|
 Trauma-Informed Care in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) |
| Thursday, May 22, 2025 |
| 4:00 PM–7:00 PM |
| Marriott Marquis, M1 Level, Howard |
| Area: CBM/LBD; Domain: Service Delivery |
| CE Instructor: Sara Mulholland, Ed.D. |
| SARA MULHOLLAND (Full Spectrum ABA) |
| Description: Applied Behavior Analysis has been criticized historically due to approaches viewed as rigid, setting inappropriate/unnecessary goals, forcing normalization, and forced compliance. While practitioners know these are not ABA goals or practices, there is always room for improvement within treatment and relation to the public. Incorporating a trauma-informed approach to ABA may be a solution to improving treatment and public opinion. The concept of trauma-informed (TIC) care is gaining traction in multiple disciplines. However, this rarely gets discussed in ABA circles. Part of this is related to mentalistic concepts connected to trauma-informed care, which often do not coincide with ABA practices and thought processes. However, trauma-informed care can align well with ABA’s scientific concepts and treatment practices. This workshop will explore ways to incorporate trauma-informed practices with ABA terminology and treatment while maintaining the evidence-based, scientific foundation of applied behavior analysis. This will be accomplished by examining recent literature regarding ABA as well as trauma-informed care - in addition to exploring the limited research combining ABA and TIC. This will allow connections to ethical issues in ABA as well as discussion and practice creating and maintaining guidelines for the use of TIC in ABA. |
| Learning Objectives: 1. Identify at least 3 reasons TIC is beneficial to ABA therapy. 2. Identify 3 examples of using TIC in ABA therapy. 3. Discuss historical barriers to using a TIC approach in ABA. 4. Identify 3 components of a framework to apply TIC to ABA. |
| Activities: Activities used in this workshop will include lecture, discussions, guided practice activities, breakout group discussions, and large group activities. |
| Audience: Target audience will be intermediate: analysts practicing in the field of ABA for at least 1 year, supervisors, clinical directors, and clinical administrators. |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Intermediate |
| Keyword(s): caregivers, direct service, TIC, Trauma-informed care |
|
|