Learning from those who came before us: introducing a specialization model of behavior analytic care becomes clinically important the moment a team has to turn good intentions into reliable action inside adult services and community participation. In Learning from those who came before us: introducing a specialization model of behavior analytic care, for this course, the practical stakes show up in better performance, lower drift, and more sustainable team development, not in abstract discussion alone.
Provider: BehaviorLive — via Women in Behavior Analysis
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Join Free →The field of Applied Behavior Analysis has seen unprecedented growth over the past 15 years. Today's BCBA is walking into a field that is constantly changing, facing new supervision, ethical, and quality standards, and dealing with a staggering demand for services for neurodiverse individuals from toddlers to adulthood. As a result, behavior analysts are increasingly being called upon to provide highly individualized care to patients across an array of specialty areas, and are expected to be fluent in assessment, challenging behavior, skill acquisition, and feeding or sleep concerns (to name just a few). Unfortunately, the growing demand for possessing expertise in these varying areas is leading to burnout among clinicians, which puts us at risk of seeing talented BCBAs exit the field. So how do we address and respond to this growing myriad of needs? As our practice landscape evolves, so must we! This presentation will advocate for the development of BCBA specialists in the autism field. As we have seen in other disciplines such as medicine and psychology, specialization is necessary to meet the developing needs of a profession by building upon foundational knowledge to create subject matter experts. Research on specialization has generally found specializations increase job satisfaction as well as productivity, and may actually be a moderator between satisfaction and performance in the employment setting (Abdelmoula, 2021). A model establishing specialization within ABA therapy providers, using an organizational behavior management framework, will be proposed, including social validity data from the first 2 years of implementation at a Midwest ABA service provider. Recommendations for adopting specialization into clinical practice will be presented, as well as the advantages of this approach.
| Certification Body | Credits | Type |
|---|---|---|
| BACB® | 1 | General |
Dr. Breanne Hartley has a PhD in Behavior Analysis and is a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst at the Doctoral level (BCBA-D) with over 20 years of experience working with patients on the autism spectrum and their families. Dr. Hartley has functioned at the executive-level within Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) organizations, which has given her the opportunity to design and lead the implementation of systems, procedures, and treatment of individuals with autism across the lifespan. She is a leader in the field of behavior analysis, speaking nationally on topics highlighting ways in which clinicians can effectively structure clinical work in practical settings. She co-authored the book, The Training Curriculum for Supervisors of ABA Technicians in Autism Programs and has published in Behavior Analysis in Practice. Dr. Hartley leads the field of behavior analysis by serving as the President of the board of directors for the Behavior Analyst Certification Board, by having served as a committee member for the Autism Commission on Quality Accreditation, and by contributing as a featured presenter for the Council of Autism Service Providers ABA Supervision Training Program. Her behavior analytic training was completed at Western Michigan University where she obtained her Doctorate in Behavior Analysis, specializing in Autism Spectrum Disorders and Developmental Disabilities.
Dig into the research behind this topic — plain-English summaries written for BCBAs.
279 research articles with practitioner takeaways
252 research articles with practitioner takeaways
239 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.