NCABA Annual Conference

Dr. Becca is the executive director of Del Mar Center for Behavioral Health, a multidisciplinary clinic in southeastern North Carolina. She is passionate about leadership, mentorship, and wellness for individuals, families, and organizations. As a licensed psychologist and Board Certified Behavior Analyst, Dr. Becca uses her unique blend of knowledge to help individuals, families, and organizations get clear on their values and take steps towards them. When we’re moving towards our values, we feel fulfilled. Dr. Becca is committed to strong clinical practices and superior leadership and training all while continuing to nourish the other areas in life in order to flourish.

Abstract

An ACT oriented intervention was implemented with 3 families receiving ABA services to assist in reduction of barriers to generalization of parent training skills. ACT philosophy of parenting maintains that effective parenting requires awareness and acceptance of thoughts and feelings as they occur in the context of the parent-child relationship. An ACT philosophy of parenting also relies heavily on the identification and commitment to parenting values. During intervention, parents reported greater feelings of effectiveness in managing challenging behavior, higher scores on measures of the domains comprised by the hexaflex, and overall decreased stress. Further, challenging behavior exhibited by their child decreased.

Objectives

Upon completion of this session participants will be able to:

Michele Silcox, CMRS, with her 25-year career in Accounting, quickly learned that the basic principles of Accounting apply across all industries. She developed a keen sense of controls, checks, and balances and was able to successfully manage large teams of accounting staff in meeting and exceeding goals for all levels of back office functions. With her experience and desire to help others, she is a seasoned, natural leader and trainer for employees, executives, and colleagues she has worked with. For the last nine years, Michele has focused her career in ABA Therapy billing and insurance funding sources, supporting the provider just starting out through the large ABA agency flourishing with multiple providers, clients, and funding sources. Additionally, her software background puts her in a position to help providers maximize the use of the practice management software they have chosen. Michele is furthering these efforts by gaining her Certified Medical Professional Auditor certification which will allow her to provide even more in-depth risk assessments for providers to support compliance and profitability of their practice. With tighter regulations on healthcare services, providers need to know when they are at risk for non-compliance and remain out of harm’s way of fraudulent activity. Helping providers find that peace of mind is her goal.

Abstract

With nearly all US states now having insurance autism mandates, more and more providers are turning to health plans as the primary funder of ABA services for Autism. As a provider, working with insurance companies can be complicated and time-consuming. However, providers need to become comfortable with navigating contracting, obtaining authorizations, billing, and managing appeals with insurance, in order to keep services running smoothly. This workshop will take a deep dive into best practices to ensure that services get approved, claims get paid on time, and denials get appealed. We will use specific, real life case scenarios, walk through common problems encountered, and discuss how providers can address them. Topics to be discussed include reviewing revenue cycle work flow, becoming an in-network provider, obtaining pre and ongoing authorizations, submitting claims, using appropriate codes, and managing denials.

Objectives

Upon completion of this session participants will be able to:

Dr. Jeannie Golden is a Licensed Psychologist who received her Ph.D. in School Psychology from FSU in 1981. Dr. Golden has taught in the Psychology Department at ECU for 37 years and became the first national Board Certified Behavior Analyst in NC in 2000. Dr. Golden received ECU teaching awards in 2001 and 2009, the FABA Honorary Lifetime Membership Award in 1994, the NCABA Excellence in Behavior Analysis Award in 2005, the ECU Scholarship of Engagement Award in 2012, the NCABA Do Things Award for Outstanding and Sustained Contributions in 2013, the ECU Psychology Department Award for Distinguished Service in 2015, and the ECU Psychology Department Faculty Appreciation Award for Mentoring in 2017. Dr. Golden and colleagues received grants from Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust (2008-2011) and the Department of Health and Human Services (2011-2016) to provide school-based mental health services in two rural, impoverished counties in North Carolina. In March of 2018, Dr. Golden and colleagues were awarded the Creating New Economies Fund Grant by Resourceful Communities for the Greene County Community Advancement Project.

