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| Advances in Interprofessional Collaboration: A Call for Training and Clinical Practice |
| Monday, May 26, 2025 |
| 8:00 AM–8:50 AM |
| Convention Center, Street Level, 143 A-C |
| Area: CBM/AUT; Domain: Applied Research |
| Chair: Lori E. Mastrogiacomo (Endicott College / Gold Coast Children's Center) |
| Discussant: Melanie Olson Giles (Endicott College) |
| CE Instructor: Lori Mastrogiacomo, M.A. |
| Abstract: Behavior analysts often work with vulnerable populations whose needs are complex and multifaceted; as such, it is usually the case that comprehensive care requires the input of professionals from several disciplines. Despite discussing the need for collaboration for many years, and the inclusion of a call for collaboration in the Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts (BACB, 2020), there is little published research investigating training skill sets necessary for collaboration and the impact of collaboration of behavior analysts with other disciplines. There are ample opportunities for collaboration within applied work, with great potential impact on learner outcomes. The purpose of this symposium is to present data on training and implementation of collaboration, as well as to provide data-based recommendations for educational and clinical applications. |
| Instruction Level: Intermediate |
| Keyword(s): collaboration, inclusion, interprofessional |
| Target Audience: -behavior technicians, Masters students, BCBA/BCBA-Ds |
Learning Objectives: 1. Discuss benefits of interdisciplinary collaboration and list several ways collaboration may be improved
2. Describe how training courses for collaboration may be designed and implemented
3. State components of successful supported inclusion models |
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An Analysis of Interprofessional Practice Between Behavior Analysts and Speech-Language Pathologists |
| SARA MOORE SNYDER (James Madison University), Danika Pfeiffer (Old Dominion University), Heartley B. Huber (The College of William & Mary), Dannette Murray (James Madison University) |
| Abstract: Interprofessional practice (IPP) is necessary to ensure assessment and interventions are designed and implemented both efficiently and effectively. We sought to investigate how Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) and Speech Language Pathologists (SLPs), engage in IPP. Both professionals may provide evaluations and interventions related to communication, both in schools and community-based healthcare systems. We disseminated a survey across the United States to BCBAs and SLPs to understand how and how often they collaborate with members the other profession. We asked participants about their confidence engaging in eight sub-competencies from the four 2016 Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) core competencies for IPP. We also asked about the training they had received to engage in IPP. Participants also rated factors that support or hinder collaboration and their willingness to accept recommendations from the other professionals. Our findings indicate that both BCBAs and SLPs want further training on how to communicative effectively to designate tasks and execute treatment plans, which was the area they both reported being least confident in. SLPs identified lack of a shared philosophy as a barrier to collaborating with BCBAs. Both professionals are more likely to accept the other’s recommendation when they are already collaborating frequently. Additional findings, recommendations for practice, limitations, and areas for future research are discussed. |
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| Increasing Collaboration: Instructional Modules for Students of Applied Behavior Analysis |
| COURTNEY KELEHER (Endicott College), Mary Jane Weiss (Endicott College) |
| Abstract: Despite the benefits of interdisciplinary collaboration, behavior analysts receive little formal training on this as part of their coursework or supervised fieldwork experiences (Brodhead, 2015; Kelly & Tincani, 2013). As such, evaluating methodologies for teaching these skills to students of applied behavior analysis (ABA) is important. This study assesses the effect of asynchronous learning modules on graduate students' foundational knowledge of interdisciplinary collaboration. Students from a masters-level ABA collaboration course were given a 25-question assessment at the beginning and end of the semester. The control group received regular course content, whereas the experimental group received additional training modules addressing such topics as scope of practice for related disciplines, models of collaboration, communication skills, and conflict resolution strategies. This study utilized an AB (pre-post) design, and included a generalization probe to assess students' application of learned knowledge during a role-play interaction. Students in both groups displayed comparably low baseline levels (33% and 36%) of correct responding. After receiving the first set of training modules, a probe indicated performance in the experimental group increased to 96% correct responding. These results demonstrate an important first step into empirically validating a training methodology increasing collaboration skills in students of behavior analysis. |
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