How ASAT Supports Behavior Analysts

By David Celiberti, PhD, BCBA-D, Frank Cicero, PhD, BCBA, and Sunita Chhatwani, MSc, MEd
Association for Science in Autism Treatment

Since 1998, ASAT has been a leading organization in the dissemination of information on best practices in the treatment and care of individuals with autism. At ASAT, it is our belief that treatments should be empirically supported before they are recommended and applied in clinical or educational settings. For over 65 years, research has supported the use of behavior-analytic principles and procedures in the treatment of autism. It is therefore both appropriate and warranted that ASAT is highly supportive of the field of applied behavior analysis (ABA) and the work of behavior analysts. Through ABA-based interventions, clinicians and educators have been able to increase communication skills, social skills, academic skills, and daily living skills as well as decrease harmful problem behaviors, all of which have the potential to improve quality of life and increase access to opportunities and new experiences for individuals with autism across the lifespan.

As part of our mission, ASAT reviews past and current treatment strategies used for individuals with autism. Strategies are reviewed through an investigation of peer reviewed research literature to judge whether there is enough evidence to support their use or caution against them. Over the years, ASAT has reviewed dozens of treatments and, not surprisingly, the overwhelming number of empirically supported treatments are rooted in the principles and procedures of ABA. ASAT can therefore be used as a valuable resource to support behavior analysts in their direct work with clients as well as to provide behavior analysts with information to relay to families and other stakeholders regarding the importance of adhering to evidence-based practices.

The role of a behavior analyst is critically important in helping individuals with autism, their families, and other stakeholders to make the best treatment choices. We hope that our support for the discipline of behavior analysis, its providers, and consumers shines through. Below, you will find information and links to our online offerings that exemplify ASAT’s initiatives organized around three themes of support:

1. 1. How ASAT promotes the discipline of applied behavior analysis
   2. How ASAT supports the interests of BCBAs
   3. How ASAT supports clients and consumers of ABA

How ASAT promotes the discipline of applied behavior analysis

ASAT is committed to the promotion of evidence-based practices for individuals with autism. Applied behavior analysis (ABA) has consistently been shown to be an impactful, evidence-based practice enjoying abundant scientific support (e.g., Howard et al., 2005; Hyman et al., 2022; Larsson, 2013; National Autism Center, 2015, Reichow, 2012). It is part of ASAT’s goal to ensure that disciplines with a high degree of support, such as ABA, are presented in objective, clear, and user-friendly ways. Some ways in which ASAT promotes the field of ABA include:

• • We embody the values of objectivity, a commitment to science, transparency, treatment fidelity, reliable data collection, and data-based decision-making in all we do. We often link these values to the core tenets of behavior analysis and urge all providers, regardless of discipline, to embrace these same values in their work.
  • We respond to accurate and inaccurate representations of applied behavior analysis (ABA) in the media and have been doing so since 2006 when we first launched our Media Watch effort and sent several letters to Time magazine for an article that grossly misrepresented a center-based ABA school.
  • Since that initial response to the 2006 Time Magazine article, approximately half of our Media Watch letters have addressed the behavior analytic treatment of autism(e.g., addressing misconceptions, ABA’s place within early intervention, and applications with adolescents and adults). Many other letters relate to ABA outside of the United States, such as Israel, India, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Ireland, Canada, Nigeria, Philippines, South Africa, and Cuba, to name a few.
  • In order to showcase the diverse applications of ABA, our Clinical Cornercolumn targets a wide array of challenges facing individuals with autism and their families including early detection and intervention, functional communication training, building rapport with students, bilingualism, mask wearing, articulation, increasing responsiveness to everyday tasks, toilet training, toothbrushing, promoting maintenance, managing feminine hygiene needs, sexuality, safety skills, attending religious services, sleep, teaching telephone skills, and play.
  • Given the current climate in which the perspectives of people on the more severe end of the autism spectrum have often been overshadowed by concerns raised by many members of the neurodiversity community, particularly people with less severe autism, we have made a commitment to publishing articles about meeting the diverse needs of those who are more severely impacted (e.g., AAC treatment summary, polypharmacy, health informatics, chronic constipation, article on transition planning, fading of gastrostomy tubes, care planning with individuals with Rett Syndrome, catatonia, and tolerating trigger words).
  • This commitment has included interviews with and articles by family members of people on the more severe end of the autism spectrum (e.g., Eileen Lamb’s interview and Judy Ursitti’s Perspectives piece).
  • We review published research as part of our Research Synopsis We highlight single case research design, a mainstay of behavior analytic research, and discuss its relevance and importance within autism treatment. To date, we have reviewed over 50 behavior analytic research articles, as well as other important topics such as racial and ethnic disparities in access to autism services.
  • For the last few years, we have been regularly publishing treatment summaries and have struck a balance between behavior-analytic (e.g., direct instruction, behavioral sibling training, picture exchange communication system (PECS), visual activity schedules, self-management interventions, and video modeling) and non-behavior-analytic interventions (dolphin assisted therapy, early start Denver model, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, sensory diets, Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, stem cell therapy, augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), magnets, and sensory integration theory and Ayres Sensory Integration®)
  • We interview prominent behavior analysts from across the globe around common themes of service delivery, dissemination, and access to behavior analytic treatment such as Mickey Keenan, Bill Heward, Tristram Smith, Francesca degli Espinosa, Rita Gardner, Vince Winterling, Carl Sundberg and Genae Hall, Tom Zane and Suzanne Letso, Eitan Elder, Lina Slim, Stephen Eversole,Michelle Kelly, Molly Ola Pinney, James Todd, Kaidi Zhou and Julie Liu, Thuong Ho, Xueyi Deng, Amy Stango, Angela L. Seal, Kristina Gasiewski, and Tanya Browne.
  • We have published several tributes to honor the legacies of very impactful behavior analysts. These have included Ivar Lovaas, Edward Carr, Jerry Shook, Patricia J. Krantz, Stephen C. Luce, and Tristram Smith.

