Exploring Quality in the Applied Behavior Analysis Service Delivery Industry
Create your own Autism Service Delivery Quality (ASDQ) dashboard instead of relying only on board certification.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Silbaugh et al. (2022) wrote a how-to paper for ABA agencies. They coined the term ASDQ – Autism Service Delivery Quality. They built a culturo-behavioral scorecard any clinic can use.
The paper gives six concrete steps. You pick your own quality yardsticks instead of waiting for the BACB to do it for you.
What they found
The authors did not run an experiment. They built a framework. The big idea: measure what matters to clients, staff, and payers. Track those numbers every month.
Agencies that follow the six steps can spot weak spots early and fix them before families leave.
How this fits with other research
Detrich et al. (2025) extend the same line of thought. They add an eighth ABA dimension: real-world adoption. Silbaugh asks, 'Is our clinic good?' Detrich asks, 'Does our good practice actually spread?'
Romero (2017) came earlier and urged behavior analysts to jump into policy debates. Silbaugh turns that call into a tool you can use on Monday.
McClain et al. (2020) show school-clinic handoffs are messy. Silbaugh’s ASDQ steps give you a way to measure and tighten those same handoffs.
Why it matters
Stop guessing if your clinic is 'good enough.' Pick three ASDQ metrics that hurt the most—maybe parent wait time, staff turnover, or insurance denial rate. Plot them on a run chart. Share the chart at the next staff meeting and choose one fix. You just started Step 1 of the framework.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
As the applied behavior analysis (ABA) service industry (“the industry”) continues to rapidly expand, it faces three major problems. First, ABA service delivery quality (ASDQ) is undefined in ABA research and the industry. Second, we cannot rely exclusively on professional organizations that oversee licensure and certification to control ABA service delivery quality because they do not have control over the relevant contingencies. Third, without objective indicators of ABA service delivery quality, it is difficult for ABA organizations to distinguish the quality of their services from competitors. In this article, first we explain the need for more critical discussion of ASDQ in the field at large, briefly describe a sample of common views of quality in ABA research and the industry, and identify some of their limitations. Then we define ASDQ and present a cohesive theoretical framework which brings ASDQ within the scope of our science so that we might take a more empirical approach to understanding and strengthening ASDQ. Next, we explain how organizations can use culturo-behavioral science to understand their organization’s cultural practices in terms of cultural selection and use the evidence-based practice of ABA at the organizational level to evaluate the extent to which methods targeting change initiatives result in high ASDQ. Lastly, in a call to action we provide ABA service delivery organizations with six steps they can take now to pursue high ASDQ by applying concepts from culturo-behavioral science and total quality management.
Behavior Analysis in Practice, 2022 · doi:10.1007/s40617-021-00627-y