Abstract

Often teachers struggle with off-task and noncompliant behavior in the classroom. This off-task and non-compliant behavior can serve functions of access to either adult or peer attention or escape from task demands. Identifying the functions of these behaviors has important implications for treatment efficacy. Check in/Check Out (CICO) is an evidence-based procedure that is used at the Tier 2 level of intervention for improving off-task and non-compliant behavior as well as other problem behaviors (Filter, McKenna, Benedict, Horner, Todd, & Watson, 2007). Combining functional behavioral assessment (FBA) with this procedure makes sense to make sure that it addresses the function of the problem behavior and therefore provides more immediate and long-lasting impact (March & Horner, 2002). This presentation will address the combination of FBA and CICO used to develop function-based interventions in case studies conducted with two children in elementary school and one adolescent in high school with mental health issues.

Objectives

Upon completion of this session participants will be able to:

Rachel Gwin is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst practicing in Charlotte, NC. Rachel started her career in special education at the New England Center for Children in Southborough, MA. There she worked with adolescent males diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder in a residential program. After 2 years in MA, Rachel transferred to The New England Center for Children- Abu Dhabi, where she spent 3 years working in and supervising a preschool classroom. During this time, she earned her Master’s degree in Special Education from Simmons College and completed her Applied Behavior Analysis coursework at Western New England University. Following her work in Abu Dhabi, Rachel attended the University of Pittsburgh where she earned her Doctorate in Early Intervention. In August 2018 Rachel joined the Access Family Services team in Charlotte, NC.

Abstract

Parent training has been identified as an important aspect of in-home services for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Transferring knowledge from the service provider to the parent increases the consumer’s access to quality academic and behavioral programming. For parent training to be effective, three essential components must be considered: 1) establishing and maintaining rapport, 2) identifying appropriate teaching procedures, and 3) identifying appropriate data collection methods. Presenters will review teaching procedures and data collection methods found in the literature. In addition, real world examples and data on the use of these methods will be provided. The presenters will discuss the role of rapport building and provide strategies on how to integrate methods for establishing and maintaining the provider/parent relationship into everyday trainings. By gaining a clear understanding of how to break down barriers and teach and support parent implementation of child programs, service providers can increase their effectiveness as parent trainers.

Objectives

Upon completion of this session participants will be able to:

John studied experimental psychology at Columbia University and at the University of Maryland. At Maryland he received his Ph.D. in 1974, working under Lew Gollub. He went on to teach and to conduct operant animal research for four years at Tilburg University in the Netherlands. Marriage brought him back to the States. It led also to a new job — applied work with disturbed adolescents. John made another major shift in 1985 when he took a position as a management consultant. In 2012 John closed his Charlotte-based consulting practice and moved to the mountains of Western North Carolina. Two years into retirement he was struck with a brainstorm: “Why not build my own animal lab?” With a little money, lots of time and energy and with a large, under-used out-building on his property he built a quite sophisticated pigeon lab that he calls GerBL. Today he presents his latest, quite novel work on the development of operant paradigms of social behavior. John is the son of Fred Keller, pioneer in basic and applied operant research and close friend and colleague of B. F. Skinner. He lives with his wife Dawn in Hendersonville, NC. They have three grown children and four grandchildren.

Abstract

Med-PC software (common to many operant labs) has a seldom-used feature called a K-pulse. The K-pulse allows subjects to exchange stimuli. In this paper, experiments are described in which two and sometimes three pigeons exchange such discriminative and reinforcing stimuli. The rules for these exchanges are fairly simple but the behavior they engender is quite like everyday human social behavior. The behaviors we call competitive and cooperative and even rather abstract concepts like territoriality and role definition can be readily modeled. So, too, can the behavior seen in games like Hot Potato, Ping Pong, Musical Chairs and even the Telephone Game. Even hard-nosed behaviorists might at first balk at calling such behavior “social.” They might find themselves asking the very non-behavioral question, “Does the bird even know there’s another bird providing the stimuli?” However, from the time of Skinner’s Verbal Behavior and Keller and Schoenfeld’s Principles of Psychology, behaviorists accept that social behavior is, at heart, no more than the exchange of stimuli among organisms. Stripping the concept to its essence is like the simplification achieved by the Skinner Box itself. It lets us recognize and manipulate functional relationships that are often obscure in the world outside the lab.

