Inside Behavior Analysis
Volume 1 | 2009 | Number 2 | On-line ISSN: 2151-4704
ABAI Practice Board
On behalf of the ABAI Practice Board and Executive Council, we are writing to share exciting new initiatives that the Association is pursuing on behalf of its members. The Practice Board is leading efforts to serve the needs of all practicing behavior analysts and to support and reflect ABAI’s deep commitment to behavior analysts in all areas of application. The Science and Education Boards are also pursuing initiatives for their specific constituents and some of these are mentioned as well, although this update focuses primarily on practice efforts. Following are updates that were included in an e-mail sent to ABAI members on September 29, 2009. These efforts regard insurance coverage, licensing, governmental affairs, affiliated chapter support, a practitioner hotline, and agency management, as well as news on position statements and task forces, code of ethics development, and higher education accreditation.
Insurance Coverage
Two new ABAI committees will serve as a central point to assist practitioners with insurance coverage for those receiving the benefits of behavioral treatments. The Insurance Billing Committee will respond to the lack of appropriate billing codes for applied behavior analysis (ABA) services; this lack has been a barrier for many ABAI members seeking to secure payment for their work. If you have any comments concerning billing codes, please contact Co-Chairs Travis Thompson at travisthompson2@comcast.net or 651-636-5466 and Wayne Fisher at wfisher@unmc.edu or 402-559-8863. The Insurance Coverage Committee will assist practitioners directly with insurance issues.
The Practice Board will sponsor several insurance-related events at this year’s conference, including an Insurance Summit that will promote dialogue between ABA providers, advocates, legislators, and insurance industry representatives around the issue of the implementation of autism insurance mandate bills and funding of ABA services. Thanks to the hard work of many, there are now 15 states with such bills in-place and six more will shortly be considered in their respective state legislatures. The Insurance Summit will bring together representatives from ABAI, the BACB, insurance companies, Autism Speaks, and other advocacy groups.
Licensure
Applied behavior analysis is in the process of becoming a licensed profession, as shown by independent initiatives in many states in the U.S. and in other countries. In response to growing developments in the field, the ABAI Council and the Practice Board have taken the time to study the implications of licensure. They are ready and able to assist affiliated chapters in the U.S. and internationally to respond when their legislative bodies take up the issue of licensure. Licensing laws have recently passed in Arizona, Nevada, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania, and legislation is currently in process in the Massachusetts legislature. As well, new initiatives for licensure are being proposed in New Jersey and Vermont, among other states. The ABAI Practice Board is now assisting chapter advocates in the development of licensure laws that protect the field and practicing behavior analysts. Conversations continue with the BACB to reach a consensus on a single model licensing act. Our hope is that we can join efforts to represent the field cohesively.
Governmental Affairs
Members of the ABAI Practice Board are actively working to assist affiliated chapters at their conferences, where they consult, train, and otherwise address issues of governmental advocacy. Board members have been, or soon will be, exhibiting and/or presenting talks related to the practice of ABA and legislative advocacy at Autism New Jersey; the Berkshire Association for Behavior Analysis and Therapy, Connecticut, Florida, Four Corners, Manitoba, New York State, and Tennessee affiliated chapters; and the Institute for Behavioral Studies at Endicott College in Massachusetts. ABAI will also soon begin coordinating efforts internationally with interested chapters in Asia, Australia and New Zealand, Europe, the Middle East, and North and South America.
Massachusetts
Hearings on licensing legislation were held during September in Massachusetts. ABAI members in the state received an e-mail earlier in the month providing links to the language of the bills and the names of members of the Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure reviewing the licensing bill. The hearing on licensing was attended by over 100 individuals, with testimony supporting HB 181/SB 47 from Massachusetts State Senators and Representatives, the ABAI Practice Board, and numerous parents, professionals, and other interested individuals.
Nevada
Nevada recently passed a bill mandating insurance coverage for ABA services in the treatment of autism. One of the requirements of the bill was the inclusion of a behavior analyst on the Nevada State Board of Psychological Examiners. ABAI member Kimberly Nix Berens has been appointed to this position by Nevada Governor Jim Gibbons.
