Newsletter
Volume 29 | 2006 | Number 2
News from the Parent Professional Partnership SIG
By Dr. David Celiberti, BCBA
We created the Parent Professional Partnership (PPP) SIG in 2000 in response to the growing number of parents who are seeking information from the Association for Behavior Analysis. This SIG was intended to serve both parents of children with autism and related disabilities and interested professionals. While the Autism SIG has a long and successful history of providing a forum for professional discussion and networking, the Parent Professional Partnership SIG has attempted to address the specific needs and concerns of parents, particularly parents who attend the annual ABA convention.
SIG Objectives
Our SIG serves as a forum for discussion among parents and professionals to improve service delivery to families. The PPP SIG’s current objectives as follows:
- Be visible at the ABA convention;
- Provide orientation to the parent attendees and help them make the most of the convention experiences and opportunities
- Support informal convention events that promote networking and help parents assimilate the information presented at the convention
- Hold an annual business meeting at the convention
- Sponsor formal convention events that target issues of significance to parents (e.g., how to make important treatment decisions, how to enhance parent-professional collaboration)
- Help parents to access accurate information from existing resources and Web links through our Web site;
- Support, create, and/or distribute resources to help parents become more familiar with ABA services, to better access such services, to better advocate for such services, and to promote accountability amongst service providers;
- Reach out to parents in the geographic areas surrounding the site of the annual ABA convention (we have stepped up our local publicity efforts);
- Support the efforts and initiatives of the Autism SIG; and
- Launch the PPP SIG Web site (projected date June 2006).
David Celiberti is serving as the SIG President, Suzanne Buchanan as the Vice President, and Ruth Donlin as the Secretary/Treasurer.
SIG Committees
This past year, the PPP SIG has created a number of committees. The responsibilities and objectives of these committees are detailed below.
Public Relations Committee Objectives
- Reach out to the local community in the city hosting each annual convention
- Disseminate convention information to organizations interested in the behavior analytic treatment of autism
- Forge alliances with organizations that have compatible goals
- Support the public awareness of the Web sites for the Autism and PPP SIGs
Committee Members
- Ruth Donlin, M.S. (Chair)
- Jenna Miller, M.A.T., BCBA
- Germaine Ibrahim, M.Ed.
- Tamara Bannon, LMSW, BCBA
Conference Committee Objectives
- Organize events for parents at the convention
- Organize networking opportunities for parents and professionals
- Help welcome and orient parent attendees
- Develop and distribute materials for parents attending the ABA convention
Committee Members
- Suzanne Buchanan, Psy.D., BCBA (Chair)
- Ruth Donlin, M.S.
- Linda Meyer, Ed.D., MPA
- Barbara Wells (parent member)
- Germaine Ibrahim, M.Ed.
- Jenna Miller, M.A.T., BCBA
SIG Web site Committee Objectives
- Develop a Web site for the PPP SIG
- Support development of the Autism SIG Web site
- Expand and update content as needed
- Promote awareness of the SIG Web sites
Committee Members
- David Celiberti, Ph.D., BCBA (Chair)
- Suzanne Buchanan, Psy.D., BCBA
- Ruth Donlin, M.S.
SIG Activities
Each year, we hold a morning business meeting at the annual convention. It is an informal meeting typically attended by approximately 25-30 individuals, slightly more than half of which are parents. This year’s meeting was organized with an eye toward developing a greater structure with respect to purpose and goals. In the past few years, the Center for Outreach & Services for the Autism Community has generously sponsored a continental breakfast for the meeting’s participants.
We are pleased to have had the opportunity to participate in the ABA Expo this year. Aside from the informal networking opportunities, we had literature and resources available for visitors at the table. Our intention is to participate on a regular basis at subsequent conventions to provide information about ABA services, how to improve parent-professional relationships, and other topics of interest.
I am very pleased to report that the PPP SIG launched our first Web site in June. The link to this site can be found on www.abainternational.org. As you know, Web site development is a time-consuming process and many members of the SIG have been busy writing the text that appears on this site. I would like to thank Josh Milstein from the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology for all his efforts launching the site. Josh will serve as the Webmaster. Once launched, we would welcome any feedback on the Web site!
If you are interested in joining the Parent Professional Partnership SIG, please contact Suzanne Buchanan at suzanne.buchanan@njcosac.org.