with ASD were found to respond similarly
to all types of driving hazards (e.g., pedestrians, cyclists
and other cars) while drivers with typical development reacted significantly faster to hazards that were social in
nature (e.g., pedestrians and cyclists). This result sug-
gests that the social impairments characteristic of indi-viduals with ASD may influence the way they process
and react to various driving hazards [18]. As ASD is
growing increasingly more prevalent and there are now
more transitioning adults with ASD than ever before, additional research on the topic of ASD and driving is
expected to emerge over the next decade to meet the
growing need.
Implications
Although driving may be a difficult task for
adolescents and adults with DDs, it is also an essential ingredient to independence and quality of life. Addi-
tional research is needed to better understand the poten-
tial underlying mechanisms contributing to the in-creased safety risk of drivers with DDs. Simulators,
such as the one housed in UAB’s TRIP Laboratory,
may be a useful training tool for teens with DDs in the future to improve driving performance in a safe and
ethical manner. Although public transportation is fre-
quently used in large cities and urban areas, those with
DDs in the rural and suburban areas that characterize much of Alabama are forced to rely on family and
friends for reliable transportation. Driving facilitates
mobility, which in turn increases the likelihood that in-dividuals with DD will be successfully employed, at-
tend social gatherings and rely less on parents or care-
givers. More research is still needed to address the transportation safety needs of individuals with DDs
such as ADHD and ASD. Much of this research will
likely be simulator based, as simulators allow research-
ers to safely put individuals with DDs into dangerous situations.
References
1. Boyle, C.A., et al., Trends in the prevalence of developmental disabilities in US children, 1997-2008. Pediatrics, 2011.
127(6): p. 1034-1042. 2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC]. Attention-
Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): Diagnosis data. 2014 [cited 2016 January 2016]; Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/prevalence.html.
3. Vaa, T., ADHD and relative risk of accidents on road traffic: A meta-analysis. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 2014. 62: p. 415-425.
4. Reimer, B., et al., The impact of distractions on young adult drivers with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Accident Analysis & Prevention, 2010. 42(3): p. 842-851.
5. Narad, M., et al., Impact of distraction on the driving perform-ance of adolescents with and without Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. The Journal of the American Medical Association Pediatrics, 2013. 167(10): p. 1-6.
6. Stavrinos, D., et al., Distracted driving in teens with and with-
out Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Journal of Pediat-ric Nursing, 2015. 30(5): p. e183-e191.
7. Groom, M.J., et al., Driving behavior in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. BMC Psychiatry, 2015. 15: p. 175.
8. Garner, A.A., et al., Symptom dimensions of disruptive behav-ior disorders in adolescent drivers. Journal of Attention Disor-ders, 2012: p. 1-8.
9. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC]. Autism Spectrum Disroder (ASD): Facts about ASD. 2015 24 February 2015; Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/data.html.
10. Seltzer, M.M., et al., Trajectory of development in adolescents and adults with Autism. Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, 2004. 10(4): p. 234-247.
11. Feeley, C. Evaluating the transportation needs and accesibility issues for adults on the Autism Spectrum in New Jersey. in
Transportation Research Board 89th Annual Meeting. 2010. Washington, D.C.
12. U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Admini-stration, Our nation's highways: 2011, in Highway Finances Data Collection. 2011: Washington, DC.
13. Daly, B.P., et al., Driving behaviors in adults with Autism Spec-trum Disorders. Journal of Autism and Devlopmental Disor-ders, 2014.
14. Almberg, M., et al., Experiences of facilitators or barriers in driving education from learner and novice drivers with ADHD or ASD and their driving instructors. Developmental Neurore-habilitation, 2015: p. 1-9.
15. Reimer, B., et al., Brief report: Examining driving behavior in young adults with high-functioning Autism Spectrum Disor-ders: A pilot study using a driving simulation paradigm. Jour-nal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2013. 43(9): p.
2211-2217. 16. Elander, J., R. West, and D. French, Behavioral correlates of
individual differences in road-traffic crash risk: An examina-tion method and findings. Psychological Bulletin, 1993. 113(2): p. 279-94.
