Massachusetts Association for Applied Behavior Analysis (MassABA)

By Susan Ainsleigh

The Massachusetts Association for Applied Behavior Analysis (MassABA) was established in 2010 to support the science and practice of behavior analysis in Massachusetts. Massachusetts boasts among the highest per capita concentration of certified behavior analysts in the world and an active behavior analytic community. The vision of MassABA is to serve as the trade organization for its community. MassABA has focused its efforts to fulfill this vision by:

Supporting behavior analysts seeking licensure by assuring that licensure applications are processed in a timely manner;
Supporting legislation that would strengthen the licensure process in Massachusetts with the creation of a separate licensing board for behavior analysts;
Supporting the expansion of insurance coverage for ABA services;
Advocating for timely reimbursement of ABA services by state funding sources;
Expanding regional continuing education events for behavior analysis practitioners in more remote locations of the region;
Expanding interaction and correspondence with MassABA members via social media;
Advocating for behavior analytic professionals practicing in public schools by organizing a monthly networking event and advocating for adequate supports for BCBAs in public schools;
Hosting an annual conference that brings diverse behavior analytic voices and applications to our membership.

Summary of 2023–24

Annual Member Meeting and Election Update:
MassABA held an election in June 2023. Two new MassABA members were elected to the Board of Directors: Dr. John Ward Horner and Dr. Erin Conant. All MassABA members were invited to participate in the election.

Public Relations/ Advocacy Committee Update:
MassABA Board of Directors met during this year with representatives from several state-wide insurance provider representatives to provide feedback and collaborate to improve service provision. Before each meeting, feedback from members was collected. Several small group meetings were held with professional and organizational members to discuss challenges and propose solutions to share in these meetings.

Legislative Committee:
Over the past year MassABA’s legislative committee has continued to work with our state government leaders to keep them abreast of issues of importance to our membership. This included working collaboratively with BABAT on the development of a bill that would create a separate licensing board for behavior analysts. Such a board would be comprised of behavior analysts and would focus solely on the licensure of behavior analysts rather than multiple disciplines under the licensing board. MassABA will include a session on updates from the licensure board via the board representatives at the annual conference in 2023. In addition, MassABA remains actively involved with advocacy for legislative endeavors that impact behavior analysis in the commonwealth, including support for expanding the equitable access of ABA services to people of all ages and abilities.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging Committee:
The DEIB Committee has been active this year in several initiatives. First, a survey was completed of MassABA members to gather information about the membership. From this data, it was identified that increasing the diversity of the board of directors and among MassABA members was important. The DEIB Committee is currently developing position statements and a DEI policy statement for MassABA. Several CE events were planned this year for MassABA members on issues related to DEIB. Professional Development/ Conference & Events

Committee Update:
MassABA has a history of holding an extraordinarily successful annual conference, typically drawing over 700 participants. This event was held remotely in 2023 and again drew over 500 total attendees. CEs were provided as part of the cost of conference tickets. There were a wide range of topics and prominent speakers. The conference committee offered brief virtual events for our members on a variety of topics based on feedback from members.

Public School Committee:
MassABA’s Public School Committee partners with ACCEPT Collaborative to hold a monthly professional practices seminar on issues important to BCBAs working in public schools. This event runs monthly through the school year.

Summary:
MassABA looks forward to continuing at the forefront of policy making and professionalization of service provision in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. We recognize that the rapid growth of providers of ABA services requires that the field step up to meet the challenge of supporting these new practitioners with resources to help ensure that they are providing high quality and effective ABA services. Through our social media, community outreach, CE events and advocacy, MassABA will continue to disseminate the positive impacts of the science of ABA with a larger audience and focus its efforts on ensuring quality service provision in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and elsewhere.