Certification of behavior analysts in Minnesota

A History of the Professional Credentialing of Applied Behavior Analysts

The need for a credible professional credential became apparent early in the history of applied behavior analysis. The first efforts to develop a system that identified behavior-analytic practitioners having a specified level of expertise in the profession began in the early 1970s. Over the years, a number of credentialing initiatives were developed in an effort to meet the profession's growing needs for a means of establishing a meaningful professional identity. This article reviews the evolution of these initiatives, culminating with the Behavior Analyst Certification Board and the more recent movement toward state licensure.

From innovation to standard practice: developing and disseminating behavioral procedures

This paper proposes a three-stage continuum for discussing the development and dissemination of behavioral technology. At the level of behavioral techniques, researchers need only establish a functional relationship between technologically defined intervention procedures and socially significant target behaviors. Dissemination is conducted for informational purposes only, and the purposes and details surrounding subsequent use of the technique are left to the discretion of the user. At the level of behavioral demonstration, a collection of socially acceptable intervention procedures is refined and standardized and must be shown to produce behavior changes across a number of subjects. Here dissemination is conducted, in large part, to generate support for provision of services. At the level of behavioral models, procedural descriptions must be useroriented. Additionally, model effects must be obtainable by agents not associated with their development and must compare favorably with other treatment or service alternatives. The purpose of dissemination at this level is to obtain adoptions and replications of the model. Details of development and dissemination of behavioral technology at each of these three levels are discussed.

The acquisition and maintenance of behavioral skills: a response to Michael

A response to Michael's (1980) presidential address to the Association for Behavior Analysis is presented. The position is taken that in many instances we have failed to adopt a behavioral approach to dealing with problems within our field concomitant with the shift from an emphasis on behaviorism and a science of behavior to technology. It is argued that we need to be sensitive to the data and consider the contingencies that are operating within the culture. A general strategy and some tactics are presented to acquire and maintain behavioral skills.