Promoting Interdisciplinary Care: A Pilot Collaboration between a Speech Language Pathologist and Board Certified Behavior Analyst matters because it changes what a BCBA notices when decisions have to hold up in joint consultation, shared care planning, school-team communication, and interdisciplinary handoffs. In Promoting Interdisciplinary Care: A Pilot Collaboration between a Speech Language Pathologist and Board Certified Behavior Analyst, for this course, the practical stakes show up in clearer roles, fewer duplicated efforts, and better coordinated intervention, not in abstract discussion alone.
Provider: BehaviorLive — via Women in Behavior Analysis
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Join Free →One of the core challenges in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is social communication difficulties, which can range from a total lack of speech to mild challenges with communication pragmatics. Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy and Speech Language Pathology (SLP) therapy are two beneficial, commonly accessed therapies for autistic individuals (Dallman et al., 2020). Although Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) and SLPs often both work with the autistic population and target social communication goals, several key differences exist between the professions related to theoretical orientation, course content, and areas of expertise. BCBAs receive in-depth training regarding the specific elements of contingencies that influence discrete behaviors, but less commonly receive training on how those discrete behaviors fit within the overall context of child development and minimal training/background in speech and language assessments. In contrast, SLP training provides a deep understanding of child development, especially as it pertains to early social communication development, which is arguably a critical perspective when working with young children with ASD and related skill deficits. Although these two professions have differences, they also share much common ground in their intervention strategies (Morgan, 2020). There is clinical consensus on the value of naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions (NDBIs) (Lord et al., 2022) utilized within both speech and modern ABA therapy. In this presentation we will discuss ways to increase collaboration between the two professions and case examples where these collaborations have led to better clinical outcomes for autistic youth.
| Certification Body | Credits | Type |
|---|---|---|
| BACB® | 1 | General |
| COA | 1 | — |
Kathleen Edmier, PsyD, BCBA, is a licensed psychologist and board-certified behavior analyst in the Language and Learning Program at Marcus Autism Center. She is an assistant professor at the Emory University School of Medicine in the Department of Pediatrics. Dr. Edmier completed her doctorate in clinical psychology with an emphasis in child and adolescent clinical psychology at Adler University, Chicago, IL. She obtained her certification in applied behavior analysis from University of California, Santa Barbara. She completed her predoctoral internship and postdoctoral fellowship at Marcus Autism Center and Emory University School of Medicine, where she gained substantial experience working with autistic children and their families, particularly those impacted by significant language delays, behavioral difficulties, and feeding challenges. Dr. Edmier’s research interests include evidence-based strategies and recommendations for increasing social and communication skills in children on the autism spectrum. She is also interested in promoting culturally responsive and trauma-informed care within behavior analytic 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.