These and other related experiences eventually led me to include ABA within my own professional repertoire. In August of last year, I completed the requirements for certification in behavior analysis. What follows is a description of the certification process in Pennsylvania and some reflections on my experience of this process.

In 1996, Gerald Shook and Judith Favell (in Maurice et al.) described the credentialing process for behavior analysts in Florida. This provided families with a list of minimal competencies they could expect from professional behavior analysts who serve as consultants to their children’s home-based or center-based programs. In 1997, a number of families in Pennsylvania took these standards to the Department of Education’s Central Instructional Support Center (CISC) and urged administrators to create an ABA credentialing process based on the Florida model.

By Spring, 1998, Dr. Shook had been hired as a consultant and the credentialing program had been put in place. With the support of Penn State University and the magic of distance learning technology, approximately 75 professionals from around the commonwealth were participating as students in a four-part graduate-level course sequence that would eventually qualify them to sit for the culminating standardized certification exam. A few of us have already completed that exam. The majority of the group will take the exam at the end of February 1999.

Like the Florida model, the Pennsylvania’s model offers two levels of credentialing: Certified Behavior Analyst (CBA) and Associate Behavior Analyst (ABA). The CBA is the more stringent of the two. Each credential requires an applicant to have met specific criteria with regard to:

 

1. Academic degrees and course work

2. Supervised clinical experience

3. Successful completion of a comprehensive standardized certification exam (The identical exam is taken by professionals in Florida and several other states that have adopted the Florida model.

The academic qualifications for CBA include:

 

1. A master’s or doctoral degree in any field (the professionals in our group have degrees in psychology, speech-language pathology and special education)

2. Completion of 190 clock hours of graduate level instruction, including the following specific content areas: basic behavior analytic principles (45 clock hours), application of behavior analysis principles and methods in applied settings (45 clock hours), single subject research methods (20 clock hours), any other behavior analysis content area (70 clock hours), and ethical and professional standards issues relevant to the practice of behavior analysis (10 clock hours).

The clinical requirements include at least one year of full-time supervised clinical experience in the delivery of behavior analytic services.

A detailed account of the specific content covered on the certification exam for the CBA and for the ABA is provided in a document called "Task List and Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Statements for Applied Behavior Analysis." This document is available by writing to the Department of Children and Families, Developmental Services Program, 1317 Winewood Blvd., Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0700.

Several states, in addition to Florida and Pennsylvania, have adopted this certification protocol. To my understanding, they include Texas, California, Oklahoma and New York. A committee of behavior analysts from across the country is currently working to establish a national certification protocol. During a recent conversation with Jerry Shook, I learned that the national certification will also be based on the Florida model. The national tests will be given at the annual conventions of the Association for Behavior Analysis beginning in the year 2000. Individuals who have passed state-level CBA and ABA exams will grandfather into the national certification.

My personal experiences in the PA certification process were unequivocally positive. While information about ABA had been part of my professional training as a Speech-Language Pathologist some 25 years ago and a part of my tool bag throughout my career, I appreciated the opportunity to explore the field in greater depth and to learn about its evolution over the years. I learned that ABA has clearly matured since 1974 when it was still known as "behavior modification." It is truly a framework for science-based approaches to intervention, not just a collection of procedures as the term "behavior modification" may imply. ABA is a self-correcting framework for science-based intervention programming.

While participating in the course sequence, I also became more acutely aware of the ways in which ABA methodology differs from the clinical methods used in speech-language pathology and of the ways in which they are alike. In some respects, I agree with Prizant and Wetherby (1998) who suggest that manifestations of ABA and manifestations of Speech-Language Therapy (Communicative Enhancement) exist on a continuum rather than in a dichotomy.

In fact, the contemporary behavioral approaches (e.g., Bondy, 1996; Dyer & Kohland, 1991; Koegel & Koegel, 1996; Carr and Durand, 1985; Dunlap, Vaughn, and O’Neill, 1998; Leaf & McEachin; Sundberg and Partington, 1998) share important features with contemporary approaches to communicative enhancement (e.g., Prizant, Schuler, & Wetherby, 1998). Consider, for example, the emphasis placed on "establishing operations" and "mand training" described by Sundberg and Partington (1998) and compare it to the emphasis placed on "communicative temptations" and "joint activity routine" described by Prizant and Wetherby (1988). The similarities are striking. My impression, frankly, is that both approaches could be enriched by a more active information exchange between the two. I feel fortunate for having had the opportunity to appreciate both perspectives.

The use of distance learning technology allowed our courses to be taught by numerous well known behavior analysts from across the country. In addition to Dr. Shook, the following individuals were included among this faculty: Tim Heron, Richard Foxx, Saul Axelrod, Andy Bondy, Lori Frost, Mark Sundberg, Jose Martinez-Diaz, Haydee Toro, Vincent Carbone, and others. Live appearances of the instructors occurred at each downlink site by rotation, and provided students with opportunities to network with virtuosos in the field. I don’t believe that any of us lost our feeling of association with the professional group from which we arrived at these classes (e.g., SLP, OT, Special Education, Psychology). But rather we came to develop a parallel and increasingly integrated professional affiliation with the field of ABA. The integration of these fields of expertise will surely be greater than the simple sum of the parts.

One of our courses was taught on the Penn State Campus in State College. All 75 ABA students from across the state had the opportunity to see each other and our faculty in 3D space during an intensive around-the-clock marathon of classes. In addition to the substance shared by the faculty, this event provided some excellent networking opportunities and it set the stage for vigorous discussions about clinical and educational methodology. Note that by this time, we had all completed several ABA courses. During the breaks we discussed ways to expand/improve the delivery of services to children with autism. My fellow classmates were using behavioral terminology and thinking behavioral thoughts as if it were second nature. We became colleagues and agreed to support the beginning of an affiliate ABA chapter in PA. Increasingly, this group expressed their appreciation of the parents who advocated for the certification process and of the individuals (CISC staff and Dr. Shook) who made it possible.

For those who wish to work directly with children with autism, I believe that certification in ABA is an important item in the tool bag. Children with autism spectrum disorders clearly have a learning style that differs from neurotypical children. When surrounded by the natural environment, they present with serious delays that impede further learning. When the environment is engineered systematically, they can make enormous progress. The ABA framework offers important engineering tools, and the ABA literature offers important data to validate particular procedures for children with autism (e.g., Dregman & Gerdtz 1997; Matson, Benavidez, & Compton 1996; Newsome, 1998). This information, combined with information from other professional areas, will help professionals to support families in providing appropriate educational opportunities for their children with autism. Certification in ABA is a systematic and productive way to assimilate that information. I’d do it again in a minute!

(Editor's Note: A lengthier version of this article, which includes extensive references, is available from CT FEAT.)