Inside Behavior Analysis
Volume 1 | 2009 | Number 2 | On-line ISSN: 2151-4704
2006 Sidney W. and Janet R. Bijou Fellowship Awardee
By Sarah E. Bloom
Prior to initiating my doctoral studies at the University of Florida (UF), I worked for two years as a teacher at the Sussex Consortium in Lewes, DE (a school for children with exceptional needs). Under the supervision of Dr. Chris Battaglini and Dr. Vivian Bush, I began to learn about applications of behavior analysis to academic performance and problem behavior in the classroom. Reading research in behavior analysis was first an attempt to address behavioral challenges presented by my students. Soon, however, I was reading with the goal to learn everything I could about my new field and the desire to make a contribution that was not limited to the children in my classroom. I wanted to learn how to conduct research and therefore needed to pursue graduate studies.
In fall of 2003, I was accepted into the doctoral program at UF under the mentorship of Dr. Brian Iwata. Perhaps because my previous experience had been with children in a school setting, Dr. Iwata encouraged me to expand my repertoire by placing me in a laboratory setting at the ARC, a residential and vocational program serving adults and children with developmental disabilities, including a large population of individuals with Prader-Willi Syndrome. When I had the opportunity to move during my third year to another laboratory site at a local school for children with exceptional needs, I was excited to be back in a school setting. I began to do research related to the special challenges of assessment and treatment of problem behavior in school settings and the acquisition of verbal behavior in children.
The Dr. Sidney W. and Janet R. Bijou Fellowship Program provided valuable support for my research. In addition to the monetary award, Dr. Bijou's commitment to the application of the principles of behavior analysis to the problems experienced in young populations and to the scientific examination of learning in children inspired my continuing interest. Being a recipient of the Bijou fellowship encouraged me to further develop professionally in areas directly related to working with young children.
In August of 2008 I graduated from my doctoral program and accepted a faculty position in the Department of Special Education and Rehabilitation at Utah State University. In addition to working with graduate students on their own research projects and a graduate course in research methodology, I teach undergraduate students seeking certification in early childhood special education. I consider the opportunity to be involved in teacher preparation to be of paramount importance for strengthening behavior analysis in schools.
My research is also closely related to areas inspired by Dr. Bijou. I have developed relationships with public preschools serving children with exceptional needs in two local districts, and with Autism Support Services: Education, Research, and Training (ASSERT), Dr. Tom Higbee's university-based preschool for children with autism. With the cooperation of these schools, I continue to conduct applied behavior analysis research related to the assessment and treatment of problem behavior in school settings and verbal behavior acquisition. I am grateful for the support provided by Sidney and Janet Bijou.