Arkansas ABA – 2025 Annual Report
By Nicolette Caldwell
The Arkansas Association for Behavior Analysis (ArkABA) is dedicated to the advancement of the science and application of behavior analysis and committed to promoting research, education, and practice based on the principles of behavior analysis. ArkABA strives to disseminate knowledge from the science of behavior analysis to the public and to professional behavior analysts. ArkABA currently has 150 members, comprised of practitioners, academics, students, and affiliates from across the state of Arkansas. ArkABA members benefit from discounted rates for our annual conference, as well as free CEU opportunities throughout the year.
ArkABA achieved two major accomplishments in 2024. First, ArkABA hosted an in-person conference on the topic of Skills Across the Lifespan in Hot Springs, AR. We welcomed presenters Nicholas Maio-Aether, Miguel Avila, Dr. Claudia Dozier, Dr. Robin Arnall, Alexandra Vassar, and a panel of local and national practitioners. The event was attended by 89 persons from Arkansas and neighboring states.
Secondly, ArkABA continued to support the efforts to establish state licensure for behavior analysts in the state of Arkansas. We continued working with state representatives and senators in support of a licensure bill throughout 2024. After much compromise with state and government officials, a bill was filed in January 2025 for an optional state registration for behavior analysis. The registry bill successfully passed the house and is awaiting vote in the senate committee.
In the coming year, ArkABA will continue to focus time and energy on the establishment of licensure for behavior analysts, working with legislators across the state and the behavior analyst in the state with support from ArkABA members. We plan to host smaller CEU events across the state to foster more community and grow ArkABA leadership. We are also working to collaborate with neighboring state to co-host an event. ArkABA was thrilled to have the opportunity to present on our efforts, membership growth, and the benefits of membership at the 2024 Annual Association for Behavior Analysis International conference in Philadelphia, PA, and plans to send an ArkABA representative to the 2025 ABAI Conference in Washington D.C.
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