17. 17. Cox, S.M., et al., Driving simulator performance in novice drivers with Autism Spectrum Disorder: The role of executive functions and basic motor skills. Journal of Autism and Devel-
opmental Disorders, 2016: p. 1379-1391. 18. 18. Bishop, H.J., F.J. Biasini, and D. Stavrinos, Social and
non-social hazard response in drivers with Autism Spectrum
9
A primary goal of aPA has been to increase student/academic involvement in our organization and build a
community of psychologists with a focus on promoting the future of our profession. Avi Madan-Swain, Ph.D.
has taken the role of coordinating this effort through our Academic/Scientific Affairs Committee. In
conjunction with that effort, we are pleased to share the personal experiences of psychology students who par-
ticipated in the aPA conference.
"Having the opportunity to attend the aPA Conference in 2016 as a presenter was a great experience. It allowed me to engage with other professionals in a much more meaningful manner than I would be able to in a larger or-ganization and gave me the opportunity to practice skills that will serve me well as I grow into young professional and early researcher. I hope aPA continues to foster student engagement in future conferences and activities as it has served as one of the more meaningful experiences of my graduate career." - Dane Hilton, UA graduate stu-dent, clinical child psychology
“What I most enjoyed about the 2016 aPA conference was meeting other psychologists and trainees from across Alabama. As a first year graduate student, it was so valuable to meet clinicians, researchers, faculty, and stu-dents from UAB, Auburn, UA, USA, and everywhere in between. I not only had the opportunity to present my research, but also to learn about research happening at other universities, talk with clinicians working in a variety of clinical settings from hospitals to private practice, and discuss research findings and future directions with fac-ulty from across the state. It was wonderful to feel so welcomed into the community of Alabama psychologists!” - Christina D'Angelo, UAB graduate student, medical-clinical psychology
"Presenting as part of the first graduate research symposium at the aPA conference and serving on the inaugural aPA Student Advisory Committee have been great privileges for me, and each experience makes me excited for the future of the conference and the organization. Almost immediately after last year's conference, the student advisory committee began working hard to expand the conference and year around student engagement in aPA. We've been driven by the goal of providing something useful and interesting for everyone in attendance, and I'm confident this year's conference will be even better than last year's! As a presenter, I liked that conference atten-dees were predominantly practitioners working in various settings across Alabama. I think the conference and these presentations are crucial steps in advancing aPA's and the field of psychology's shared mission of mean-ingfully translating research into practice. Presenting to and speaking with clinicians also gives students the opportunity to consider how their findings may be applied by those working "in the trenches" in addition to those working in the so-called "Ivory Tower " of academia. In addition, the conference is a great opportunity for network-ing with other students, professors, and clinicians from all around the state and for gaining exposure to a vari-ety of different specialty areas within psychology." - Adam Coffey, UA graduate student, clinical psychology and law
"Giving my first conference talk at aPA was a great experience! I was able to present the research my mentor and I had been working on and get feedback from researchers and clinicians across the state. It can be very difficult to get speaker positions at large national and international conferences. Even if you do, the size of the conferences make it difficult to network in a meaningful way. At aPA I was able to have an extended discussion of how the findings I presented could be translated to the clinic and inform treatment planning for individual patients with several attendees. One of these conversations led me to seek out a new clinical experience at my own university. Furthermore, student engagement in aPA benefits more than just the students. Post-conference surveys re-vealed overwhelmingly positive response to the student talks and poster sessions. Students are necessarily im-mersed in all the emerging research of the field and Alabama psychology students are often working on the cut-ting edge of this research. Sharing novel findings and perspectives benefits the overall Alabama psychology community." - Carla Ammons, UAB graduate student, medical-clinical neuropsychology
Professional Growth:
Building Opportunities for Training and Leadership at aPA
10
Alabama Psychologists in the News
Annie M. Wells, Ph.D. joined Alabama A&M Univer-sity in 1982 as Director of the Master’s Program in
Clinical Training. Where she taught, wrote research
grants, published, presented workshops at national and
international conferences, and practiced part-time. Since coming to Alabama she has been a member of
aPA and NAALP; where she served as the Chair of the
of BOPN (Psychology Healthy Workplace) Pro-gram. Dr. Wells was Chair of NAALP’s Continuing
Education at one point. Dr. Wells is a Retired Navy
Captain and served as a Campus Liaison Officer at her universities for 20 years; ran an unsuccessful race for
US Congress, 5th District. Among the several appoint-
ments and awards, she was the recipient of two
Presidential Appointments— US Commission on Vet-eran Affairs and the US Commission on Civil Rights.
