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| Measurement of Clinical Quality and Client Outcomes |
| Monday, May 26, 2025 |
| 8:00 AM–8:50 AM |
| Marriott Marquis, M4 Level, Independence E-H |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Service Delivery |
| Chair: Christina Barosky (Bierman Autism Centers) |
| Discussant: Nanette Pfeiffer (Sevita) |
| CE Instructor: Christina Barosky, Ph.D. |
| Abstract: As the number of the newly certified behavior analysts increases each year (BACB, 2024), it has become one of the critical elements for the applied behavior analysis (ABA) organizations to ensure the clinical quality of the services and the clients are making the appropriate amount of progress. In order to keep up with the needs of clinicians to serve the clients, maximizing the training platforms while monitoring the outcome data has been key to success for the organizations. The important questions are 1) how we should set the clinical standards by operationally defining the quality services and 2) how to measure them. The leaders of the organizations must also identify the steps to address the issues by developing remedial plans based on the outcome data. This identification process must be completed efficiently in a timely fashion. Within the presentation, the process of setting the clinical standards and methods to collect data of the clinical outcomes will be reviewed. Additionally, the presenters will discuss the results of the interventions and changes to improve the outcome data. |
| Instruction Level: Intermediate |
| Keyword(s): Autism, Outcomes, Quality Assurance, Service Delivery |
| Target Audience: The audience should have basic knowledge of behavior analytic practice, autism services and measurement of client outcomes. |
Learning Objectives: 1. identify the steps to develop clinical quality standards
2. identify some potential solutions to improve outcome data
3. measure the clinical outcome data |
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| Measuring Success: The Role of Data in Applied Behavior Analysis Quality Control |
| JESSICA HEWETSON GRUBER (The Place for Children with Autism, The Chicago School), Olivia Banks (The Place for Children with Autism) |
| Abstract: The applied behavior analysis (ABA) industry continues to face challenges related to inconsistent quality control, with many organizations making claims of delivering high-quality services without the support of concrete data. This lack of data jeopardizes not only staff performance and client outcomes but also the credibility of the field. Data-driven decision-making is critical to overcoming these issues, enabling organizations to measure and improve both staff performance and learner success. At the heart of what we do is ensuring better outcomes for learners, and this is achieved through systematic evaluation and improvement. In this session, we will explore how an organization operating 17 clinics, serving roughly 300 clients, and employing 50 behavior analysts implements data-driven quality standards. A key focus will be on the use of an organizational behavior management (OBM) system to measure and shape staff performance. By leveraging data, we will demonstrate how this approach enhances service quality and directly impacts learner success, ensuring that high-quality care is continuously delivered. |
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Establishing Collaboration Between Clinical Training and Quality Assurance Teams to Improve Client Outcomes |
| FUMI HORNER (Bierman Autism Centers), Simone Palmer (Simmons University and Wellesley Public Schools) |
| Abstract: In recent years, there has been an increased number of training variations available to each level of clinicians. Balancing the immediate needs for the clinicians to start working with the clients and ensuring those individuals are competent to perform their tasks while reducing the burnout has always posed some challenges. As improving staff retention while maintaining clinical quality remains an important aspect of successful ABA organizations, investigating the training intervention efficacy, social validity of those interventions, and client outcomes must be closely monitored together. During the present study, the training objectives and methods were clearly outlined and training outcome data were collected to monitor the effectiveness. Additionally the steps to establish the clinical standards and outcome measurement system will be reviewed. The collaboration with the quality assurance team played a critical role to ensure the quality services across the organization. The presenters will discuss the implications and limitations of the current training interventions for the various levels of clinicians. |
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