Oregon ABA

By Amanda Johnstone

ORABA continued to experience growth in membership and BACB certificants in the state over the last year despite being in the midst of a pandemic. ORABA made steps to increase its membership as well as provide members with additional opportunities to serve and engage. In 2021, ORABA hosted its annual conference virtually and continued to provide continuing education to members across the state.

Oregon’s growing population of practicing behavior analysts is continuing to grow. As of the beginning of 2022, there are 388 active Licensed Behavior Analysts, 19 active Licensed Assistant Behavior Analysts, and 1,521 active Registered Behavior Analysis Interventionists in Oregon. However, of these active practitioners, membership in ORABA is still quite small with 77 certified members and 16 Student/Behavior Technicians with active memberships. One of ORABA’s goals for the next year is to continue to increase membership while continuing to provide resources to the community. ORABA has closely followed the activities of the Behavior Analyst Regulatory Board this year and is proud to have members serving on the board in 2020.

In 2021, ORABA created several new committees in order to better serve our members as well as to attract new membership. These new committees, DEI Committee, Fundraising Committee, Leadership Committee, join our existing committees, Ambassadors Committee, Conference Committee, Public Policy Committee, and Schools Committee. ORABA looks forward to the continued growth of these committees as well as the necessary resources and dissemination they will provide.

ORABA’s annual conference, “ABA: A Field That Keeps on Givin’: Pushing Past the Typical Boundaries of ABA and Expanding the Lens of Behavior Analysis” , occurred in October. The conference was held virtually. ORABA’s keynote speaker, Angela Capuano, Ph.D., BCBA-D presented to members on the topic of multiculturalism in Applied Behavior Analysis. Saundra Bishop, MS, BCBA discussed some of the concerns voiced over ABA in her keynote address, “There is no old ABA”. Several of our local behavior analysts presented on a variety of topics.

Oregon’s higher education system saw additional opportunities for students to engage in behavior analytic studies. Portland State University, University of Oregon, and Oregon Institute of Technology all provide course sequences for certification in applied behavior analysis.