Special Interest Group (SIG) - Contact Information

December 3, 2004

This webpage is from the Association for Behavior Analysis, which is the

national organization for behavioral psychologists and other folks using

Applied Behavior Analysis in various settings. They do have sub-groups

for areas of specialization, including using ABA with individuals with

autism. It is called the Autism Special Interest Group (SIG) within the

ABA organization.

They have developed these guidelines for individuals providing ABA

services for individuals with autism. They are probably very idealized,

given the shortage of qualified behavior analysts in many areas, but it

is something we should strive for, and especially push the school

district to hire these types of people when looking for behavior

specialists. At a minimum we should expect someone who is a behavior

specialist, to have the BCBA certification (Board Certified Behavioral

Analyst). This shows the person has demonstrated experience and

knowledge in the area of behavior analysis by 1) passing a specialized

exam, 2) taking a certain level and amount of college coursework, 3)

having a graduate degree in a related area, and 4) having a certain

amount of required hours of experience, much of it under a " mentor " who

already is a certified BCBA.

Analyzing behavior and developing both a functional behavior analysis

(FBA) and the resulting behavior intervention plan.(BIP) is very complex

and requires a lot of skill and training. And so does running an ABA

program for students with autism, whether it is a classroom or a home

program. We wouldn't expect to be speech pathologists after taking a

course or two or attending a workshop -- why do people at the schools

seem to think they can write behavior plans or run ABA programs after a

seminar or two on ABA or Verbal Behavior? We definitely need to push

for the recognition of the BCBA credential and that we want behavior

analysts doing behavioral interventions!

Barb

Ann Arbor

Revised Guidelines for Consumers of Applied Behavior Analysis Services

to Individuals with Autism and Related Disorders

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