Objectives

Upon completion of this session participants will be able to:

Anne Overcash, M.Ed. is a Senior Consultant and Supervisor for Pyramid Educational Consultants in the United States. With over 25 years of experience in the field of autism and developmental disabilities she specializes in providing training and consultation to those who serve individuals with complex communication needs. In addition to communication training and consultation, she provides training and consultation on developing effective educational environments with a focus on enhancing learners’ skill sets and decreasing unwanted behaviors. Anne has worked extensively across the USA as well as internationally. Her background in a variety of educational settings, including public schools and comprehensive knowledge of the Picture Exchange Communication System® (PECS®) and The Pyramid Approach to Education® combined with years of training groups provide a unique platform from which Anne is able to deliver empowering training sessions and effective consultation.

Abstract

Behavior analysis involves the study of behavior under what conditions. While the emphasis on behavior per se is novel to many, the most unique characteristic of behavior analysis is the emphasis on how environmental conditions systematically influence behavior. In the study of operant behavior Skinner placed emphasis on the role of consequences and how the role of the three term contingency brings about stimulus control. We will review the establishment of stimulus control using examples from laboratory based discrimination training. The definition of the term prompt is just as dependent upon behavior as the term reinforcer. While our field contains many overlapping definitions of prompts and cues, we will detail a critical distinction between prompts and cues. Our focus will then shift to a major challenge in effective teaching, the removal of prompts. We will discuss whether strategies such as prompt hierarchies are logically consistent. Be prepared to have your own teaching rituals revealed. This work is based upon the original work of Andy Bondy, Ph.D. and has been presented at ABAI as well as other professional conferences over the past several years.

Objectives

Upon completion of this session participants will be able to:

Erin completed a BA double majoring in Psychology and International Studies and later a Masters of Education in ABA. She is a Board Certified Behaviour Analyst and has worked in home, school and clinic settings around the world. She organised a two-month parent-training program in Kazakhstan in 2015. During this time she first introduced ABA and PECS to the mothers and their children. She late became a PECS Consultant and has since trained over 1500 parents and professionals in 6 different countries. After the initial Kazakhstan trip Erin worked with the mothers in Kazakhstan to develop a research proposal for her doctoral studies at UCL Institute of Education. Erin is completing the write-up of her thesis to be submitted this spring.

Abstract

In Kazakhstan, there is an overall lack of professionals and services available to children with autism. However, in recent years parent advocacy efforts have made progress. This study developed a manualized behavioral skills training (BST) course to teach eleven applied behavior analysis (ABA) strategies to 21 university students at a Kazakh university. Seven mothers of children with autism were trained and delivered the course to the university students. Pre- and post- test skill assessments were completed in a role-play format. A multiple choice exam was used to assess knowledge of ABA. Results indicate the mothers could implement the training program with high fidelity and the university student could accurately implement ABA strategies following the training. The students demonstrated significant improvements in the exam scores. A follow-up study utilized the program for in-service training. The researcher and one mother co-delivered the training to seven tutors. Pre- training skill assessments were completed in a role play scenario and post-training skills assessments were completed in vivo. Results indicate that skills learned during the role-play BST could generalize to use with children. Implication for use of BST will be discussed, along with the risks and benefits of short-term international training programs.

Objectives

Upon completion of this session participants will be able to:

Cary Trump is a doctoral candidate in Communication Sciences and Special Education at the University of Georgia. She holds a master’s degree in special education from East Carolina University, and is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. Her research interests include the application of applied behavior analysis within school and clinical environments, verbal behavior and translational research evaluating treatment durability and response persistence. Prior to entering the doctoral program, Cary taught in the public school system for four years, and worked at the Carolina Center for Applied Behavior Analysis with a focus on verbal behavior.

Abstract

Federally protected classes include race, color, religion, origin, sex, age, ability, veteran status, genetic information, and citizenship. One should note that sexual orientation is not listed as a federally protected class and people identifying as a part of the LGBTQ community can, and are, legally discriminated against. Furthermore, merely belonging to a federally protected class does not protect one from experiencing discrimination. Those individuals and groups experiencing discrimination might identify and avoid stimulus classes signaling unsafe environments. This presentation seeks to address relevant stimuli potentially signaling safe and unsafe environments and offer suggestions for creating safe work environments.

Objectives

Upon completion of this session participants will be able to:

Dr. Thompson is a licensed psychologist who has practiced Applied Behavior Analysis working with persons with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities for 40 years in community and state facilities. He recently retired from the Murdoch Developmental Center where he served as Associate Director and Director of Psychology Services for 27 years, developing and monitoring individual treatment plans for persons with severe maladaptive behaviors, supervising, and participating in program development. He has participated in committees charged with drafting language for licensing and Autism insurance. Dr. Thompson currently is a manager and clinician with Behavior Intervention Professionals of the Triangle, PLLC, in Durham, NC, and psychologist with the Complex Clinical Needs program at Evans- Blount Total Access Care in Greensboro, NC. He still uses a flip phone.

