Association for Behavior Analysis International

Sociologists describe the racialization of social contexts (Du Bois, 1903) as a process by which human relationships to self and others, geographic locations, and social institutions are rigidly organized such that they produce and reproduce unjust social hierarchies. Skinner (1956) proposed a way of assisting social scientists to break “social contexts” into manipulable events, such as conditions of deprivation and aversive stimulation, reinforcers, and stimuli that evoke behavior that has produced reinforcers in the past. Haynes (2016) has similarly criticized the use of reified terms like “social context” and suggested a more complex analysis of verbal categorizations that reproduce social stratification. To date, few social scientists have made use of Skinner’s pragmatic toolset. Likewise, remarkably few behavior analysts produce scholarly, empirical, or social service outcomes in the area of social justice. In this panel, scholars from the perspectives of behavior analysis and sociology will discuss tools they might lend one another and potentials for future pragmatic and academic collaboration.

Board certified behavior analysts; licensed psychologists; graduate students.

Corteneé Boulard is a behavior technician who is pursuing her Master of Arts degree in Professional Behavior Analysis from Florida Institute of Technology. Following the completion of this degree, she plans to obtain her certification as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. She currently holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Missouri State University. Corteneé has been in the field of applied behavior analysis (ABA) for four years, and has loved every bit of it. She has worked with children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder in both the home and clinic-based settings and volunteered in Cape Coast as well as Accra, Ghana to apply ABA internationally. What she has gathered from her international experience is that the need for dissemination of ABA is great. Not only is she passionate about dissemination of ABA internationally, but she has a growing desire to disseminate ABA to at-risk youth within her community. Corteneé currently serves as a mentor (and “big sister”) to many youth in her community and has a passion for utilizing the science of behavior towards helping them reach successful outcomes.

Vanessa Bethea-Miller is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and PA Licensed Behavior Specialist. Vanessa is the founder of Bethea-Miller Behavioral Consulting and Shaping Tomorrow Child Care Services, an ABA-based daycare and preschool, and the co-founder of the ABA Task Force. She is also the author of “I Know What I Want to Be,” a sweet children's book about a young girl exploring different careers in science before deciding she wants to be a Behavior Analyst. Vanessa is pursuing her doctorate of philosophy in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and currently holds a Master of Arts in Applied Psychology with a concentration in ABA, a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice, and an Associate's degree in Business Administration. Vanessa has dedicated her time to working with children and adults with Autism and/or Developmental Disabilities, with or without a co-occurring mental illness. She is passionate about providing quality and effective ABA services to this population as well as children in need of behavior supports. In addition to this, Vanessa provides coaching and mentoring to other individuals starting their own ABA practices. Vanessa also teaches courses in behavior analysis at the college level. She has presented internationally on various topics such as the application of ABA to the juvenile justice population, implicit racial bias, etc. Lastly, Vanessa has utilized components of school-wide positive behavior support with an emphasis on behavior analysis and applied them to a juvenile detention center during a practicum experience.