Newsletter
Volume 28 | 2005 | Number 2
Updates for the Behavioral Community
Behavior Analyst Certification Board Update
ABA International Development Grant Update: Rudimentary Lessons in Applied Behavior Analysis
Activating a Minnesota/Northland Behavior Analysis Group
Behavior Analyst Certification Board Update
Gerald L. Shook, Ph.D., BCBA
Over 1,000 individuals applied to take the June 2005 examinations, which represents a significant increase in number of applicants over previous administrations. The BACB projects that the total number of individuals certified will exceed 5,500 by the year’s end. The BACB has approved 94 course sequences within 73 universities, with 10 of these course sequences being offered in universities outside the United States.
The BACB has increased qualification standards for individuals applying to take the Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and Board Certified Associate Behavior Analyst (BCABA) examinations. The coursework requirement to qualify for the BCBA examination (announced some time ago) has been increased from 180 classroom hours (four three-hour graduate courses) to 225 classroom hours (five three-hour courses) of specified coursework. The BCABA coursework requirement has increased from 90 classroom hours (two three-hour courses) to 135 classroom hours (three three-hour courses). The experience requirements to qualify for the examinations and the qualifications for those who may supervise have now been increased as well. New university practica categories have been added to provide universities the opportunity to have both their coursework and experience components approved by the BACB. The new coursework requirements are currently in effect, and the new experience requirements will be phased-in over the next year. Please see www.BACB.com for additional details.
Beginning with the next examination administration the BACB will be using a new computer-based testing format delivered through the Pearson VUE network of high-security, standardized testing centers. Pearson VUE administers IT and professional certification examinations for Microsoft, Adobe, Agilent Technologies, IBM, Siemens, Sun Microsystems, American Board of Internal Medicine, American Board of Surgery, Institute of Business and Finance, and many others. Pearson VUE will have over 200 testing sites in the US and over 150 sites outside the US available for BACB candidates, with no restrictions on the number of candidates required per site. In addition, the BACB anticipates increasing the opportunity for examination by providing three administrations per year rather than the current two. The three administrations will be schedule based on university graduation date data so as to minimize the time between graduation and certification. Once approved by the BACB, candidates will contact their local Pearson VUE test center and schedule an individual examination time during the available two-week testing window. Together these measures should greatly increased test access and candidate convenience while significantly reducing the travel, lodging and other costs often associated with taking the examinations.
The next examination administration also will introduce new examination instruments based on the Third Edition Task List. This development is the result of a multi-year survey and examination renewal process to update the examination content and test item bank. The BACB wishes to thank the hundreds of behavior analysts who participated in this important project.
The BACB plans to develop a specialty credential for certificants who apply behavior analysis in the treatment of autism. This specialty credential will be available to BCBAs who meet specialty-specific eligibility requirements and pass the specialty examination. The BACB intends to begin this multi-year project within the next several months and will follow all applicable professional standards and relevant case law in the process. Additional specialty credentials may follow.
ABA International Development Grant Update: Rudimentary Lessons in Applied Behavior Analysis
Monika Suchowierska, Ph.D., BCBA
Although interest in behavior analysis has existed in Poland since 1980s and there have been many accomplishments done since then with regard to providing behaviorally-based interventions and to teaching behavior analysis (for a review, see ABA Newsletter, 27 (2)), the need to adequately train paraprofessionals is still great. Dr. Monika Suchowierska, the Vice-President of the Polish Association for Behavior Analysis, received the 2003 SABA International Development Grant to disseminate knowledge about behavior analysis in Poland. The funded project was entitled “Rudimentary lessons in applied behavior analysis: A two-component training program” and its goal was to provide effective, accessible and low-cost training to behavioral aides working with children with autism. This article describes the main components of the training program and reports on its effectiveness.
Main Components
The “Rudimentary lessons” program was based on a training package developed by Drs. Heitzman-Powell, Buzhardt, Suchowierska and Morrison (http://journals.sped.org/TEC/Articles/Buzhardt37-5.pdf). The training consisted of two parts: online tutorials and hands-on training sessions. The program lasted 8 weeks. Each week, from Sunday to Friday, the trainees were to work on and complete one online module and every Saturday, they met with Dr. Suchowierska for a training session with a child with autism.
On-Line Tutorials
Tutorials covered basic behavioral terms, concepts, and procedures. The material was divided into 8 sections – each representing a module. The sections were as follows: 1) Introduction to autism and behavior therapy, 2) Defining, observing, and graphing behavior, 3) Three-term contingency, 4) Stimulus control, 5) Teaching new skills, 6) Decreasing rates of problem behavior: Antecedent control, 7) Decreasing rates of problem behavior: Control by consequences, 8) Curriculum for children with autism. The online tutorials were accessible via the internet (www.analizazachowania.pl) and consisted of a series of slides (on average, 30) that used text, graphics, and animation to present information. There were test questions (multiple-choice and fill-in the blanks) interspersed throughout each module to promote active participation of the trainees in the learning process. The trainees had to answer those questions to proceed through the module and they received immediate feedback on their performance. Each module ended with a 10-item quiz. The participants were asked to take the test after having completed the module and send it via e-mail to Dr. Suchowierska. Tests were corrected and the results were discussed during the following hands-on session. If a participant scored fewer than 8 correct answers, the participant was given an alternate form of the test to retake it.
