Association for Behavior Analysis International

Applied behavior analysis is hands down the most effective treatment for young children with ASD. Many children with ASD receive ABA services at private clinics or from private providers who work with them at home. Many children with ASD, especially those from low income homes, only access the services to which they are entitled through IDEA (the federal special education law). There are often conflicts between behavior analysts who work for behavioral health agencies and teachers and behavior analysts who work for public schools about what services should be provided to young children with ASD and how these services should be provided. The purpose of this presentation is to describe how private BCBAs and public school personnel can work together to meet the needs of young children with ASD. I will describe a school based early intensive behavioral intervention that has sustained in Washington state for over 20 years and provide strategies that can be used to ensure that all children with ASD receive the quality of services to which they are entitled.

Target Audience: Board certified behavior analysts; licensed psychologists; graduate students

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the presentation, participants will be able to: (1) discuss the differences and similarities of special education and applied behavior analysis service delivery systems; (2) discuss the types of skills and behaviors and instructional strategies that can be used to support student learning across environments; (3) discuss the social contexts of the different environments in which students spend time.