After retiring, she was awarded Professor Emeritus by
her university. Since retirement, she has been busy with completing books which she began, and gradually
reducing other responsibilities that come with retire-
ment—selling properties, reducing the size of her prac-tice, and traveling less.
Margaux Barnes, Ph.D. Assistant Professor in the
UAB Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and
Nutrition, was awarded pilot funding from the Nutrition
and Obesity Research Center (NORC) as well as the Kaul Pediatric Research Institute (KPRI) to study the
relations between disease activity, lean body mass, diet,
and physical activity in youth with Inflammatory Bowel Disease. She hopes to use this data to inform the devel-
opment of health promoting interventions with this
population in the future.
Kathleen Hamrick, a graduate of the psychology pro-
gram at UAB was honored in Birmingham Business
Journal’s 2017 Top 40 Under 40. At age 29, she is di-
rector of the UAB Innovation Lab – a partnership be-tween the UAB Collat School of Business and Innova-
tion Depot – where she plays an integral role in the
sourcing of seed investment for student-led startups and in the implementation of for-credit experiential pro-
grams for students interested in entrepreneurship and
innovation. She has been instrumental in successful grant and award submissions and runs social media ef-
forts. Prior to the iLab, she was involved in startup
companies, including one pursuing cancer molecular
diagnostics.
Fred Biasini, Ph.D. director of the UAB Civitan-Sparks Clinics was honored with the 2016-2017
McNulty Civitan Scientist Award. Since 2005, the
award has been given to outstanding scientists with a
long-term career commitment to research on develop-mental disabilities. The award is given each year in
honor of the McNulty family who were long-time mem-
bers of the Chesapeake District of Civitan International. Tom and Mary McNulty with their son Tommy were
the driving force behind the creation of the Civitan
International Research Center and the research focus of Civitan International Foundation. To date, the award
has provided support for a number of successful re-
search projects and helped to develop successful clini-
cal programs benefitting individuals with developmen-
tal disorders.
UAB Civitan-Sparks Clinics was awarded $75,000 to
establish the Alabama Regional Autism Network (ARAN) for central Alabama under the direction of
Fred Biasini, Ph.D. and Sarah O’Kelley, Ph.D.
(Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology, chair of the Alabama Autism Providers network). UAB
Civitan-Sparks Clinic will be working in conjunction
with Auburn University and University of South Ala-bama “to provide additional resources and promote
meaningful public awareness for those with ASD,” ac-
cording to Dr. Biasini.
Rajesh Kana, Ph.D., Associate Professor in the De-
partment of Psychology, Director of the Cognition,
Brain and Autism Laboratory, and his team is high-lighted in UAB news for collecting a database of brain
imaging of 150 children and adults with Autism and
publishing studies related to their results mapping the
brains of individuals with autism. https://www.uab.edu/cas/news/arts-sciences-magazine/item/6453-
connections-dr-rajesh-kana-uses-neuroimaging-to-map-
the-brains-of-people-with-autism-spectrum-disorder
Despina Stavrinos, Ph.D., Assistant Professor at
UAB and Lab Director for the Translational Re-search for Injury Prevention (TRIP) Lab has been
highlighted locally and nationally for their research re-
lated to driving/transportation safety. Check out their
website for more information: triplaboratory.com
11
NEW LIVESTREAM WEBINAR ETHICS & THE LAW: COMPLICATIONS IN COMMUNICATIONS
WITH CLINICAL AND FORENSIC CLIENTS
The Trust and TrustPARMA present (live from Bethesda, MD) this
Ethics and Risk Management Workshop you can livestream from home, office, or anywhere you have internet streaming access — featuring Jeffrey N. Younggren, Ph.D., ABPP
Knowledge takeaways from webinar:
Get the latest information about high risk contexts for ethics complaints and malpractice liability.
Identify new tactics to reduce stress and prevent negative outcomes related to complicated ethical issues and
concerns in their interactions with clients.
Review the professional risks and limits of treating therapists who interact with the legal system.
Discuss mandated reporting, confidentiality, testimonial limits, and the danger of advocacy in the courtroom.
Examine the complexity of child custody testimony and the clear differences that exist between forensic child
custody evaluations and treatment based testimony.
Discuss the world of healthcare record audits and how much information can be shared from the treatment record with outside agencies, including insurance companies.
