Behavior analysis does not occur in a vacuum — it occurs within families, communities, and social contexts that profoundly shape both the conditions for change and the outcomes that matter most to the people we serve. The clinical significance of caregiver involvement in ABA services is among the most consistently documented findings in the applied literature: when parents and caregivers are trained to implement behavior analytic strategies in natural environments, clients generalize skills more rapidly, maintain gains more durably, and demonstrate more meaningful improvements in quality of life than when treatment is delivered exclusively by professionals in clinical settings.
Provider: BehaviorLive — via Women in Behavior Analysis
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Join Free →Each of us has a story about how we came to behavior analysis. I want to share something of mine. My relationship with behavior analysis began with a 4th-grade science project. Many decades have passed since then, and just as the projects have gotten bigger, so has my love for our field and confidence about how we can use our science to help others. I was a college student when Applied Behavior Analysis was just beginning to take off. This means that early in my professional development, I had the opportunity to walk among the giants of our field. That exposure altered my career as a behavior analyst and life as a woman. But my family, friendships, professional experiences, and societal contingencies have had an equal, and probably greater, impact. While all these processes are still at work, I want to share some of the advice I have been given and what I have learned (so far).
| Certification Body | Credits | Type |
|---|---|---|
| BACB® | 1 | Supervision |
Jane Howard, Ph.D., BCBA, is a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA-D®). She is the Co-Founder of Therapeutic Pathways and Senior Advisor to Blue Sprig Pediatrics. Dr. Howard is the lead author of several widely cited outcome studies regarding treatment outcomes for individuals with autism. She was a Founding Member of the Council of Autism Service Providers and is also a member of the Advisory Board for the National Autism Law Center. In addition, Dr. Howard is the Past President of the Board of Directors for the Behavior Analyst Certification Board. Dr. Howard is also a Professor Emeritus of Psychology at California State University, Stanislaus, where she spent decades training graduate students in behavior analysis and clinical psychology. In that capacity, she published multiple research papers examining various intervention strategies to support independence in individuals with developmental delays. Dr. Howard also established several university-affiliated community programs to improve access to services for individuals with learning disabilities and cognitive impairments. These various roles reflect Dr. Howard’s long-standing commitment and passion for developing the clinical infrastructures needed to support access to high-quality care by those who need services.
Dig into the research behind this topic — plain-English summaries written for BCBAs.
280 research articles with practitioner takeaways
279 research articles with practitioner takeaways
258 research articles with practitioner takeaways
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All behavior-analytic intervention is individualized. The information on this page is for educational purposes and does not constitute clinical advice. Treatment decisions should be informed by the best available published research, individualized assessment, and obtained with the informed consent of the client or their legal guardian. Behavior analysts are responsible for practicing within the boundaries of their competence and adhering to the BACB Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts.