Practice Resources
The ABAI Practice Board
ABAI is pleased to provide information to ABAI members, affiliated chapters and Special Interest Groups (SIGs), and other constituents about the Practice Board and its recent initiatives. You can find an overview of how the Board fits into ABAI's organizational structure and learn about the mission of the Board, its members, and the Committees and Committee members from the following link:
ABAI Practice Board Mission, Members, and Committees
The Practice Board's strategic direction, planned services, and long term strategies for accomplishing its goals are outlined in a recent article in the ABAI Newsletter, which is available from the following link:
Working to Meet the Needs of Practicing Behavior Analysts
New Activity
Licensing
ABAI has initiated a pursuit of the long-term process of licensing behavior analysts at the state level. A Licensure Committee under the Practice Board and chaired by Michael Weinberg is overseeing the implementation of long-term plans to pursue licensing initiatives. In 2009, Dr. Raymond Fowler—former Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of the American Psychological Association—presented a discussion to ABAI chapter and SIG leaders about the risks, benefits, and challenges to the pursuit of licensure. Most recently, ABAI has introduced its Model Licensing Act. Using the links below you can review Dr. Fowler's presentation, read Ray Miltenberger's introduction of the ABAI Model Licensing Act and the Model Act itself, learn more about the importance of licensure, and get an overview of ABAI's efforts:
Raymond Fowler's Discussion on Licensure to ABAI Affiliated Chapter and SIG Leaders
ABAI's Commitment to the Licensing of Applied Behavior Analysts
Frequently Asked Questions Concerning Licensing of Applied Behavior Analysts
Billing Committee Update
Travis Thompson, Ph.D., Co-Chair of the ABAI Practice Board’s Insurance Billing Committee reported on December 22, 2010 that his committee recently forwarded a "Letter of Intent" to submit a CPT Billing Code proposal covering ABA services for children diagnosed with Autism to the American Medical Association for consideration. Dr. Thompson noted that a representative from AMA contacted him today and that they confirmed receiving our letter of intent. Further, the AMA representative commented that the AMA thought the committee appropriately involved a cross-section of constituencies and organizations, and they noted that it was a good step that the Chair of Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics Committee (which is the committee that oversees ADHD and autism) of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has offered to assist with the effort. AAP is the major professional organization for all pediatricians. Dr. Thompson noted that the ABAI proposal is anticipated to be submitted to the AMA Committee June 2010. The AMA representative noted that, if our request is acted on favorably at the June 2010 meeting, the new codes could be in place by June 2012.
Expansion of the Practice Board and Board Member Activities
The ABAI Practice Board has been very active over the past six months. We have expanded the membership and the focus of the Board. This was done to address issues ABAI members have identified as critical to their support needs in the practice of applied behavior analysis. Click here to view the details of the Practice Board expansion and list of state conferences Board Members will be attending.
Member Survey
In 2009, the ABAI Practice Board conducted an International Strategic Development Survey. ABAI distributed 16,052 surveys to its members and affiliated chapters. The goal was to seek input regarding future directions in support of practicing applied behavior analysts. The results show that 71.5% of respondents consider themselves to be practicing behavior analysts, while 28.5% do not. Also, 48% said they are certified behavior analysts as compared to 52% who said they are not. A large majority (76%) of respondents indicated that they would see moderate to substantial professional benefit from the licensure of behavior analysts. When asked to identify the most important legislative efforts for ABAI to support, participants identified licensing as the most important (24%), followed by insurance coverage (17%).
Based on these results, the Practice Board has focused its efforts on the issues of licensing and insurance reimbursement for ABA services.
Practive Board Events at the ABAI Autism Conference and Annual Convention
The Practice Board is planning a number of events, both at the 2010 ABAI Autism Conference in Chicago and the 2010 ABAI Annual Convention in San Antonio. Click on the links below for information about these events.
2010 ABAI Autism Conference Affiliated Chapter Leadership Training
36th Annual Convention Practice Board Sponsored Events
ABAI Hotline Instituted
In an effort to stay in touch with our members and reach out to the public, the Practice Board has instituted a hotline to handle questions about practice-related issues. Routine questions are handled by the ABAI office while more complex issues are routed to Jon Bailey, who responds personally or refers to others who may be more qualified to handle the request. In the first month of operation the ABAI Hotline received about one e-mail per day. Most questions have dealt with finding a qualified behavior analyst, but others have been a little more unique (e.g., "How do I go about setting up an ABA clinic in India?").
Efforts to include Applied Behavior Analysis in H.R. 3200—America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009
A link to a petition is being circulated that addresses the current Health Care Reform Act, aimed at amending the bill to include ABA as a billable human service. Click here for more information.
Occupational Therapists Oppose ABA Certification and Licensure
Click here to read a statement from the Connecticut Occupational Therapy Association concerning ABA certification and licensure.
National Autism Center News Release
The National Autism Center has recently released their National Standards Report. The National Standards Project was developed to identify evidence based treatment interventions for individuals diagnosed with Autism and to set the standards for how to “effectively treat individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD).”
According to the National Autism Center:
As more children are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), the search for successful treatments has intensified. The options are abundant—but the choices are not always clear. There is an urgent need for reliable information that can be used to help people distinguish between treatment approaches that have been shown to be effective based on scientific research and those that are experimental or anecdotal in nature.
The report can be found at: http://www.nationalautismcenter.org/affiliates/
The National Autism Center is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting effective, evidence-based treatment approaches, and to providing direction to families, practitioners, organizations, policy-makers, and funders.
Legislative Advocacy
ABAI's Governmental Affairs Committee, Chaired by Michael Dorsey, is committed to advocating on behalf of the field and behavior analyst practitioners. The following links provide tools to support advocacy efforts, including a legislative advocacy handbook and a power point presentation describing tools and tips for advocacy work, an overview of the mission and goals of the Committee, news related to legislative affairs, and some of the methods and recent initiatives used to promote our field at the Federal and state levels:
Legislative Advocacy Power Point
Inside Behavior Analysis: Update from the Governmental Affairs Committee
ABAI's Strategy for Governmental Affair
Correspondence to President Obama Regarding U.S. Surgeon General Appointment
Practicing Behavior Analyst Elected to Town School Board
Magellan Autism Connections Launches to Support Health Care Insurers, Employers, and Families
State Activity
Continuing Education
One of ABA International's primary objectives is to provide educational opportunities for members and other professionals to review recent research, discuss current theoretical issues, and learn new methods in the application of behavior analysis to societal problems. ABAI’s CE program is designed to meet needs for professional improvement and to provide continued academic training for licensed psychologists and certified behavior analysts as required by licensing associations and specialty boards. ABAI can also document attendance at its events to meet the requirements of other agencies and boards, on a one-to-one basis, in certain instances. Interested participants may inquire about individual needs by e-mailing the ABAI Office.
While ABA International does not require participation in the continuing education program for Association membership, involvement is encouraged. ABA International maintains records of all continuing education credits as required by the APA and BACB.
View information about ABAI's CE program for certified behavior analysts
View information about CE for licensed psychologists
View Frequently Asked Questions
Research in Practice
ABAI is committed to promoting the alignment of the practice of behavior analysis with the science of behavior. ABAI's Committee on Research in Practice is chaired by Travis Thompson. The Committee is charged with investigating the state of practice, practitioner needs of behavior analysts, service recipients’ needs, and evaluating outcomes provided by behavior analysts with different credentials as well as by non-behavior analysts.
Position Statements
The Executive Council of the Association for Behavior Analysis International has issued the following position statements of relevance to practitioners and consumers:
Facilitated Communication, 1995