Newsletter
Volume 31 | 2008 | Number 3
ABAI's Commitment to Licensing of Applied Behavior Analysts
By Dr. Michael Weinberg
At its recent meeting, the ABAI Executive Council approved in principle to move forward with the Practice Board’s proposal to pursue licensure for applied behavior analyst practitioners. The Practice Board and Council have carefully considered the future needs of the field and the profession, as well as the needs of the public for quality of services and protection and third party payment for behavior analysis services. The Licensure Committee of the Practice Board will be chaired by Michael Weinberg, Ph.D., BCBA. This Committee will begin by selecting members and will then begin work in collaboration with key individuals in the field, as well as other boards within the Association to formulate the educational and practice requirements that would be recommended for states to enact in licensure bills for applied behavior analysts and for the creation of applied behavior analyst licensure boards. Coordination with the Science Board, the Accreditation Board, various Special Interest Groups (such as the Practitioner Issues in Behavior Analysis SIG, Autism SIG, and others), as well as with outside organizations and individuals as appropriate, will be critical to this process. We will also continue to seek input from ABAI members, as needed, to ensure involvement and that the direction we move in will be based upon the needs and interests of members. This was the case in making the decision to pursue licensure; the recent strategic development survey that went out to members resulted in high rates of response and support for this initiative.
This initiative is important if we are to continue as a unified field and have one voice for behavior analysis – that voice being ABAI’s– that supports the efforts and needs of practitioners and researchers/academicians alike. Seeking licensure for applied behavior analysts will promote credibility of the field and make efforts to seek funding for research, to create and maintain academic positions, and to provide for the needs of practitioners and the public using behavior analysis services (due to increased standards of practice, consumer protection, and potentially third party payment) more likely in the future.
Licensing allows consumers to discriminate those with identified competencies in a specific profession and offers protection to consumers who are harmed. Professional licensure is administered as a function of state laws by the state licensing boards of each individual profession. These boards are generally comprised of individuals who are licensed in the particular profession. State licensing boards can take action to settle disputes in many ways, including finding the professional not to be in violation of their professional standards, issuing a formal reprimand, or revoking their license. It should be mentioned that a licensure bill for “behavior specialists” was passed already this year in Pennsylvania, and a bill has also been passed for licensure of applied behavior analysts in Arizona.
The Licensure Committee will develop a Model Practice Act for licensing of applied behavior analysts that will include many necessary components, including education, supervision, and testing requirements as well as qualifications and accreditation for graduate schools to provide programs to prepare students to become licensed. Additional aspects that need to be considered are grandfathering in of those with other qualifications, such as having a BCBA currently at the time a state implements its licensing act and board, and other possible qualifications of candidates for licensure, such as having attended an ABAI-accredited graduate program, or equivalent. Additional considerations include portability of licensure to enable applied behavior analyst practitioners to move from one state to another and be able to transport their license to practice as an applied behavior analyst in the new state. This will be an important aspect to include in licensing legislation to ensure that applied behavior analysts are able to continue their professional practice when making the decision to relocate. Other important considerations include scope of practice for doctoral and master’s prepared applied behavior analysts, and required hours of supervised or practicum experience. The Committee will also explore the idea of developing “Best Practice Guidelines” for specialty areas of intervention based on current research literature and evidence-based practice (e.g. for autism, developmental disabilities, ADHD, behavioral disorders, sex offenders, victims of sexual abuse/violence, and many others that could be considered).
Another area that needs to be visited will be ethical standards for licensed applied behavior analysts. The Practice Board will consider this as well as develop standards for continuing education for licensed applied behavior analysts. ABAI will offer CE opportunities for licensed practitioners, and plans to authorize other organizations to offer continuing education for licensed applied behavior analysts via an ABAI CE approval system.
These are among the initial steps in developing the necessary infrastructure for licensure but will require working closely with the Governmental Action Committee to develop a coalition of supporters of licensing within each state. This may be best accomplished by working with state and regional ABAI chapters who can develop relationships with state legislators and promote and propose licensing legislation based upon the ABAI Practice Board’s Model Licensing Act.
These are indeed very exciting times for the field of behavior analysis, with much that needs to be done in the coming months and years to accomplish these goals.