2020 Special Education Research, Policy, & Practice

Teachers as Behavior Professionals: Understanding the Experiences of Teachers as BCBAs Justin N. Coy, M.Ed., BCBA Jennifer L. Russell, Ph.D. University of Pittsburgh Abstract Applied behavior analysis (ABA) is a well-defined field and discipline recognized by both scientific and professional organizations. Since the establishment of our professional discipline, ABA has seen immense growth in university training programs, empirical research, and certified practitioners. Despite knowing the basic demographic information about behavior analysts (including employment status, type and areas of work, etc.), little work has examined the actual experiences of dedicated behavior professionals. This article presents in-depth, systematic qualitative data on the experience of teachers who returned to school for their certification, including their introduction to the field, training program experiences, supervision experiences, and actualized professional gains as a result of obtaining their BCBA. This work reports the experiences of behavior analysts and provides an initial behavior professional experience model. The results of this exploratory study have implications for behavior professionals, the field as a whole, and programs responsible for training future behavior analysts. Teachers as Behavior Professionals: Understanding the Experiences of Teachers as BCBAs Applied behavior analysis (ABA) is a field, discipline, and practice honed since its founding in the 1950s-60s (Morris, Altus, & Smith, 2013). ABA uses unique and well-developed research methods, principles, and procedures to improve socially significant behaviors in individuals (Carr & Nosik, 2017; Dixon, Vogel, & Tarbox, 2012; Jacobson & Holburn, 2004). Researchers and practitioners use natural reinforcers, individualized interventions, and systematic instruction to change behavior and build skills (Carr & Nosik, 2017). These techniques are most commonly employed in educational or private settings working with students or clients. Consistent with the growth of any profession, the field has seen increases in university training programs, experimental and applied research studies, and certified practitioners (Carr & Nosik, 2017). The recent rapid growth of our professional discipline is empirically established (Burning Glass, 2015; Carr & Nosik, 2017; Deochand & Fuqua, 2016). Since establishing the Behavior Analysis Certification Board (BACBÂŽ) in 1998, membership in professional organizations, conference attendance, and credentialing continue to increase (Association of Professional Behavior Analysts [APBA], 2015; Carr & Nosik, 2017; Deochand & Fuqua, 2016), mirroring increasing demand for credentialed behavior analysts (BACB, 2018). Recent analyses of BACB certification trends found continual increased growth in certificants, with a noticeable rate increase since 2010 (APBA, 2015; Deochand & Fuqua, 2016). There are now over 30,000 ABA professionals worldwide (BACB, n.d.); modeling predicts that number may surpass 42,000 by 2020 (Deochand & Fuqua, 2016). Additionally, only 1.5% of certified behavior analysts fail to complete the required continuing education credits and let their professional certification lapse (Deochand & Fuqua, 2016). These data highlight: (a) the number of certificants is growing 27