Earn 6 CE hours and 15% savings on Trust Sponsored Professional Liability Insurance:
Attending the webinar earns you 6 hours of Ethics CE credit from an APA-approved CE source, and makes you eligible to save 15% on your Trust Sponsored Professional Liability Insurance premium at your next two policy renewals.
Register now to attend the livestream webinar:
Don't miss this opportunity to earn 6 CE credits and become eligible for savings – in your home, office, or anywhere you have internet streaming access!
(One Day Only) Saturday, April 29, 2017
Eastern Time 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Central Time 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Mountain Time 7:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Pacific Time 6:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Watch the live webcast anywhere you have online access. You will attend, take breaks, and conclude along with
east coast onsite attendees (but be sure to adjust for your time zone).
Webcast — Get details and register here.
12
Announcements
Shelby Psychological Services, in Pelham, has space available for a licensed psychologist to join our established and busy
private practice. We enjoy a small group of dedicated providers working with children, adolescents and adults. We have
easy access to the interstate and draw from the Greater Birmingham area as well as Shelby and Chilton County areas. Our
overhead structure is simple and affordable. If you are interested in learning more about our practice, please visit our
website at www.shelbypsych.com. We would welcome your letter or interest and vita. Please contact us by email at
[email protected], or FAX (205) 664-9928.
If you are not planning to relocate but know of a licensed psychologist who might be interested, feel free to pass this infor-
mation on to them.
Thanks, and Best Wishes,
Gaye B. Vance, Ph.D.
Ellen Spence, Ph.D.
Leska Meeler, LPC
CCC Systems Specializing in Billing Solutions for
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Call us today at 205-620-4686 or visit our web site for more information.
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Don’t forget to check out the
Classified Ads section of the
website.
Alabama mps Up Its Sports Concussion
Effortsoviding Expanding Opportunities for Psy-
chologists and Neuropsycholosts
Don’t forget to access Amazon.com from the
aPA homepage!
Purchases made on Amazon through our
homepage benefits aPA!
13
Continuing Education Credits: You can earn 1 CE Credit for studying the current issue of the Alabama Psychologist. After studying the articles, complete the quiz and program evalua-tion by circling the correct answers and return it to:
aPA CE, PO Box 97, Montgomery, AL 36101
If you are a aPA Member, enclose a check for $15.00 (non-members $25.00), made payable to the Alabama Psychological Association. aPA will then score your test (80% correct to pass) and will provide you with a certificate documenting your CE Credit
The Alabama Psychologist Quiz, Winter 2017:
1. Which age group is most over-represented in motor
vehicle crashes?
A. Adolescents
B. College students
C. Adults
2. What are common problems with parent-supervised
practice driving?
A. Drives are superficial
B. Drives are routine
C. Drives do not focus on significant skill deficits com-
mon to new drivers
D. Drives are too hard
3. Practice diversity that has been shown to be protective
against making safety relevant errors behind the wheel
refers to
A. Having a lot of different instructors
B. Driving a lot of different vehicles
C. Driving practice in a wide variety of road conditions
and driving environments
4. The network of policies that govern adolescents’ entry
into driver licensure are called:
A. Graduated driver licensing (GDL) program
B. Adolescent licensing laws (ALLs)
C. State-based driver safety net (SDS)
5. Pick-up trucks are safe choices for new drivers.
A. True
B. False
6. The prevalence of Developmental Disabilities in the
United States has remained constant over the past few
decades.
A. True
B. False
7. Individuals with Developmental Disabilities may have
difficulty with the task of driving because of impairments
or deficits in:
A. Attention
B. Executive function
C. Emotion regulation
D. Social Skill
E. All of the above.
8. What percentage of individuals with ASD report being
independent drivers?
A. 11%
B. 24%
C. 87%
D. 93%
9. Why might researchers utilize driving simulators to in-
vestigate the impact of Developmental Disabilities on
driving?
A. They are cheap
B. They require little to no training to operate
C. They provide a safe environment to study at-
risk groups
D. No Developmental Disability research has ever
been done using driving simulators
10. Why is it important to increase mobility and rates of
independent driving among individuals with Develop-
mental Disabilities?
A. Independent mobility is not possible for individu-
als with Developmental Disabilities
B. Mobility increases the likelihood of employment
C. Mobility increases participation in social gather-
ings and events
D. Both b and c
E. None of the above
CE Quiz (earn one CE Credit)
SUBMIT ONLINE & SAVE!