If your affiliated chapter, organization, state, or country is promoting and/or considering bills that affect practitioners, and you are interested in consultation from the ABAI Practice Board, contact Michael Weinberg at mweinberg2007@att.net or 860-315-7115 or Michael Dorsey at mfdorsey@comcast.net or 617-441-1891 to discuss possible arrangements.
Chapter Support
Most of the issues facing the field as a whole, including those mentioned above, play out at the state level where affiliated chapters and their members are most affected and where timely response is critical. ABAI has been developing and presenting support materials to help state chapters address these issues. Training for affiliated chapters and special interest groups this past May addressed issues of licensing and legislative advocacy. A second, full-day session is now being planned for this coming January in Chicago immediately preceding the 4th annual ABAI Autism Conference on Friday, January 22, 2010. We will follow up with another meeting for all affiliated chapters of ABAI at the 2010 Annual Convention in San Antonio.
Practitioner Hotline
As the field gains in stature and licensing and legislative issues come to fruition, practitioners increasingly need access to consultation services and advice on a wide variety of professional issues. ABAI understands that practitioners need immediate responses to their pressing questions, and we are pleased to serve members in this fashion. To address these issues, the ABAI Practice Board created a Practitioner Hotline under the leadership of Jon Bailey. The hotline provides forums for all practitioner needs and experts are available to answer your questions via e-mail.
Agency Management
As the practice of applied behavior analysis matures; many members of ABAI have assumed positions of authority within both public- and private-sector human service organizations. It has become commonplace for ABAI members to be appointed to such roles as CEO and COO of large agencies, Director of Special Education or Early Childhood Coordinator in local school districts, or to serve on local school boards or state committees. The goal of this committee of the ABAI Practice Board will be to provide a forum for those in such leadership roles, afford an opportunity for peer-to-peer support, and provide a mechanism to mentor those in newly appointed positions. You will be hearing more about this committee in the near future. If you are interested in participating in this committee, please contact Michael Dorsey.
Under the leadership of the ABAI Executive Council, other critical initiatives affecting both the practice and science of behavior analysis are being conducted. Here are some examples:
Position Statements
The ABAI Council assembles task forces to study critical issues within the field and to develop white papers for submittal to the Association's Full Members for input and votes. Most recently, a task force on seclusion and restraint has been formed, with joint participation of the Science and Practice Boards. The task force will develop and recommend a position statement on the appropriate use of seclusion and restraint for consideration by ABAI Full Members. Participants in the task force include Jon Bailey, Michael F. Dorsey, Louis P. Hagopian, Gregory P. Hanley, David B. Lennox, Mary M. Riordan, Scott Spreat, and Timothy R. Vollmer.
Code Of Ethics
Behavior analysts no longer come only from psychology, but also from disciplines such as education and social work. As behavior analysis as a field and a profession becomes increasingly codified in state law, the need for a code of ethics that serves the ever broadening array of disciplines within the field has become relevant and necessary. It is the hope that the ABAI code of ethics could be used by state or federal governments as a reference for appropriate professional conduct of licensed professionals. A task force is currently being assembled to study the implications of developing a code of ethics for behavior analysts and will represent and support scientists and researchers, educators, and practitioners.
Higher Education Accreditation
Among many other efforts currently spearheaded by ABAI’s Education Board, with input and representation from both the Science and Practice Boards, are initiatives to develop criteria for undergraduate accreditation, to revise the standards of graduate accreditation, and to pursue national recognition of the ABAI’s Accreditation Program. Accrediting programs in behavior analysis promote the science by insisting on science-based clinical activities. These are all under way.
We look forward to keeping the ABAI membership updated on the important work being done by the Practice, Science, and Education Boards to support the many issues of relevance to our field. This is just a preview of services to come. Please become a member, stay involved, and stay in touch. We look forward to telling you about the launches of other upcoming services including a professional liability insurance program, the 2011 ABAI conference on behavioral economics, and a new job placement service.