Newsletter
Volume 30| 2007| Number 2
Greater Boston ABA
By John V. Stokes
The Greater Boston Association for Behavior Analysis was founded in 2004 by a small group of behavior analysts and a few individuals working with children and adults in Massachusetts. The formal mission of the organization is to assist professionals practicing applied behavioral analysis, uphold the highest professional standards by providing peer-to-peer support and present frequent opportunities for continuing education. It attempts to assist in the support and education of individuals receiving ABA services by working to maintain appropriate ethical behavior of practitioners and advocating for the adoption of specific professional standards for the delivery of applied behavioral analysis services by the state of Massachusetts.
To accomplish this goal, the organization’s main focus has been attracting a membership that is large enough to develop a support system and to attract people practicing ABA services across multiple populations, autism, developmental disabilities, organizational behavioral management, education and higher education.
From the beginning, the organization has had great support from the growing number of trained behavior analysts graduating from the various graduate and certificate programs in the greater Boston area as well as local colleges and universities such as Simmons College and University of Massachusetts Boston. The organization has provided a structure of support and continuing education for behavior analysts and family members of children and adults with developmental disabilities, autism and traumatic brain injury. GBABA has also provided networking opportunities for its members at monthly meetings.
This strategy has allowed the organization to develop a membership base of approximately 302 members. The membership is made up of academics, employees of provider agencies serving adults and children with mental retardation, autism and brain injury, special education teachers, independent consultants, and parents. To provide the organization’s membership with ongoing professional development, GBABA continues to forgo an annual event and provide monthly speaker series. This would allow members to earn BACB continuing education credits on a monthly basis. We are currently setting up the 2007-2008 speaker series which will begin in September.
The reason for the success of GBABA has been in building a membership from practitioners in the educational systems and private providers. Putting together the Speaker series and finding locations for presentations that attract a significant number of attendees form the organization’s membership. This year the organization under the guidance of Dr. Michael Dorsey and the assistance of ARC mass was able to successfully submit two bills to the Massachusetts State Senate calling for licensure of BCBA behavior analysts in
the state.
In conclusion, GBABA is a stable and growing organization that serves the behavior analysis community with a monthly continuing education opportunity. It also serves this community by giving the field a visible presence throughout the state, particularly in the education and human services area of developmental disabilities and autism and traumatic brain injury. Starting and maintaining a state chapter of ABA can be a challenge; it is, however, beneficial to be able to meet with one’s professional peers on a regular basis to share ideas and work as a group to further ABA in Massachusetts.