Michael W. Walker received his doctoral degree in clinical psychology from the University of Mississippi in 2005, his masters degree from Western Carolina University in 1998, and his undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1995. Michael’s previous research interests have been diverse, including studies of the quality of life of individuals with intellectual disability, partner violence and substance abuse from a family systems perspective, and, the psychometric properties of caregiver report instruments designed to assess behavioral function. Currently, Michael is a psychologist at Murdoch Developmental Center with the PATH and MATCH programs.

Abstract

While published treatment studies often show substantial decreases or elimination of target maladaptive behaviors, clinicians working in applied settings find that these behaviors persist despite well-designed behavior support efforts. We found no large scale, long term studies of the persistence of maladaptive behavior and corresponding treatment. We reviewed data on the frequency and intensity of intervention for 216 adults with severe and profound intellectual disability living in a state-operated treatment facility over a 20 year period. All presented with one or more maladaptive behaviors requiring a formal behavior intervention plan. Statistical analyses revealed significant findings for both frequency and intensity of intervention for Aggression and Physical Disruption. No significant results were found for Self-Injury, Verbal Disruption, and Program Refusal. Data scaling procedures reduced the likelihood of detecting moderate changes. As a result, we use additional non-statistical analyses to describe the data. These data point to important considerations in setting expectations about the outcomes for behavioral interventions and have related public policy implications.

Objectives

Upon completion of this session participants will be able to:

Dr. Bill Ahearn joined The New England Center for Children® in August 1996, and serves as the Director of Research. He is also Adjunct Faculty in Western New England University’s masters and doctoral programs. Bill was named the 2009 American Psychological Association – Division 25 awardee for Enduring Contributions to Applied Behavioral Research. His work has been published in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, Behavioral Interventions, Behavior Modification, The Lancet, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders and has written book chapters on teaching children with autism and pediatric feeding problems in children with autism. Bill is currently the Editor-in-Chief of Behavioral Interventions and serves on several Editorial Boards. Bill is a past-President of APBA and BABAT and serves as the chair of the board that licenses behavior analysts in MA.

Abstract

Intensive behavior analytic intervention for young children diagnosed with autism can produce large gains in social, cognitive, and language development. Applied behavior analysis is acknowledged as a best practice approach to providing educational and clinical services to children with autism spectrum disorders; however, applied behavior analysis consists of individually tailored interventions to meet the educational and clinical goals of each child. This individual tailoring is a complex task for a clinician but when a systematic approach that involves regular review of progress through data analysis is utilized, best practices may become apparent. This address will discuss systematic evaluations of clinical and teaching procedures conducted with persons with autism for building independent living skills and treating problem behavior. Teaching behavior chains, treating repetitive behavior, and promoting social behavior will be reviewed.

Objectives

Upon completion of this session participants will be able to:

Dr. Gina Green is Chief Executive Officer, Association of Professional Behavior Analysts. She is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst-Doctoral, former president of the Association for Behavior Analysis and the California Association for Behavior Analysis, and a former member of the Board of Directors of the Behavior Analyst Certification Board. Dr. Green has authored numerous publications in experimental and applied behavior analysis and served on the editorial boards of several professional journals. Her work has garnered awards from numerous state, regional, national, and international organizations. She lectures and consults widely on effective interventions for people with autism and related disorders, behavioral research, and public policies affecting the practice of ABA.

Abstract

Behavior analysts who operate service agencies or practices face many challenges as they strive to reconcile everyday demands and constraints with the profession’s code of ethics. This presentation reviews the ethical obligations of ABA practitioners, organized by categories based on questions that practitioners often raise to the Association of Professional Behavior Analysts: types of services provided; starting and discontinuing services; advertising; fees and billing; and supervision of cases and implementers. Suggested strategies and resources for ensuring that practice is consistent with the BACB’s Professional and Ethical Compliance Code as well as applicable laws and regulations are described.

