Inside Behavior Analysis
Volume 3 | 2011 | Number 2 | Online ISSN: 2151-4704
ABA India
By Smita Awasthi, Geetika Kapoor, and Lakshmi Satish
The Association for Behavior Analysis of India (ABA India) moved forward with its goals, aims, and objectives in 2010–2011. The association increased its full, affiliate, and student memberships and presently has more than 200 members supporting it.
ABA India organized the first 2-day Southeast Asia Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Conference at Bengaluru, India, in which behavior analysts from 10 countries participated. A total of 75 paper and poster contributions were received from 11 countries. Of these, the research committee tried to select presentations most relevant for parents and professionals. Twenty-four papers, 6 workshops, and 21 posters were finally selected for presentation. Dr. Maurice Feldman, a professor at Brock University in Ontario, Canada, and Dr. Shobha Srinath, a renowned professor of psychiatry at National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences in India, presented the keynote address at the conference. The final plenary session included the "Parent Perspective" session in which five parents presented data and videos showing data-based decision making and evidence-based practice. ABA India was honored to have many international speakers presenting at the conference. These were Dr. Mickey Keenan (Ulster University), Dr. Neil Martin (international BACB representative), Dr. Susan Ainsleigh (Dar Al Hekma University), Dr. Rebecca Ward (Brock University), Dr. Dennis Moore (Monash University), and Dr. Manish Vaidya (University of North Texas). The parent community worked closely with ABA India's executive council in fundraising for and organizing this conference.
India now has five certified behavior analysts-three BCBAs and two BCaBAs. All behavior analysts presently work with populations with autism spectrum disorders. There are at least six organizations that practice the science of ABA. This is a positive step forward as organizations are opting for treatments based purely on ABA rather than an eclectic approach.
ABA India conducted many workshops in 2010, exploring new areas and collaborating with new organizations. Awareness and training workshops were instrumental in enhancing the reach of the ABA movement. Every workshop introduced ABA to at least 100 people at a time. Many developmental pediatricians have started to refer newly diagnosed children with autism for early intervention to ABA-practicing professionals. This is a new trend in India.
For the promotion of applied behavior analysis, ABA India has some brand ambassadors who support the not-for-profit nongovernmental organization. Their statements and pictures are present on the association's website.
ABA India is working towards releasing a Hindi translation of Parents' Education as Autism Therapists: Applied Behavior Analysis in Context, written by Keenan, Kerr, and Dillenburger in 2011.
ABA India's Executive Council was reelected and the new leadership is making all efforts to pursue the aims and objectives of beginning an ABA course in India and getting recognition for behavior analysis as a profession in its own right. More and more students are enrolling in courses approved by BACB abroad, which suggests the growing need for such a course in India.
In 2011, the second Southeast Asia ABA Conference will take place on December 10–11, and we invite participants from across the globe to take the opportunity to make this initiative a success.