Inside Behavior Analysis
Volume 1 | 2009 | Number 1
Alabama ABA
By Jennifer Gillis
The Alabama Association for Behavior Analysis (ALABA) is a membership organization dedicated to disseminating behavior analysis to professionals and consumers in the state of Alabama. ALABA aims to promote research that will advance the understanding of behavior and to identify and promote the use of effective and humane behavioral procedures that meet the educational and habilitative needs of individuals.
ALABA holds a convention annually as an opportunity for members and other professionals to earn Continuing Education (CE) credits. The 17th Annual Convention was hosted in Auburn, Alabama, in October, 2008. ALABA members had the opportunity to earn up to 17 CE credits for BCBAs and 16 for Licensed Psychologists. Invited speakers included Gina Green, Ph.D., BCBA and Raymond G. Romanczyk, Ph.D., BCBA. As in past years, there were two knowledge levels for registrants: Basic/Intermediate and Intermediate/Advanced. The convention was successful with attendance rates being consistent with past years. Some of the topics of the convention included: Behavioral Pharmacology, Direct Instruction, Issues in Aging, Issues in Autism, Toilet Training, Verbal Behavior, and Issues in Ethics, among others.
ALABA is currently planning its 18th Annual Convention in Birmingham, Alabama at the Double Tree Hotel. Our goal is to develop a diverse program to include topics and speakers that appeal to behavior analysts practicing in many areas of the field. We are pleased to announce Dr. Joanne Gerenser, CCC-SLP as the Invited Speaker for the 2009 Convention in November. Dr. Gerenser is the Executive Director of the Eden II programs, a set of programs serving children and adults with autism throughout New York City and Long Island. The Executive Committee is currently working to further develop the program for the 18th Annual Convention to include topics that appeal to educators, speech pathologists, counselors, and social workers, among other professionals.
ALABA has recently renovated its Web site and is now offering its quarterly publication, ALABA Quarterly, on line as well. The ALABA Web site is constantly being updated with information for consumers and professionals in the state of Alabama. Currently, the Web site offers information about the organization’s ongoing activities, membership information, convention information, links
to employment opportunities in the region, as well as links
ALABA believes dissemination of behavior analysis is an important part of being a professional in the field and strives to reach out to other professions in the state of Alabama. Our goal is to disseminate responsibly to our communities about best practices in behavior analysis. As a small step toward achieving this goal, representatives of ALABA recently attended Alabama's fourth Annual Pre-K Conference, a meeting for educators in the state. In 2008, ALABA marketed its Annual Convention to the Alabama State Departments of Education, Human Resources, Mental Health and Mental Retardation, as well as other agencies that could benefit from the science of behavior analysis. This year, ALABA will expand the outreach effort in hopes to bring in many professionals and parents that are interested in our field. For more information about the ALABA, please visit us on line at www.auburn.edu/alaba.