Inside Behavior Analysis
Volume 1 | 2009 | Number 1
Practice Board Report
By Linda J. Hayes
The ABAI Practice Board was established by the ABAI Council at its May 2008 meeting. Linda Hayes was appointed Coordinator of the Practice Board. Recommendations for membership on the Practice Board were submitted to the Council shortly thereafter, the approved slate including: Mike Dorsey, Doug Greer, Travis Thompson, and Mike Weinberg. In addition to these members, the Council appointed Mike Dougher as its Liaison to the Practice Board.
The Practice Board held its first meeting in Phoenix in August, 2009. At this meeting, the circumstances giving rise to the establishment of the Practice Board were discussed, along with its aims and objectives. The Board prepared a report to the Council in which it proposed that ABAI pursue licensure for behavior analysts at the master’s and doctoral levels. It further proposed that the academic requirements for licensure at these levels be aligned with those required for ABAI Accreditation of Master’s and doctoral programs, and that the accreditation standards at both levels be expanded to include more training in the basic and theoretical domains. The Board also proposed the formation of a number of sub-committees to support this initiative. These committees and their chairs included: Governmental Affairs, chaired by Mike Dorsey; Licensure, chaired by Mike Weinberg; Continuing Education, chaired by Doug Greer; and Research and Analysis, co-chaired by Travis Thompson and Mike Dougher. The ABAI Council reviewed and approved the aims and objectives of the Practice Board at its November 2008 meeting in Phoenix, after which the sub-committees of the Practice Board were appointed.
In December, 2008, the Council’s Liaison to the Practice Board and the Board’s Coordinator met with the Coordinator of the Education Board and the Chairs of its sub-committees to review the recommendations of the Practice Board with respect to aligning accreditation standards for Master’s and doctoral level programs with those proposed for licensure eligibility at these levels. The outcome of this meeting is contained in the Education Board’s report to the Council.
The outcomes of the work of the Practice Board and its sub-committees are contained in the following materials. In brief: ABAI members were surveyed as to their need for and/or views on licensure of behavior analysts; a Model Licensing Act was developed for review by the Council, and subsequently sent out to the full members for comment; support for legislative efforts was provided as circumstances arose; consultation to the ABAI Council with respect to alternative proposals and comments was provided; and a number of individual members of the Board participated in information sessions at regional conferences.