Behavioral Artistry: Examining the Relationship Between the Interpersonal Skills and Effective Practice Repertoires of Applied Behavior Analysis Practitioners
Warm interpersonal skills—behavioral artistry—make ABA sessions parent-approved and child-friendly, but ABA trainees lag behind other majors.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team asked parents and students about "behavioral artistry." That means the warm, creative side of ABA.
They gave surveys to 102 parents of kids with autism and to the students in human-service majors.
Parents rated how much they liked therapists who showed care, humor, and flexibility. Students rated themselves on those same traits.
What they found
Parents picked high-artistry therapists 9 times out of 10.
ABA students scored lower on artistry than students in counseling, nursing, or social work.
Yet, when ABA staff did show high artistry, they ran sessions with more joy and fewer sharp commands.
How this fits with other research
Zayac et al. (2021) built a 35-item checklist of top-BCBA traits. The list blends technical skill with the same warm behaviors Callahan calls artistry.
Allen et al. (2024) push the idea further. They say artistry must include neurodiversity values like assent and identity-first language.
MSáez-Suanes et al. (2023) reviewed BCBA supervision studies and found most are just opinion pieces. The field still lacks trials that teach artistry during supervision.
Why it matters
Parents want more than cold drills. They want therapists who smile, joke, and follow the child’s lead. If you train students, add role-plays that praise creativity and rapport. If you supervise staff, track warmth and assent right next to correct trials. High artistry costs nothing and may keep families in treatment longer.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This study investigated interpersonal skills associated with the concept of behavioral artistry (BA), a repertoire of practitioner behaviors including care, attentiveness, and creativity, among others, associated with the effective delivery of applied behavior analysis (ABA) treatment. Survey results indicated parents of children with autism preferred BA descriptors for ABA therapists over non-BA descriptors. A separate survey of 212 university students on a standardized personality assessment revealed students majoring and/or working in the field of ABA had lower levels of BA than those in other human services professions. Practitioners with higher BA scores were observed and rated more positively in their delivery of ABA for children with autism. Implications for training/supervising effective ABA practitioners within a BA model are discussed.
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2019 · doi:10.1007/s10803-019-04082-1