Association for Behavior Analysis International

While the certification requirements for becoming a behavior analyst are not open to interpretation, how the content is provided during supervision is open to interpretation. As the widespread use of technology expands the delivery of that content to nontraditional settings, the form that the required supervision takes has been altered as well. There are multiple university sites that are administering courses from a distance. The availability of distance-delivered coursework opens the opportunities for enrollment to individuals who before would have been too remote. While this technology is beneficial for those living in remote areas, the remoteness itself adds to the need for creative approaches to supervision. Challenges range from the availability of qualified supervisors to the lack of a supervision structure or clear outcomes. This symposium will present data based information from the university perspective, the student perspective, the administrative perspective, and the supervision perspective regarding the implementation of a standardized supervision program based on the content areas presented by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board. Coursework and supervision was provided using primarily distance-technology, including online information and teleconferencing technology.

Alaskas limited number of Board Certified Behavior Analysts severely restricted the ability of Alaska to implement best practice services and inhibited training opportunities for students. Alaskas Center for Human Development (CHD) was tasked with capacity building in Autism interventions and gathered a group of stakeholders to determine how capacity would be built and what practices would best serve the state. The stakeholder group overwhelmingly supported increased training in approaches rooted in Applied Behavior Analysis. Alaska only had one BCBA who was soon to retire and the university system provided no options for training in this science. Program directors began looking for resources outside Alaska. In addition, 6 BCBA candidates who were completing their BCBAs individually were surveyed to determine what worked and what did not work regarding distance supervision. A university school program and supervisors were selected and asked to coordinate with the State to address concerns regarding the quality and comprehensive nature of distance supervision. These issues included coordination of the university program and the supervision to reduce the response effort of the students, manualizing the distance supervision to increase quality of the experience, and using distance technology to increase face-to face interaction between supervisors and supervisees.

Professionals working with young children, especially those experiencing Autism, who follow best practice guideline will find that practices informed by the science of Applied Behavior Analysis rise to the top. However, for professionals in Alaska these approaches, and the certification necessary to competently practice, were not available. Distance supervision and University course work were the only options that were feasible as relocating to another state was not possible. Distance supervision had two attractive qualities. First, it allowed students to maintain their current livelihood with no need to relocate, which is costly as well as difficult on families and the social networks they have developed. Second, the use of distance technology in a state that must use distance resources to provide services in frontier locations gave students an added skill to improve services. Distance education opportunities including the University coursework and distance supervision have allowed students to increase their skills and better serve families where otherwise this would have been impossible.