ABA Specialization
I’ve been getting many emails lately with families reaching out for services. I’ve been happy to receive them, but also had to decline moving forward with next steps for some very important reasons. I figured I’d cover ‘ABA specialization’ here in hopes that families reaching out ask some more specific questions before just asking about availability.
Every practitioner of any science has a specialization. This is why your family doctor generally is not also your optometrist, and your podiatrist, and your cardio-vascular surgeon. Specialities exist in every industry to ensure that that the person you’re receiving service from has a certain wealth of knowledge. Also: no one person can be an expert at everything (and I would be highly suspicious if someone said they were). Licensure is a big piece in helping the public understand what level of training a particular occupation has. Some licensure is more broad than others, BACB licensure is that way.
Being a BCBA I could work with business CEOs to streamline their practices and maximize productivity, I could consult to a zoo to ensure animals are being treated humanely, I could work with families directly and train them, or I could work with adults in a day program to secure work and leisure activities. This is what specialization means.
AutismOntario has created a list that helps families ensure they are choosing a provider that has necessary credentials, but also that works with families and kids. So this lessons the likelihood that you’ll reach out to someone who trains dolphins. But it doesn’t mean every provider is the same.
My personal speciality (and thus my staff’s competence) is working with children without other complex medical difficulties between the ages of 2-8. I don’t tend to start kids who are on the high end of that range as the skills I (and my team) enjoy teaching are those a 5 year old needs to know.
It is not ethical of me to teach beyond my ‘scope of practice’ as is said in the BACB world. I have worked with adults in a day program, I have trained parents direction, I have facilitated social skills programs - but to do those things today I would need a BCBA supervisor who has been in that space more recently than me. Also, at this time, it’s not something I want to train in.
Please, when reaching out to practitioners, ask about speciality. Ask about competence. Ask about experience to ensure that the fit is there for the person with the license. Service is about more than the license.
