Association for Behavior Analysis International

When disseminating behavior analysis in communities that do not have an established behavior analytic profession, it is often important to collaborate with colleagues in different professions to develop capacity. In Puerto Rico, there is a dearth of ABA services and training programs, however, our survey research showed that education and health professionals in the island have high interest and need in receiving training in behavior analysis. In addition, there is a high incidence of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and need for ABA services. In this talk I will present survey data demonstrating interest in behavior analysis across professions in Puerto Rico. In addition, I will share our efforts in increasing capacity in applied behavior analysis (ABA) in Puerto Rico, in particular, the collaborative projects with colleagues from different professions (e.g., psychology, public health, special education, speech and language) along with behavior analyst colleagues. I will speak to the importance of empowering professionals already working in the community in order to make meaningful, sustainable and culturally appropriate changes in capacity.

Health care industries represent the most frequently endorsed work setting for behavior analysts (Burning Glass Technologies, 2015). Further, this research indicates that there continues to be a strong demand for behavior analysts working in health care industries. Within these setting, behavior analysts may be employed in a variety of clinical positions with clients with a range of presenting concerns and diagnoses, such as neurodevelopmental disabilities, anxiety/mood concerns, significant medical complications, suicidality, and psychosis. While behavior analysts need to ensure they are practicing within their scope of competence and not treating disorders or conditions in which they have not received training (BACB, 2020), behavior analysts possess significant experience with and knowledge of experimental analysis, demonstration of functional relations, and data-driven decision-making that can provide a significant contribution to multidisciplinary teams. The purpose of this presentation will be to highlight the role of behavior analysts working within multidisciplinary teams in a hospital setting. A focus will be on the integration of behavior analysts within inpatient, partial hospitalization, and outpatient settings. Considerations for ethics, collaboration, and multidisciplinary care will be discussed.

More and more behavior analysts practice in multidisciplinary environments; that is, in settings in which professionals from multiple disciplines assess, design interventions, and treat clients. However, many of these services are being provided in parallel, such that interventions and programs are complementary but not necessarily coordinated. Fewer behavior analysts, though, provide interdisciplinary services, in which programs designed by multidisciplinary professionals are fully integrated and coordinated with one another. Interdisciplinary services not only provide an avenue for clients to receive a more comprehensive approach to intervention, but they may improve outcomes by strategically incorporating goals across disciplines and minimize duplication of effort by various professionals. Using illustrative case-example data, this presentation will describe how interdisciplinary collaboration can build upon the multidisciplinary work many behavior analysts already practice to enhance the role of the behavior analyst on a treatment team and to maximize treatment outcomes for clients.