Objectives

Upon completion of this session participants will be able to:

Dr. Gregory Hanley has been applying the principles of learning to improve socially important behaviors of children and adults with and without disabilities for 28 years. He worked and trained at the Kennedy Krieger Institute, was degreed at the University of Florida, was tenured at the University of Kansas, and is currently a Professor of Psychology, Director of the Behavior Analysis Doctoral Program, and Director of the Life Skills Clinic at Western New England University and an Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Dr. Hanley has published over 100 book chapters and articles in peer-reviewed focused on the assessment, treatment, and prevention of problem behavior and on evidence-based values. Dr. Hanley is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (Division 25), past Editor of Behavior Analysis in Practice (BAP), and a past Associate Editor of The Behavior Analyst, the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis (JABA), and BAP and current Editor of JABA.

Abstract

I will first discuss the historical contributions of the core assumptions, aims, commitments, and procedures associated with traditional functional assessment of problem behavior. In the context of recent findings, I will then review their present-day limitations and introduce a different set of assumptions, aims, and commitments derived from a pragmatic approach to assessing problem behavior. New relationships between old concepts relevant to functional assessment will then be developed. The idea that demonstrating strong control over an inferred class of problem behavior is more important than attempting to identify the adaptive function of problem behavior will be closely examined along with the realities that the former may be evident in only minutes of analysis and the latter may be an illusion. In sum, I will attempt to illustrate that a pragmatic approach to analyzing severe problem behavior is possible, accessible, defensible, and most capable.

Objectives

Upon completion of this session participants will be able to:

Selene Johnson is the Executive Director of ABC of NC Child Development Center, a specialized center providing diagnostic, therapeutic, and educational services for individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and their families. The program is located in Winston Salem, NC, and is accredited through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Selene has worked with students with ASDs for over 20 years and is trained as a behavior analyst and a special education teacher. She has worked with individuals with autism across the east coast as well as internationally, in Nepal and the Maldives. Selene received her Master’s degree in Special Education from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and has presented at local and national conferences on evidence-based practices for autism. She served on the governor-appointed Joint Study Committee on Autism Spectrum Disorder and Public Safety, studying autism health insurance legislation in NC and has led advocacy efforts towards behavior analyst licensure in North Carolina. Selene has served on the board of NC-ABA for four years and is the current President of the organization. She is a 2014 graduate of Leadership Winston Salem.

Bill Ahearn joined The New England Center for Children® in August 1996, and serves as the Director of Research. He is also Adjunct Faculty in Western New England University’s masters and doctoral programs. Bill was named the 2009 American Psychological Association – Division 25 awardee for Enduring Contributions to Applied Behavioral Research. His work has been published in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, Behavioral Interventions, Behavior Modification, The Lancet, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders and has written book chapters on teaching children with autism and pediatric feeding problems in children with autism. Bill is currently the Editor-in-Chief of Behavioral Interventions and serves on several Editorial Boards. Bill is a past-President of APBA and BABAT and serves as the chair of the board that licenses behavior analysts in MA.

Dr. Dorsey is a licensed applied behavior analyst, board certified behavior analyst and a licensed psychologist. He earned his Ph.D. from Western Michigan University in 1979. In the years since, he has made important contributions to the field as a practitioner and researcher, and even penned the original model legislation used for developing state licensing laws. He is a professor of education and Director of the Institute of Behavioral Studies for the Van Loan School at Endicott College in Beverly, Massachusetts. Dr. Dorsey has served on the faculty of The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin Ireland, and Jordan University of Science and Technology.

Gina Green is Chief Executive Officer, Association of Professional Behavior Analysts. She is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst-Doctoral, former president of the Association for Behavior Analysis and the California Association for Behavior Analysis, and a former member of the Board of Directors of the Behavior Analyst Certification Board. Dr. Green has authored numerous publications in experimental and applied behavior analysis and served on the editorial boards of several professional journals. Her work has garnered awards from numerous state, regional, national, and international organizations. She lectures and consults widely on effective interventions for people with autism and related disorders, behavioral research, and public policies affecting the practice of ABA.

