Association for Behavior Analysis International

The Behavioral Development SIG of the Association for Behavior Analysis was created with the mission to promote and support research and theory designed to identify environmental variables that establish and interact with behavioral development, and show how these variables relate to behavioral principles and instructional procedures in other areas, and how they can be manipulated to promote desirable developmental outcomes. Specifically, the organization shall: (a) Serve as a scientific and professional reference and networking group for its members, (b) Disseminate information to promote its mission to a wider audience, (c) Organize an annual business meeting to provide a forum for discussion of the affairs of the chapter, and (d) Recognize individuals or groups of individuals who have made significant contributions to further the cause of this SIG. Conference attendees are invited to come and meet the members of the Dev SIG and learn more!

The Behavioral Gerontology SIG (https://bgsig.abainternational.org) provides an open forum for students, practitioners, and researchers who have an interest in applying the science, practice and philosophy of behavior analysis to wellbeing in later life, typically referring to ages 65 and older. The goal is to promote the development, implementation and evaluation of behavior analytic approaches to a wide variety of topics with high public health significance in this population, such as self management for health promotion and disease prevention, and functional assessments of and interventions for behavioral changes commonly associated with neurocognitive disorders (e.g., due to Alzheimer's disease). The meeting will explore attendee's interests and needs and foster collaborations and the sharing of information, to encourage education, training, practice and research. Development of new materials for members including webinars, recruitment and organisational issues are central to the meeting agenda.

This meeting will review the SIG's progress over the past year and plans for future projects and objectives. Grant recipients will present the results of their funded studies. The SIG will also describe upcoming CE events for members and brainstorm ideas for improving the dissemination of behavior analysis over the coming year.

This is an open meeting for anyone interested in the advancement and evolution of behavior analysis through the lenses of evolutionary science and cultural selection. This meeting will serve to update EvoSci SIG supporting members on our progress in establishing the SIG. We invite interested behavior analysts across related disciplines to share their aspirations on the evolution of our field.

The Applied Animal Behavior (AAB) SIG brings together individuals who specialize or have an interest in the application of behavior analysis to the care, treatment, welfare, and understanding of animals and their behavior. Our mission is to promote applied animal behavior analytic research, set high standards in methods and techniques of animal training, support those in the applied animal behavior field, and promote the well-being of animals in applied settings wherever they are found. The AAB SIG has many resources available to our members, and hosts a members’ meeting at the annual ABA convention. Our members include academics, researchers, practitioners from various fields, and consumers. We welcome anyone who is interested in learning more about and contributing to this growing field.

Challenging behaviors exist along a continuum and may be conceptualized as externalizing behaviors producing significant impact on the individual, others or the environment. These behaviors can impact participation in home, school, and/or community activities. The assessment and treatment of challenging behaviors is a foundational part of applied behavior analysis yet, at the present time there is no existing special interest group housed within ABAI aimed at advancing clinical, research, training, and advocacy endeavors pertaining to the assessment and treatment of challenging behavior across the lifespan. This is a unique opportunity to meet the need and fill the gap for the ABAI membership in clinical, research, training, and advocacy endeavors. The purpose of this meeting will be to garner interest from the ABAI community, conduct an inaugural business meeting, establish the inaugural board, and further develop the SIGs mission and strategic goals

This business meeting will bring together professionals that have attended a “Exploring the Systematic Use of Self-Monitoring as a Behavioral Intervention: The Self & Match System” workshop at an ABAI Conference over the past decade. The goal of this session is to help behavior analysts identify ways to optimize current Self & Match interventions. This session will include a round table discussion and review of current Self & Match systems. A systematic Self & Match: Considerations During Implementation Guide will be shared with all participants in order to help implementers as they critically evaluate their systems. We would also love to hear from you if you have conducted (or are considering conducting) research regarding the Self & Match System. Please email if you are considering attending the business meeting: team@selfandmatch.com.

We will review the annual report for the journal, discuss upcoming initiatives in the journal, and address questions from the audience.

ABAI student members constitute a significant portion of the Association's total membership. The ABAI Student Committee's mission is to provide organizational support for all ABAI student members in order to promote participation in ABAI, as well as professional growth, and to enable members to contribute to the science of behavior analysis. The Student Committee business meeting will facilitate conversations concerning student issues, their involvement, and how we can better serve students with respect to their professional development. This business meeting will also serve to update students on current activities and recruit students interested in serving on the Executive Council or other Student Subcommittees (e.g., academic engagement, events, and outreach).