How ASAT supports the interests of BCBAs

BCBAs are tasked with the service delivery of ABA in a variety of settings. With both the preponderance of evidence-based and non-evidence-based practices portrayed in the media and literature, ASAT makes it a goal to support BCBAs and agencies in maintaining a commitment to evidence-based practices and avoiding those that are not.

• • We provide resources to share with your clients and consumers (see the section below).
  • We reinforce the messages of behavior analysts who attempt to steer consumers toward evidence-based practices and away from harmful or ineffective practices.
  • We write about collaboration with related professions and highlight peer-reviewed research from other disciplines. These include articles on the collaborative relationship between behavior analysts and SLPs, between behavior analysts and occupational therapists, and, more globally, between behavior analysts and non-behavioral service providers.
  • We provide opportunities for young professionals to acquire valuable experiences via our externship program.
  • For nearly two decades, we have responded to media representations related to autism and ABA allowing BCBAs and center-based ABA programs to share our media letters and alerts with their networks and communities. Please see: Media representations of the behavior analytic treatment of autism: Highlighting a decade of ASAT’s efforts to promote accuracy.
  • Recognizing that there are thousands of behavior analysts working outside of North America, we recently published an article for international behavior analysts. We are promoting the field of ABA worldwide by making our website content available in over 100 languages. ASAT has translated some of its important articles in different languages ( Spanish, Hindi, Russian, and Vietnamese).
  • For young professionals seeking the credential, we offer reviews of training modules, online resources, and encouragement.
  • We also launched a LinkedIn page as another way to network with our behavior analytic colleagues.

How ASAT supports the interests of clients and consumers

A Google search for “autism treatments” yields over 13 million results, some with supporting scientific evidence and most without. Perusing the vast number of treatments available can be both daunting and frustrating for consumers, especially consumers with little background knowledge of autism. ASAT makes it a goal to ensure that consumers, both savvy and inexperienced, have access to the appropriate, evidence-based treatments that the autism community deserves.

• • We help to keep families and other subscribers in the know via our free monthly newsletter, and the sign up process is effortless.
  • We provide reliable and accurate information for families of newly diagnosed individuals offering both stand-alone resources as well as annotated bibliographies.
  • Our written works continually reinforce the importance of asking questions to assess provider competency, credential verification, and goodness of fit (e.g., Considerations when choosing a behavioral service provider).
  • We help consumers become educated, skeptical, and savvy when it comes to evaluating various treatment options. This includes writing about tactics that might impact consumers’ selection of evidenced-based treatment, such as the limitations of testimonials, and factors that might impact the quality of information that consumers receive, such as understanding the peer review process. In fact, we have an entire page dedicated to helping consumers become savvier.
  • We teach consumers to distinguish science from pseudoscience via articles and specific sections of our website such as our treatment summaries.
  • We explain behavioral concepts using nontechnical language.
  • We apprise consumers of some of the latest research in a consumer-friendly manner through our research synopses
  • Our articles often reference and explain the BCBA credential in accessible ways for consumers, describe the role of the behavior analyst, and showcase behavior analysts as professionals whom consumers should turn to for various areas of need and support.
  • We maintain an active Facebook page and Instagram page to help parents and other family members better understand the scope of what evidence-based practice represents.

We have assembled what we think is a rich compendium of resources in support of behavior analysts and those they support and serve. In doing so, we’ve tried in this article to demonstrate our commitment to science, our valued practitioners, and those who we hope will be the beneficiaries of our work. For more information, please click on the links within this article and then continue to explore our website. We hope you find that our online offerings include many useful resources to enhance your practice. Also, please reach out to us if you would like to contribute to ASAT in a volunteer capacity or via sponsorship or other monetary support.

References

Howard, J. S., Sparkman, C. R., Cohen, H. G., Green, G., & Stanislaw, H. (2005). A comparison of intensive behavior analytic and eclectic treatments for young children with autism. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 26(4), 359-383.

Hyman, S. L., Levy, S. E., Myers, S. M., Kuo, D., Apkon, S., Brei, T., … & Bridgemohan, C. (2020). Executive summary: Identification, evaluation, and management of children with autism spectrum disorder. Pediatrics, 145(1), 1-5.

Larsson, E. (2013). Is applied behavior analysis (ABA) and early intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI) an effective treatment for autism? A cumulative history of impartial independent reviews. Autism, 27(1), 168-1792.

National Autism Center. (2015). Findings and conclusions; National Standards Project, Phase 2. National Autism Center.

Reichow, B. (2012). Overview of meta-analyses on early intensive behavioral intervention for young children with autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 42, 512-520.

Citation for this Article:

Celiberti, D., Cicero, F., & Chhatwani, S. (2024). How ASAT supports behavior analysts. Science in Autism Treatment, 21(03).

 

Authors’ Note: This article is an expanded and updated version of a briefer piece published seven years ago. We would like to acknowledge the contributions of our prior co-authors. The original citation can be found here: Celiberti. D., Leary. P., Bravo. A., Chhatwani. S., & Taylor. M. (2017). Standing for science, supporting applied behavior analysis. Science in Autism Treatment Newsletter, 14(1). 37-38.

 

#BehaviorAnalysts #EarlyCareerAndStudents #Faculty #International #Reseachers