Dan Unumb, Esq. is President of the Autism Legal Resource Center LLC, a national legal consulting firm assisting providers, families and associations with insurance, Medicaid, and other coverage-related issues. Dan is also founder of the recently established nonprofit National Autism Law Center which he formed to address systemic issues and serve as a national clearinghouse for information, litigation and legal policy support, and advocacy on behalf of the autism community. Previously, Dan was Executive Director of the Autism Speaks Legal Resource Center. He has briefed autism issues in state and federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court. Dan is co-author of the law school casebook “Autism and the Law” and has presented on autism legal topics at numerous national conferences. Dan graduated from Northwestern University School of Law and has litigated cases in federal and state courts across the country in private practice in Boston, Washington, D.C., and Charleston; as Director of Litigation for his state’s legal services program; and as an attorney with the United States Department of Justice.

Abstract

Licensure of behavior analysts continues to be a topic of interest to many members of NCABA, and seeking clarification of the rights and responsibilities of board certified behavior analysts to practice is currently an initiative of the professional organization. Presenters for this panel discussion have experience with licensure bills/laws, regulations, and other relevant information from their experience with other states and within their respective professional organizations. Presenters will discuss the history of behavior analyst licensure in other states, current issues and trends with behavior analyst licensure, and current issues/challenges with behavior analyst licensure in NC.

Objectives

Upon completion of this session participants will be able to:

Dr. Gregory Hanley has been applying the principles of learning to improve socially important behaviors of children and adults with and without disabilities for 28 years. He worked and trained at the Kennedy Krieger Institute, was degreed at the University of Florida, was tenured at the University of Kansas, and is currently a Professor of Psychology, Director of the Behavior Analysis Doctoral Program, and Director of the Life Skills Clinic at Western New England University and an Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Dr. Hanley has published over 100 book chapters and articles in peer-reviewed focused on the assessment, treatment, and prevention of problem behavior and on evidence-based values. Dr. Hanley is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (Division 25), past Editor of Behavior Analysis in Practice (BAP), and a past Associate Editor of The Behavior Analyst, the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis (JABA), and BAP and current Editor of JABA.

Abstract

The conduct of functional analyses with individuals who engage in severe problem behavior may be prohibited due to perceived risks associated with evoking problem behavior, which is inevitable during a successful functional analysis and likely during typical treatments which rely on traditional forms of extinction and differential reinforcement. Several studies that have implications for analysis safety will be briefly reviewed, and the most important safety considerations will be conveyed. A brief review of the results of an evaluation of the “enhanced choice” model for minimizing risks during treatment will follow. In this model, participants are continually provided with options to (a) enter a therapeutic context in which evocative situations are repeatedly presented while a replacement repertoire is shaped via differential and synthesized reinforcement, (b) enter a “hangout” context in which synthesized reinforcers are freely available (i.e., the evocative situations are absent), or (c) leave the therapeutic context altogether (e.g., return home or to classroom). The remainder of the workshop will be focused on implementing these strategies in practice.

Objectives

Upon completion of this workshop participants will be able to:

Dr. Bill Ahearn joined The New England Center for Children® in August 1996, and serves as the Director of Research. He is also Adjunct Faculty in Western New England University’s masters and doctoral programs. Bill was named the 2009 American Psychological Association – Division 25 awardee for Enduring Contributions to Applied Behavioral Research. His work has been published in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, Behavioral Interventions, Behavior Modification, The Lancet, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders and has written book chapters on teaching children with autism and pediatric feeding problems in children with autism. Bill is currently the Editor-in-Chief of Behavioral Interventions and serves on several Editorial Boards. Bill is a past-President of APBA and BABAT and serves as the chair of the board that licenses behavior analysts in MA.

Abstract

The practice of behavior analysis has been rapidly growing and the recognition of applied behavior analysis (ABA) as an effective treatment strategy has spurred this growth and demand for ABA services has led to insurance reform in the United States. With insurance reform, the need for identifying competent providers of ABA services has become a pressing issue. This workshop will summarizes the effort to certify behavior analysts and the subsequent movement in individual states to license practicing behavior analysts while focusing on the implications for certification and licensure for the ethical practice of ABA. The 27 U.S. states with licensing or a similar mechanism have all adopted the BACB-criteria for identifying competent providers as the foundation for qualifying for licensure. This workshop will review aspects of the Guidelines for Responsible Conduct and of statutes and regulations for licensure oversight of behavior analysts in a manner intended to review highlights of the ethical implications that such acknowledgment of the professional practice of behavior analysis brings. Topics featured in the workshop will include advocating for empirically-based interventions, dual relationships, records keeping and billing practices, areas of competency, and defining the “client.”

Objectives

Upon completion of this workshop participants will be able to: