Inside Behavior Analysis
Volume 3 | 2011 | Number 2 | Online ISSN: 2151-4704
Ontario ABA
By Darryl Nurse
We have had another exciting and busy year in 2010 as we strive to lead the Ontario Association for Behaviour Analysis (ONTABA) into the future. Our annual conference was held November 18–20 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. The event was a great success and your feedback has been positive and helpful. We were fortunate to have some excellent invited speakers and some cutting-edge local research and practice information disseminated. Thank-you to all the members that presented and attended the conference and we look forward to seeing you all again in 2011. We will once again be hosting our annual event at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre on November 10–12, 2011.
As some of you may be aware, ABAI's Executive Council has recently released an article providing an update regarding ABAI's future directions (please refer to Inside Behavior Analysis, Vol. 3, No. 1). In short, the article is a reaffirmation of its mission, "to contribute to the well-being of society by developing, enhancing, and supporting the growth and vitality of the science of behavior analysis through research, education, and practice." The Board of Directors of ONTABA, as an affiliated chapter of ABAI, has taken the opportunity at our first meeting of 2011 to review and recommit to our mission to "demonstrate leadership, knowledge, and innovation in education, training, and research for the ethical and effective application of behaviour analysis." As the field is continuing to grow quickly throughout the province, we will strive to provide a quality annual conference for all members and will support several satellite conferences in different geographical locations. We have recently completed a revision of the ONTABA Standards of Practice to help guide professionals in the field and will remain a source of information and point of contact for members and stakeholders who may have questions and concerns. We acknowledge the importance of licensure and certification and have recently established a task force to explore the feasibility of establishing a collage of behaviour analysis. The board continues to support this work and receives regular updates; however, we will be refocusing on the association's mission in the year ahead. We will be working on several initiatives this year:
- A review of ONTABA bylaws
- Website development and redesign
- Dissemination of the ONTABA Standards of Practice
- Expansion of satellite conference agreements
- Establishment of special interest groups in the province
- Possible research grants for local educational institutions Increase membership input and participation
As the field continues to grow in the province, ONTABA will continue to lead this growth and have a prominent position in guiding future directions. We will continue to strive to serve the membership and fulfill our mission in the year ahead.