ABA Saudi Arabia

By Sara Silsilah

ABA Saudi Arabia was accepted as an affiliated chapter of ABAI on May 31, 2013. After eight years since the establishment of the chapter, ABA Saudi Arabia is taking responsibility to commit to its mission statement.

ABA Saudi Arabia was established with the mission to disseminate information about the science of behavior analysis and support the development of and access to behavior analytic services for people in need. To accomplish this mission, the chapter seeks to support the development of graduate opportunities for appropriate candidates in Saudi Arabia, plan and support continuing education (CE) for practicing behavior analysts, and advocate for the right to community-based access to behavior analytic services through governmental and regulatory channels. The current officers are Sara Silsilah, Ph.D, BCBA, President and Shahad Alsharif, PhD, BCBA, LBA, Vice President.

In the following section, we list several activities that have been carried out by the members of the chapter to continue our effort to disseminate behavior analysis across Saudi Arabia.

First, the chapter has established an Executive Committee to help organize activities that will be carried out within the chapter. The committee includes 10 members with doctorate degrees in ABA and/or special education, who are based in Saudi Arabia and work within the field. The Executive Committee played an important role in organizing the first Professional Certificate in ABA commissioned by the Riyadh Second Health Cluster in collaboration with The Saudi Health Commission. The professional certificate was designed to be the first level of ABA certification to be received by practitioners in Saudi Arabia, which may be considered equivalent to the Registered Behavior Technician certification offered by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board. Practitioners eligible for certification included health practitioners that are certified by The Saudi Commission for Health Specialties. The components of the professional certificate included 64 hours of ABA course work and a competency-based assessment which covered eight content areas, including but not limited to ABA principles, assessment, measurement, skill acquisition, and ethical considerations. This development in ABA certification is a promising first step towards establishing a more formal framework for certifying ABA practitioners in Saudi Arabia. The ABAI Saudi Chapter will continue to support efforts in regulating the practice of ABA in the country.

Second, the Executive Committee is working towards establishing a mentorship program to help support newly minted behavior analyst supervisors. The mentorship program will act as a sounding board for behavior analyst supervisors and a source for support with clinical decision making and resources. The program will involve mentorship groups which will include a senior behavior analyst and five behavior analyst mentees, who will meet once a month to discuss current affairs, issues, and/or successes.

Finally, we are planning to establish a registered nonprofit professional association for ABA in the country to help organize our efforts towards creating a field that strives for excellence and growth.

ABA Saudi Arabia welcomes membership to all individuals interested or actively engaged in behavior analysis. For the time being until we become an associate chapter, any person wishing to become a member must submit a completed application form. Contact ssilsilah@theseedsofknowledge.com for membership information.