Total Competence in Applied Behavior Analysis and in Your Specialty

1. Total Competence in Applied Behavior Analysis and in Your Specialty Casey Nottingham Caldwell College

2. 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)

3. Presentation Outline • Why problems arise • Guidelines for Responsible Conduct • Van Houten et al. (1988) • Competence in behavior analysis • Competence in your specialty • Questions

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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)

9. Outline Guidelines for Responsible Conduct • Address multiple guidelines that deal with competence

10. Guidelines for Responsible Conduct Bailey & Burch, 2010b, p. 58

11. Guidelines for Responsible Conduct Bailey & Burch, 2010b, p. 59

12. Ethics Scenario Bailey & Burch, 2010b, p. 58

13. 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)

14. 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)

15. 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)

16. BACB EXAM.

17. 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

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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

21. 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

22. http://www.bacb.com/index.php?page=100365

23. 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

24. Workshops • Workshops in your specialty or in new areas • Caldwell College upcoming workshops • Student prices • CE credits • Networking opportunity

26. 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

27. Maintaining Competence Bailey & Burch, 2010b, p. 59

28. Ethics Scenario Bailey & Burch, 2010b, p. 60

29. 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

30. 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

31. Maintaining Your Competence • Monitor your practice! • If something is unethical or ineffective, change it • Have others review your practice and your collected data

32. 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

33. Professional Liability Insurance • Even for competent practitioners, things may go wrong • APBA member discount http://www.apbahome.net/liability_insurance.php

34. References Association 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

35. References Behavior 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.