Expanding the consumer base for behavior-analytic services: meeting the needs of consumers in the 21st century.
Diversify your practice now—autism market will saturate and dementia/TBI represent viable, underserved ABA opportunities.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Storch et al. (2012) wrote a roadmap for behavior analysts.
They said the autism market is getting full.
They told readers to open services for dementia and traumatic brain injury.
The paper is a call to act, not a lab experiment.
What they found
The authors found a business risk.
Too many BCBAs serve only children with autism.
Older adults with dementia and TBI need behavior help and have few trained providers.
Early movers can build new income streams and help an ignored group.
How this fits with other research
Saunders et al. (2005) and Storm (2000) saw the same crowd forming.
They already urged BCBAs to step beyond small autism projects.
Storch et al. (2012) turn that warning into a clear business plan.
Derenne et al. (2002) give the tool kit.
They showed how single-case designs work with older adults, so you can prove your dementia care works.
Brodhead et al. (2018) add a safety rule.
They say master new skills and document competence before you treat new populations.
Together the papers form a timeline: notice the crowd, learn new methods, check your skills, then launch.
Why it matters
If you run a clinic, start pilot groups for adults with memory loss or brain injury.
Use single-case data to show referral sources what ABA can do.
You protect your business from autism-market saturation and serve people who currently get little help.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
A growing workforce of behavior analysts provides services to individuals with autism and intellectual disabilities as legislative initiatives have spurred a growth of funding options to support these services. Though many opportunities currently exist for serving individuals with autism, the growing demand for these services may wane or, at some point, the growth in service providers will meet that demand. Other consumer groups could benefit from behavior analytic services, but typically have limited access to qualified providers. Individuals with dementia and traumatic brain injury are used as example consumer groups to illustrate the necessary tasks for a behavior analyst to expand their scope of practice to a new population. This paper provides strategies for developing competence and creating employment opportunities with new consumer groups.
Behavior analysis in practice, 2012 · doi:10.1007/BF03391813