Save time & money by submitting your CE quiz online.
Online test fee $10 (vs $15-$25 if mailed). Instant Results!
go to www.alapsych.org
Or use form below to Submit by Mail
Name: ________________________________________________
Address: _____________________________________________
City: __________________________State: ____ Zip: ___________
Phone: ___________________ email: ______________________
State of Licensure: ________ License #____________
Mail quiz and payment to:
aPA Newsletter CE, PO Box 97, Montgomery, Al 36101
Please make checks payable to the
Alabama Psychological Association.
Please allow 2 weeks for processing.
14
CE Quiz continued (earn one CE Credit)
Program Evaluation
Please indicate your agreement/disagreement with the following
statements (you must complete evaluation to receive CE’s).
Strongly
Agree
Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly
Disagree
Program Description was
accurate 5 4 3 2 1
I acquired new
knowledge or skills 5 4 3 2 1
Teaching format/length
was suitable to content 5 4 3 2 1
Learning Objectives met
as stated (as stated on
page 3 of Newsletter)
5 4 3 2 1
How much did you learn
as a result of this CE pro-
gram? Please rank 1-5
(1 being very little,
5 being a great deal)
1 2 3 4 5
What topics would you
like to see in the future?
Additional CEU Opportunities
Are available at:
http://www.alapsych.org/?page=Workshops
PROGRAM TOPIC: Sleep Deprivation in Teens: Burning
More than the Midnight Oil (3 CE Hours)
FORMAT: Video (90 minutes), independent reading (90 min-
utes)
CE CREDITS AVAILABLE: 3
Presenter: Mary Halsey Maddox, M.D. (Video)
Reading: PEDIATRICS Volume 134, Number 3, September
2014.
SUMMARY: Dr. Maddox presents a lecture on the purpose of
sleep /sleep requirements, reality of sleep in today’s teens and the consequences of sleep deprivation. The required article from PE-
DIATRICS will further expound on these issues.Chronic sleep
loss and associated sleepiness and daytime impairments in ado-
lescence are a serious threat to their academic success, health,
and safety. Understanding the extent and potential short- and
long-term consequences of sleep deprivation is essential to get
health care for this population, and has significant implications
for public health policy. This activity reviews the current litera-
ture on sleep patterns in adolescents, factors contributing to
chronic sleep loss (ie, electronic media use, caffeine consump-
tion), and health-related consequences, such as depression, in-creased obesity risk, and higher rates of drowsy driving accidents.
The report also discusses the potential role of later school start
times as a means of reducing adolescent sleepiness.
2017 MEMBERSHIP
Reminder: Membership Renewals are due
by June 1, 2017.
PROGRAM TOPIC: Suicide Update (2015)
FORMAT: 1 hour lecture
CE CREDITS AVAILABLE: 1
Presenter: Dale Wisely, Ph.D.
SUMMARY: Suicide prevention is almost always a part of the
work of professionals engaged in mental health clinical work.
This one-hour video presentation is not intended to serve as train-
ing on evaluation and treatment of suicidal patients. It provides
an update on suicide rates, including key demographic data, in
the last ten years, which reveal significant increases in suicide among middle-aged Americans (and stable rates in the young and
the elderly). In addition, presenter Dale Wisely, Ph.D., will pro-
vide a basic summary of a interpersonal theory of why people die
by suicide, proposed by Thomas Joiner, Do you want to be part of
"Real Progress"?
Please consider donating to the
Student Award Fund to support gradu-
ate student participation
at this year's aPA Conference!
Sponsorship Levels: Bronze ($1-$99)
Silver ($100-$249) Gold ($250-$499)
Platinum ($500 and up)
Sponsors will be recognized at the aPA
Convention Click here to make a donation
NEW!
PROGRAM TOPIC: ADHD UPDATE: Who Outgrows
ADHD?
FORMAT: 1 hour lecture
CE CREDITS AVAILABLE: 1
Presenter: Dale Wisely, Ph.D.
SUMMARY: In this update on recent ADHD research, we learn
that prospective studies suggest that some children with ADHD
do “outgrow” it, and some data suggest different characteristics
among children with ADHD that may predict whether the disor-
der does or doesn’t persist into adulthood. The update reviews
the research and clinical implications
