Newsletter
Volume 31 | 2008| Number 2
Ontario ABA
By Peter Wyngaarden
Established in 1993, the Ontario Association for Behaviour Analysis (ONTABA) serves a continually growing community of persons interested and involved in behaviour analysis in Ontario. ONTABA has members from a variety of professional areas, such as education, nursing, health care, and psychology. It also has members outside of Ontario’s provincial boundaries: in 2007, it had members from at least two other provinces and two states.
ONTABA’s vision is to foster a culture of excellence, integrity, and expertise for the advancement and promotion of the science of behaviour analysis. To this end, ONTABA’s centerpiece is its annual conference and annual general meeting. Held in November each year, the conference is always a highlight; the 2007 conference was no exception. It was sold out, with over 300 people in attendance on each day. Greatly reduced student rates enabled many students to attend the event. Many Ontario academics and professionals disseminated their research and clinical work. In addition, ONTABA hosted three distinguished international speakers, Dr. Richard Foxx, Dr. Michael Mozzoni, and Dr. Andrew Bondy. Also, for the first time, ONTABA attached an additional daylong workshop to the conference. In this workshop, Dr. Andy Bondy instructed 155 attendees on “Teaching Nine Critical Communication Skills.”
The conference presentations were outstanding and inspiring. They also reflected a wide range of investigation and application of behaviour analysis in Ontario. Over the past few years, the conference has seen an increase in presentations on intervention with children with autism. This year was no exception. However, there were also presentations on the treatment of aggressive-destructive behaviour, the treatment of anxiety disorders, models of self-injurious behaviour, the analysis of verbal behaviour, neuro-rehabilitation, social skills training, teaching communication skills, etc. This breadth of topics serves as a reminder that ONTABA’s mission--to demonstrate leadership, knowledge, and innovation in education, training, and research for the ethical and effective application of behaviour analysis--can never be thought of as being limited to any particular setting or particular clinical group.
The 2007 ONTABA conference also saw the inaugural presentations of three ONTABA awards. One, presented to Dr. Larry Williams, was for outstanding contributions and excellence in the field of Behaviour Analysis Education; the second, presented to Dr. Adrienne Perry, was for outstanding contributions and excellence in the field of Behaviour Analysis Research; the third, presented to Dr. David Factor, was for outstanding contributions and excellence in the field of Behaviour Analysis Clinical Practice. It is hoped that these awards will continue to be used by the ONTABA membership to recognize significant contributions to the field of Behaviour Analysis.
This year ONTABA is undertaking several new initiatives. The ONTABA Analyst—ONTABA’s newsletter for information sharing, opinion pieces, research articles, and articles on clinical work—is now published in colour. In addition, a redesigned Web page (www.ontaba.org) is more informative and user-friendly. ONTABA introduced the capacity for on-line registration and payment of membership and conference fees. ONTABA’s Web page is well used; generating more than 200 e-mail inquires in 2007 through its Web page e-mail. Inquiries addressed issues regarding certification, membership, ABA services, and other issues.
ONTABA has also undertaken a search for a new logo. The logo will be included in revised and refreshed brochures, posters, etc. These posters and brochures are to assist in a concentrated effort toward enhancing membership from the expanding university and college ABA programs being offered in Ontario.
ONTABA also continues to pursue and provide educational and professional development opportunities for its members. Appropriate application is what we hope will result from ONTABA’s annual conference becoming eligible to offer continuing education credits towards maintaining BACB certification. In addition, ONTABA has co-sponsored satellite conferences and workshops. In May 2008, a workshop entitled “An Introduction to Verbal Behaviour” was offered. The event, hosted by Shining Through Centre (www.shiningthrough.ca) and co-sponsored with George Brown College, was eligible for BACB continuing education credits.
Certification is a major interest to ONTABA membership. As previously reported, ONTABA has an agreement with the BACB to provide Alternative Pathways to certification for its membership. The Alternative Pathways are designed to deal with the unique situation in Ontario, where limited (but expanding!) opportunities exist for training and supervision in applied behaviour analysis. Work continues to be done by ONTABA’s Transitional Certification Committee for a formalized system of certification once the Alternative Pathways have expired. In addition, ONTABA is also actively investigating models and methods of certification for practioners of applied behaviour analysis who provide direct, hands-on ABA-based services.
These are exciting times to be involved in behaviour analysis in Ontario. The field continues to garner recognition and respect in the public sphere. Educational and practical experience opportunities for those who are interested in the field in Ontario are expanding. And, as an ABAI affiliate, ONTABA continues to explore creative ways of enhancing the services it offers to its membership.