Showcasing Behavior Development Solutions: An Overview
Kate McKenna, MEd, MSEd, BCBA, LBA
Association for Science in Autism Treatment
The term one-stop shop originated in the United States in the late 1920s and describes a business model offering customers the convenience of having all their needs met in one location, instead of having to “drive all over the town” to get related services and items at different stores. A one-stop shop is a business where multiple services are offered so customers can get all they need in just that one stop.
For over 20 years, Behavior Development Solutions (BDS) has been that “one-stop shop” for behavior analysts, whether they are certified and looking for continuing education opportunities or have finished with coursework and supervision and are looking for study preparation materials for the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) exam. BDS is best known for the CBA Learning Module Series, the premier exam prep and curriculum supplement for behavior analysts in training that comes with a money back guarantee and typical exam pass rates of 91% (for first time exam takers who complete the course). The BDS website is replete with essential test prep, continuing education courses, 8-hour supervisory training, RBT Readiness (their 40-Hour Registered Behavior Technician training course), an RBT exam prep course, live webinars, and a bookstore with over 200 titles.
Like ASAT, BDS is committed to methods that are empirically supported. But instead of treating autism, they apply an evidence-based approach to training those who treat autism. For instance, BDS employs a systematic approach to course development. They begin by constructing detailed learning objectives and building the instructional content that directly addresses those objectives. Other elements include active responding (in the form of answering questions), strategically focused hints and feedback, and practice to 100% correct at a rate (speed) that ensures a fluent performance. Topping off their formula for success is continual review and revision of content based on learner data. To get these data, they developed their own learning management system after scouring the Internet for a commercial solution and not finding one that provided all of the necessary data.
The following descriptions are pulled from the Behavior Development Solutions website. Textbooks that accompany the courses are available on the website bookstore.
CBA Learning Module Series for the Fourth Edition Task List
Each learning module set consists of an acquisition module and a duplicate fluency module. The learner practices each until 100% correct is achieved. Upon completion of a fluency module, the learner is responding at a rate of about 4-5 correct questions/minute-fluent responding that fosters maintenance and application. On average, the CBA Learning Module Series takes 80 hours to complete all of the learning modules to 100% correct, but there is a great deal of variability in these data. It is recommended that learners begin preparing with the CBA Learning Module Series six months before the exam.
CBA Learning Module Series for the Fifth Edition Task List
For those aspiring ABA students who have just begun their study and will be taking the BACB exam in 2022, the latest version of exam prep modules based on the BACB’s 5th Edition Task List is already available. It features over 4,000 learning module questions distributed across 200 learning module sets, nine highly comprehensive Unit-Test assessments, and a Mock Exam.
RBT Readiness – 40-hour Training for RBT Candidates Based on the RBT Task List
Based on the BACB’s RBT Task List, users of RBT Readiness will develop a deeper understanding of ABA and the tasks likely to be performed by RBTs. Consistent with the same instructional methodology as the CBA Learning Module Series, ASR (active student responding) and practice to fluency is employed to teach the tasks outlined in the RBT Task List and relevant sections of the Professional & Ethical Compliance Code. In addition to the question-based instructional content, the course is enriched by over 100 videos that both describe and demonstrate key concepts, over 100 graphics, and sample behavior plans and data collection sheets.
RBT Curriculum Supplement and Exam Prep
This course goes above and beyond the 40-hour training course providing users with more opportunities to learn and practice the concepts covered in the Task List. Additionally, agencies and instructors can use this course as a supplement to their own 40-hour training. And, just like the CBA Learning Module Series, this course comes with a Pass Guarantee providing a full refund or free extension to those who meet the policy guidelines and fail the exam.
BDS is an authorized Type II continuing education provider. All CE courses are available for BACB credits and some are approved for Psychology credits. The fourteen CEU approved courses are available in formats ranging from fluency-model to read-and-test model, as well as several live webinars. Ethics CE courses with John Bailey and Mary Burch are also available.
Work towards becoming a supervisor at your own pace and from the comfort of your home! Learning module introductions contain comprehensive video presentations that cover each content area. All videos and learning module questions include content and graphics related to the live supervisory training course presentation, developed by Dr. Jon Bailey and Dr. Mary Burch. Throughout the course, the learner has the opportunity to review the material; hints and feedback are provided every step of the way. This fluency-model course is approved for 9.5 Type II Supervision BACB CE credits and meets the BACB’s requirement for an 8-hour, competency-based training. You can purchase this course even if you are already a supervisor. BCBAs who are already supervisors can decide to retake an 8-hour supervisory training, and the CE credits earned may be used towards their recertification.
To learn more about Behavior Development Solutions, visit their website, follow them on Facebook, and sign up for their newsletter.
Citation for this article:
McKenna, K. (2019). Showcasing Behavior Development Solutions. Science in Autism Treatment, 16(7).
