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Total Competence in Applied Behavior Analysis and in Your
Specialty
Casey Nottingham
Caldwell College
Sources• Bailey, J., & Burch, M. (2010). 25 essential skills &
strategies for the professional behavior analyst. New York, NY: Routledge.
• Bailey, J., & Burch, M. (2010). Ethics for behavior analysts (2nd Expanded Edition). New York,
NY: Routledge.
• ABAI website
• APBA website
• BABAT website
• Van Houten et al. (1988)
• Carr & Briggs (2010)
Presentation Outline
• Why problems arise
• Guidelines for Responsible Conduct
• Van Houten et al. (1988)
• Competence in behavior analysis
• Competence in your specialty
• Questions
Behavior Analysis: A Robust Field
• Offers services to many various consumers– Infants and senior citizens– Individuals with disabilities– Athletes– CEOs
• Experience with clients outside of the developmental disabilities specialty?
Bailey & Burch, 2010a, p. 59
Special Interest Groups• Association for Behavior Analysis International
(ABAI) special interest groups (SIGs) include:– Applied animal behavior– Autism– Behavior analysis in military and veterans’ issues– Crime, delinquency, and forensic behavior analysis– Gambling
http://www.abainternational.org/constituents/special-interests/special-interest-groups.aspx
Behavior Analysis
• Positive impact for many consumers– Research-based practices– Effective technologies
• However, there may be times when we are ineffective– Incompetent personnel
Bailey & Burch, 2010a, p. 59
Competence as a Behavior Analyst
• Problems result when behavior analysts take on cases without considering their training history
• Should not take on cases simply because they are available, pay well, in a convenient location, etc.– Are you qualified?
Bailey & Burch, 2010a, p. 60
What is Competence?
• Hard to know when one is competent
• You must only practice in areas where you have had formal training
• If you must practice outside your area of training, you must seek training in the new area
Bailey & Burch (2010b)
• Outline Guidelines for Responsible Conduct
• Address multiple guidelines that deal with competence
Guidelines for Responsible Conduct
Bailey & Burch, 2010b, p. 58
Guidelines for Responsible Conduct
Bailey & Burch, 2010b, p. 59
Ethics Scenario
Bailey & Burch, 2010b, p. 58
• Van Houten et al. (1988)• Provided a list of client rights to guide the
appropriate use of behavior analysis• Individual has a right to:
– Therapeutic environment
– Services whose goal is personal welfare
– Treatment by a competent behavior analyst*
– Programs that teach functional skills
– Behavioral assessment/ongoing evaluation
– The most effective treatment procedures
Van Houten et al. (1988)
• Van Houten and colleagues (1988) suggest competent behavior analysts possess:– Appropriate education AND experience– Knowledge of behavioral principles– Knowledge of assessment and treatment– Knowledge of research methodology– Professional ethics– Practicum training and supervision– Experience with relevant client population
Van Houten et al. (1988)
• Van Houten et al. (1988) also recommend doctoral-level behavior analysts for complex cases
• Competent doctoral-level behavior analysts also possess:– Expertise in subtle details of assessment and
treatment
– Training skills to ensure the competence of those delivering services
– Responsibility for consulting and following-up services in complex cases
Van Houten et al. (1988)
BACBEXAM.
Total Competence
• Means to go beyond passing the BACB exam
• Exam is a test of minimal competence in behavior analysis
Bailey & Burch, 2010a, p. 60
How to Be Competent in Behavior Analysis
• Read
• Continuing education opportunities
• Books
• ABAI conference and other conferences
• Regular dialogues with colleagues
• Professional journals
• Workshops
Bailey & Burch, 2010a, pp. 60-62
Keeping Up with Current Literature
• Contacting the most recently published literature = stay competent in behavior analysis
• Carr & Briggs (2010) provide strategies for making contact with the most recent literature
Carr & Briggs (2010)• PsycINFO subscription
– Expensive– Organizational subscription
• Create a list of commonly access journals– Subscribe to these– Free journals– Online journals
• Alma mater library• Google Scholar• Self-management procedures
Continuing Education
• February, 2013 – BACB Newsletter– 32 CE credits per 2-year recertification cycle
for BCBAs/BCBA-Ds; 20 for BCaBAs
• http://www.bacb.com/index.php?page=100438– CE providers/events
http://www.bacb.com/index.php?page=100365
Conference Attendance
• ABAI– 40th Annual Convention– May 23 – 27, 2014 in Chicago
• APBA– 4th Annual APBA Convention– March 27 – 29, 2014 in New Orleans
• BABAT– 34th Annual BABAT Conference– October 17 – 18, 2013 in Amherst
Workshops
• Workshops in your specialty or in new areas
• Caldwell College upcoming workshops– Student prices– CE credits– Networking opportunity
Total Competence in Your Specialty
• Define your area of expertise– Let’s try!
• Consider courses taken and (supervised) practicum experiences you have had
• Subscribe to specialty journals– E.g., TAVB
• Accrue years of experience working in a specific area in various settings
Bailey & Burch, 2010a, p. 62
Maintaining Competence
Bailey & Burch, 2010b, p. 59
Ethics Scenario
Bailey & Burch, 2010b, p. 60
Are You Competent in Your Specialty?• Read current research in best journal on topic?
• Own books on the topic? Read them?
• Attended workshops on the topic in the past year?
• Personally trained by a qualified BCBA?
• Identify experts on this topic? Contact them?
• Colleagues consult you on this topic?
• Given state or national presentations on the topic?
Bailey & Burch, 2010a, p. 63
Declining Cases
• Based on client’s best interest
• When?– Behavior problem exceeds your expertise– You have not had training on an issue
• How?– With client’s full knowledge– Refer to a qualified provider– Consult with other professionals
Bailey & Burch, 2010b, p. 78
Maintaining Your Competence
• Monitor your practice!– If something is unethical or ineffective, change
it– Have others review your practice and your
collected data
Summary• Competence is needed:
– In behavior analysis, in general– In your specialty– In terms of the population of clients– In research and research methodology– In training and supervising– In teaching
• If you do not feel competent:– Seek out a mentor in the area or further training– Refer the case– Decline the case
Professional Liability Insurance
http://www.apbahome.net/liability_insurance.php
• Even for competent practitioners, things may go wrong
• APBA member discount
ReferencesAssociation for Behavior Analysis International. (2013). Special
interests. Retrieved from http://www.abainternational.org/constituents/special-interests.aspx
Bailey, J., & Burch, M. (2010a). 25 essential skills & strategies for the professional behavior analyst. New York, NY:
Routledge.
Bailey, J., & Burch, M. (2010b). Ethics for behavior analysts (2nd Expanded Edition). New York, NY: Routledge.
Behavior Analyst Certification Board. (2013). BACB newsletter – Special edition on new standards. Retrieved from http://www.bacb.com/newsletter/BACB_Newsletter_2-13.pdf
ReferencesBehavior Analyst Certification Board. (n.d.). Maintaining
Certification. Retrieved from http://www.bacb.com/index.php?page=100365
The Berkshire Association for Behavior Analysis and Therapy. (n.d.). The 34th annual BABAT conference. Retrieved from http://www.babat.org/conference/conference2013.html
Carr, J. E., & Briggs, A. M. (2010). Strategies for making regular contact with the scholarly literature. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 3, 13-18.
Van Houten, R., Axelrod, S., Bailey, J. S., Favell, J. E., Foxx, R. M., Iwata, B. A., & Lovaas, O. I. (1988). The right to
effective behavioral treatment. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 21, 381-384.