Newsletter
Volume 30 | 2007 | Number 2
Florida ABA: FABA Celebrates 25th Anniversary
By Dr. H. Allen Murphy
The Florida Association for Behavior Analysis (FABA) enjoyed another successful year with several firsts for the Association. These began with our first poster at the Association for Behavior Analysis International’s Sunday evening EXPO, which was so well received that we’ll be back in 2008 with a greatly expanded presentation spurred largely by the creative juices of our current president, Karen Wagner.
The 26th Annual FABA Conference held in Daytona Beach on September 20-23 included other firsts. This was the first time we expanded the conference through Saturday morning with four workshops specifically selected for parents and public school teachers who might not have been able to attend during the workweek, and a repeat of the popular, gratis Tuesday evening Community Outreach presentation designed to provide parents and other caregivers with an introduction to the benefits of a behavior analytic approach.
Another conference first was the public debut of the B. F. Skinner Foundation’s offering of Walden Two, Read by B. F. Skinner. Excerpts of the MP3 compatible CD converted from audiocassette tapes recorded by Skinner as a birthday present to his daughter, Julie, were accompanied by comments and photographs provided by Julie and Ernie Vargas. A further first, offered at the FABA Store in conjunction with the Skinner Foundation, was a calendar featuring photos and quotes from Skinner’s personal and professional life.
The conference also marked the debut of a new Webpage, www.BehaviorCanChange.org spearheaded by Jon Bailey as a source for those outside the behavioral community. The initial offering designed by Mae Barker is intended for parents, teachers and others seeking accurate information about autism and its treatment.
Both the 2006 Conference Keynote Address, Toward the Behaviornome: Achieving Population Level Effects with Behavioral Vaccines and Evidenced-based Kernels by Dennis Embry and Kevin Murdock’s Presidential Address, American Education: The Right Way and the Wrong, were highly entertaining and thought-provoking presentations pleasing the packed General Sessions audiences. Sixty-one breakout sessions were offered including Invited Papers and Conversation Hours by Jack Michael, Murray Sidman, and Ernest Vargas. Other sessions featured the work of Jon Bailey, Brian Iwata, Jim Partington, Tim Vollmer, and Dave Wilder among too many others to list.
The fifth annual auction, third with donations by the Skinner Foundation, was another successful venture with proceeds earmarked for FABAPac’s lobbying efforts on behalf of behavior analytic practice, and the Skinner Foundation. Julie Vargas presented the First Annual Skinner Foundation Scholarship to Jeanne Donaldson, a student working under the supervision of Matt Normand, for her proposed research designed to increase physical activity level and caloric expenditure in overweight adults.
Planning is underway for FABA’s 27th Annual Convention to be held September 19-22 at the Hyatt Regency-Riverfront in Jacksonville. This year’s theme will recognize the 25th anniversary of one of applied behavior analysis’ most important advances, functional analyses (cf., Iwata, Dorsey, Slifer, Bauman & Richman, 1982/1994). We are very pleased to announce that Brain Iwata will provide the Keynote Address titled Some Antecedents and Consequences of Functional Analysis Methodology: An Historical Perspective. The Presidential Address, It Takes a Behavioral Community to Raise a Good Behavior Analyst: We’re Only as Strong as our Weakest Link, will be given by Karen Wagner who knows something about behavioral communities as president of her own consulting firm and long-term FABA Conference Coordinator. Invited Presentations, as of early April, will feature Murray Sidman, Jack Michael, Rick Smith, Ernie Vargas, and the return of Gary Jackson who served as the Association’s fifth president (1984-1985) before embarking on a career path foreign to most behavior analysts.
The success of FABA’s diverse activities must be attributed to the dedication of the Executive Committee as well as a core group of individuals whose work should be mentioned. Kevin Murdock, Gretchen Thwing, Karen Wagner, Mary Riordan, and Tony Gelabert have provided invaluable input to our Legislative Coordinator, Eric Prutsman. Cathy Williams has stepped in to coordinate the Community Outreach presentations and as the Awards Committee Chair. Matt Normand has devoted many hours to create podcast interviews packed with dates of interest for behavior analysts. Mike Hutchison and Cara Phillips continue to serve as Program Chair and Observer (newsletter) Editor, respectively. Jon Bailey “retired” after 25 years as Executive Director only to assume the newly created Media Consultant role while continuing as Secretary-Treasurer. Office Managers, Erin Petscher and Dawn Bailey, whose work to keep the Association running on a day-to-day basis consists of an enormous number of tasks.
For updates on the 2007 Conference, other FABA news, or to download podcasts visit www.FABAworld.org.
Visit www.BehaviorCanChange.org for consumer friendly information about behavior analysis