David P. Wacker
University of Iowa
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Dr. David Wacker is a professor in the Departments of Pediatrics and Special Education at the University of Iowa, where he has directed one of the country's leading clinical research programs in developmental disabilities for more than 20 years. He and his students have conducted important research on a number of topics, but he is most well-known for his pioneering work in behavior disorders. His brief functional analysis, an experimental approach to assessment in outpatient clinics, has revolutionized outpatient research by replacing the clinical interview as the basis of treatment with an empirical model whose utility has been established in dozens of studies. Most recently, he has extended the impact of the brief functional analysis beyond his clinic's boundaries through the creative use of real-time video conferencing. He is a past editor of the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (APA), a Fellow of ABAI, and a recipient of distinguished research awards from both APA and the Arc of the United States.