Perspectives from 30 Years of Training Behavior Analysts

Miltenberger (2018) looks back on three decades of shaping new behavior analysts.

He tells us what worked, what failed, and why mentoring matters as much as lectures.

The paper is a story, not an experiment, so you get lessons from the trenches.

Great training mixes clear teaching with long-term mentoring.

Without steady coaching, new analysts struggle to turn book skills into real-world action.

Miltenberger says trainers must stay in touch after class ends.

Kranak et al. (2023) asked working BCBAs how they keep learning. Practitioners still pick peer-reviewed articles and big-name conferences first. The survey data back up Miltenberger’s call for trusted mentors and quality sources.

Powell et al. (2020) extend the idea by showing how quality-improvement tools like PDSA cycles fit ABA values. Trainers can now add these simple cycles to their mentoring toolkit.

Lerman (2024) completes the arc: once analysts are well-mentored, they can package their skills for teachers, nurses, and police. The 2024 blueprint turns Miltenberger’s trained analysts into exporters of behavior science.

You run or teach supervision hours. Pair every lesson with an ongoing coaching plan. Check in monthly, share one extra article, and watch the skill stick. Your trainees will graduate ready to train others, widening our reach.