Hands-On Sessions
Every Saturday, the trainees met with Dr. Suchowierska for hands-on training sessions. During those sessions they implemented behavioral intervention to two children with autism. The children were recruited by Dr. Suchowierska and their programs had been supervised by Dr. Suchowierska before the training project began. Thus, the children had existing behavior analytic programs. The hands-on sessions lasted 3 hours. The first 30 min. were usually spent on reviewing the material covered in the week’s module and on discussing the 10-item quiz. Additionally, dr. Suchowierska summarized the activities planned for the upcoming training session. Dr. Suchowierska developed a checklist for each module. The checklists included competencies that were supposed to be learned in a particular module. Those checklists were also introduced in the first 30 min of the training session. The families arrived approx. 25 min after the trainees. The next 2 hours were spent directly interacting with the child. Usually dr. Suchowierska worked briefly with the child modeling the skill to be learned by the trainees, who observed her. Next, each trainee spent approximately 15 min working with the child. The trainees worked in groups of three – one person worked with the child, one person recorded the child’s behavior, one person recorded the teacher’s behavior. After each 15-min block of work, the child was given a 3-4 min break during which he/she interacted with the parent. During this time, the person who worked with the child received feedback from dr. Suchowierska and from the fellow trainees. After the break, the trainees rotated in their roles. The last 30 min of each hands-on session were devoted to debriefing the trainees, giving them information on their performance during the session, and on answering their questions.
Program Effectiveness
Trainees were asked to complete a 40-item quiz at the beginning of the “Rudimentary lessons” program (the Pretest) and after its completion (the Posttest). The average score on the Pretest was 15 items correct (37.5%) (range 8 to 22 items) (20%-55%). The average score on the Posttest was 35 items correct (87.5%) (range 31 to 40 items) (77.5%-100%). With regard to the 10-item quizzes taken at the end of each module, no trainee had to retake any of the tests, which means that their scores were consistently 80% correct or more. Although the performance of the trainees during the hands-on training sessions was nor directly measured, the informal observations allow to conclude that, as the training progressed, the trainers became more correct and fluent in the competencies specified in each module. One measure of the program’s success might be the fact that all the trainees are currently working with children with autism providing behavioral interventions under the supervision of a consultant.
The “Rudimentary lessons” program has been tested on six trainees, but taking into consideration its initial success, another nine persons interested in working with children with autism and have been trained using it. Also, since the completion of the project, dr. Suchowierska has integrated the online modules into a system for training behavioral aides for families she consults for. Currently, the “Rudimentary lessons” program is being enhanced by improving the content and adding video-clip demonstrations to the modules. Dr. Suchowierska is also working, prompted by a request from graduates of “Rudimentary lessons”, on “Intermediate lessons” - a more-advanced training program.
Activating a Minnesota/Northland Behavior Analysis Group
Gerald Mertens
We will be activating a Minnesota/Northland Behavior Analysis Group on Friday, October 7, at 9:30 AM at the Minnesota State Veteran’s Home in Minneapolis. The topic of this reorganization meeting will be, “The Current State of Behavior Analysis in Minnesota and the Surrounding Northland Area.”
Travis Thompson will give the opening keynote address. We will have people at the meeting talk about what they are doing in behavior analysis. We will hear what is going on in some of the bordering states. We will conclude with a session on what to do next. More details from Jerry Mertens at: gcmertens@stcloudstate.edu, or write Jerry Mertens, Psychology Department, St, Cloud State U., St. Cloud, MN. 56301. Phone: (320) 308-2138.
Congress Distinguishes the Work of the Centro Ann Sullivan of Peru (CASP) for Promoting the Integrated Development of People with Different Abilities and Their Families at the National Level
For promoting, for more than 25 years, the integrated development of people with different abilities in Peru, based on the principles of solidarity and respect for human dignity, the President of the Congress of Perú, Dr. Antero Flores Araoz, decorated the Centro Ann Sullivan of Peru (CASP) with the Medal of Honor of the Congress of the Republic of Perú in the rank of ‘Official’.
Figure 1. Dr. Antero Flores Araoz and Dr. Liliana Mayo (L to R).
Recognition was given on Monday the 25th of July, in the main room of the Presidency of the Congress. Also present was the Congressman Luis Gonzáles Posada. Figure 1 shows Dr. Liliana Mayo (right) with Dr. Antero Flores Araoz, President of the Congress of Perú.
In the meeting other diverse institutions and people who foster the development of children and youth at a national level were distinguished. These included Fe y Alegría, the Instituto Mundo Libre, the Asociación Adra Perú, and Father Juan Serpa, parish priest of Monserrate and San Sebastián.
Dr. Antero Flores- Araoz emphasized the work of all the institutions and thanked them for their fulfilling and effective service giving to so many people in Perú.
Web Link of the congress with note of premiacion of Monday 25 http://www.congreso.gob.pe/out_of_domain.asp?URL=http%Á// www.congreso.gob.pe/hera