Guidelines for Consumers
| Contents: | |
| General Considerations in Choosing a Director of ABA Services | |
| Section I - Qualifications to Direct Behavior Analytic Programs | |
| Section II - Training Necessary to Direct ABA Programs for Individuals with Autism | |
| Section III - Evidence of Qualifications to Direct ABA Programs for Individuals with Autism | |
| Section IV - Additional Considerations | |
General Considerations in Choosing a Director of ABA Services
Planning, directing, and monitoring effective ABA programs for individuals with autism spectrum disorders (hereafter referred to as autism) requires specific skills and competencies. Individuals with autism, their families, and other consumers have the right to know whether people who claim to be qualified to direct ABA programs actually have the necessary competencies. Parents, teachers, other professionals, and funding agencies (here- after referred to as consumers) have the right to hold prospective providers accountable for delivering quality services (e.g., to ask them how they use objective data to plan, implement, and evaluate the effectiveness of the interventions they use). Since individuals with autism have a variety of needs, not every service provider has the competencies required to optimally address the needs of every individual with autism. For that reason, consumers should focus on the match between their needs and the specific competencies of a particular provider.
Formal credentialing of professional behavior analysts by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board® (BACB®) can provide some safeguards for consumers, including a means of screening potential providers, and some recourse if practices that violate the BACB Professional Disciplinary Standards© are encountered (see www.BACB.com). Unfortunately, there is a large gap between the supply of qualified behavior analysts and the demand for ABA services. Although the supply of qualified individuals is increasing, consumers often must choose from limited options. Thus, they should exercise caution in evaluating individuals who have, or claim to have, credentials in behavior analysis or any other discipline. Please note that professional certification in behavior analysis is evidence that a professional has met minimum competency standards related to the practice of behavior analysis; however, it does not guarantee that the individual has specific expertise in the treatment of autism nor that s/he has the skills needed to produce optimal treatment outcomes.
The remainder of this document is organized as follows:
- Section I pertains to certification in behavior analysis.
- Section II pertains to autism-specifc training.
- Sections III and IV offer additional recommendations and information to guide the selection of a behavior analyst.
- A list of references and resources is provided at the end of the Guidelines.
These guidelines include some technical terms from behavior analysis that may be unfamiliar to many consumers. The Autism SIG encourages consumers to become familiar with this terminology by viewing the
resources available at the Parent-Professional Partnership SIG website, www.pppsig.org.
The Autism SIG recommends that consumers seek to determine if those who claim to be qualified to direct ABA
programs for people with autism meet the minimum standards detailed as follows.