North Dakota ABA

By Cristine Deaver, Morgan Braton, and Allison Smith

The North Dakota Association for Behavior Analysis (ND ABA) was established in 2012 with a small group of a dozen professionals seeking to support the practice of ABA in North Dakota and to provide continuing education and networking opportunities within the state. Since that time, we have grown to approximately 90 full members, 8 affiliate members and 10 student members. We have held an annual conference in April since 2012.

Our annual conference provides a local opportunity to discuss issues relevant to behavior analysis across the state, network, and engage in professional development. We continue to follow legislative activities regarding the practice and scope of behavior analysis and behavior health. In 2020, ND ABA became a BACB ACE Provider and in 2022 an affiliate chapter of ABAI. On January 29, 2024, ND ABA held a Networking Opportunity to connect with other local behavior analysts in Fargo. Four people enjoyed coffee while connecting. ND ABA celebrated World Behavior Analysis Day the week of March 14–20, 2024.

Our 2024 Annual Conference was held in Fargo, ND on April 15 and 16, 2024. On April 15th, Dr. Kevin Luczynski presented Universal Starting Points in our first workshop. Our invited guest speaker for this year’s conference was Dr. Linda LeBlanc who presented on supervision and ethics. To assist with our legislative efforts, we hosted a Lunch & Learn at the annual conference to learn more about the legislative process in North Dakota. A total of 12 continuing education units were made available for the workshop and conference. Our Executive Board is made up of Cristine Deaver as President, Morgan Braton as Vice President, Alee Smith as Secretary, Suzanne Carroll as Treasurer, Dr. Alyssa Suess, Dr. Jordan Lill, and Jackie Loepp as Members-at-Large. The 2024 elections were held for one Member-at-Large position. Our committee chairs for the Conference Planning Committee include Cristine Deaver, Morgan Braton, Jackie Loepp, Allison (Alee) Smith, and Dr. Jordan Lill and our Legislative Workgroup includes Cristine Deaver and Dr. Jordan Lill. We began a strategic planning process in the fall of 2023 seeking feedback from our members and plan to develop action steps to address the feedback obtained.