ABS cooperative program with Florida Institute of Technology

“Offering Quality Services” is a large part of our mission. Our senior Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) clinical staff provide trainings several times a month for our staff at various levels.   These trainings focus on applying ABA techniques to our clients’ specific needs and integrating that work with our comprehensive software systems.

At the same time, Applied Behavioral Analysis is a well-established academic discipline and a professional field with its own certification board (the Behavior Analyst Certification Board). Alternative Behavior Strategies is currently requiring all staff to enroll in board certification programs and is covering the cost of tuition for all clinical ABA employees!

Staff are required to complete the standard RBT (Registered Behavior Technician) process. Additionally, it will be mandatory that they be enrolled in applicable college courses toward further professional certification.

Toward that end, ABS has established a special co-operative program with Florida Institute of Technology through which:

• Staff will enroll in coursework
• Staff supervision requirements will integrate with work duties — for an intensive practicum experience
• Staff will work through the four term sequence in applied behavior analysis at Florida Institute of Technology which is designed to prepare candidates for the national certification examinations sponsored by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB).

ABS will provide full tuition support for this Florida Institute of Technology coursework for our full time ABA staff and will also cover one-half of the tuition cost for our part time staff.

Once coursework and testing are successfully completed, staff will be eligible for promotion:

• Junior Consultant BCaBA (BA level)
• Senior Consultant BCBA (MA level)

It is our goal, through the implementation of this training requirement, to improve our practice. We believe that the requirement for higher education will have many positive effects. It will enable us to have a highly trained, long term staff which will

• Maximize program benefits for our clients and families
• Enhance the stability of staff teams
• Encourage consistent ongoing schedules
• Enable the professional advancement of our staff within coherent, supportive programs coordinated with our clients’ needs