Speech Pathology Special Interest Group – 2025 SIG Update

By Nikia Dower

Originally formed in 2005, SPABA celebrated its 20-year anniversary in 2025! SPABA has made significant strides in expanding our reach, fostering professional development, and strengthening our impact in both the speech-language pathology and behavior analysis communities. A significant milestone for SPABA was becoming a US-registered 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit solidifying its commitment to advancing research and collaboration.

MISSION

SPABA is dedicated to:

Promoting the development and dissemination of empirically sound research and interprofessional, practice-based interventions within the overlapping fields of speech-language pathology and applied behavior analysis.
Advocating for the application of evidence-based practices across the full spectrum of services provided by speech-language pathologists and behavior analysts.
Bridging the research-practice gap through education, training, and mentorship.

VISION

SPABA envisions a future where interprofessional collaboration between speech-language pathologists and behavior analysts leads to meaningful improvements in the lives of individuals and their families.

By fostering collaboration, we enhance outcomes in speech, language, and feeding disorders while strengthening communication between our fields. This is achieved through conference presentations, collaborative research, workshops, podcast appearances, publication of treatment protocols and materials, publication of scholarly literature and other initiatives that drive progress in our shared domains.

GRATITUDE

SPABA SIG is grateful for the ongoing support and guidance of the founder of the SIG and former chair, Barb Esch. The SPABA Board extends our deepest gratitude to our departing Executive Board members, Tracie Lindblad and Lina Slim, for their invaluable contributions and dedication. Their professionalism and commitment have played a pivotal role in SPABA’s growth and success.

We would also like to thank our current Board of Directors: Nikia Dower (President), Lilith Reuter-Yuill (Secretary), Heather Forbes (Treasurer), Sophie Millon and Janine Shapiro (Event and Continuing Education Committee Chairs), Tamara Kasper (Communications Committee Chair), Sari Risen (Membership Committee Chair), Deirdre Muldoon (Awards Committee Chair), and our newest General Board Members Carly Dragan and Jean Jarrett.

WORLD-WIDE SLP-BCBA and SLP-BCaBA

The number of Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) who also hold Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) or Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst (BCaBA) credentials has decreased from 525 to 484 globally at this writing. Our presence spans across 44 states in the United States, including Washington, DC, and extends to 20 countries worldwide. This decline is primarily attributed to retirements, professionals relinquishing one of their credentials, and, sadly, the passing of some members. Despite this shift, SPABA remains dedicated to maintaining and expanding our online database of dually certified practitioners worldwide, ensuring access to interdisciplinary expertise. Explore the database here: https://www.behavioralspeech.com/find-an-slpbcba.html

MEMBERSHIP

We welcomed 75 members in 2024, which included 26 new members and 8 student members. This increased our global reach across various professional sectors, including clinicians, researchers, educators, and students. As of March 1, 2025, we have 42 members, which includes eight new members and four student members. Our social media engagement continues to grow as well on Facebook, LinkedIn, X, and Instagram as we continue to share resources, discussions, and thought leadership.

SPABA SIG remains committed to providing extensive access to SIG information and fostering interaction through social media channels. Considering both formal members and participants in the SPABA SIG Facebook group, we are thrilled to announce a total of 10,345 members, marking an increase of 531 from our previous report. The SPABA SIG Facebook group has proven instrumental in facilitating member connections, allowing for the swift exchange of relevant information. Since opening the group to all interested individuals, regardless of SIG paid membership, we have observed a steady uptick in interest year after year.

FINANCIAL

Membership Fees

Membership fees and donations had served as direct funding for our annual grant competition. Since 2020, we have dedicated significant efforts to enhance our membership drive and express our appreciation publicly on social media platforms whenever a member signs up and contributes.

Donations & Sponsorships

Over the past eight years, our approach of requesting a nominal membership fee along with a donation has yielded mixed results. Now that SPABA is a registered nonprofit, significant donations are occurring in the form of philanthropic donations through both PayPal Giving Fund and Facebook Fundraising platforms.

We secured 11 sponsors for our inaugural conference which paid for the BehaviorLive platform we used and the honorariums paid to the speakers.

Inaugural Conference

In 2024, SPABA’s revenue increased substantially as we offered our inaugural conference virtually in the fall. The event featured outstanding presentations on overlapping areas of speech pathology and behavior analysis, including speech acquisition, feeding interventions, the AMIC-A model, and critical analyses of gestalt language processing. The conference served as a crucial platform for interprofessional dialogue and learning with nearly 300 attendees.

ANNUAL AWARDS

Each year, the Speech Pathology Applied Behavior Analysis (SPABA) SIG provides at least three $500 grants to deserving students in ABA or SLP/CSD programs and to practitioners in the fields of speech/language or behavior analysis: the Giri Hegde Empirical Research Award, the Barb Esch Application Award, and the Nikia Dower Dissemination Award. These awards are open to students and practicing clinicians who are engaged in empirical research or advocacy efforts to promote behavior analysis within the speech-language pathology (SLP) community. Research projects supported by these awards contribute to the evidence base for behavior-analytic approaches to treating speech, language, communication, and feeding disorders. Application projects focus on the effective application of behavior analysis principles by SLPs, which may include research studies enhancing the understanding of applied behavior analysis (ABA) or aligning with SPABA’s mission. Dissemination projects aim to share accurate information about speech pathology and behavior analysis across disciplines. We are excited to note that several previous award recipients have seen their research published, underscoring the impact of these grants in advancing knowledge and practice in the field.

In 2024, two MN “Giri” Hegde Research Awards, one Barbara Esch Application Award and one Nikia Dower Dissemination Award were awarded, SPABA SIG’s 2024 award recipients presented their research in a pre-recorded presentation at SPABA’s inaugural conference. To view the presentations for free, visit https://behaviorlive.com/conferences/SPABA/courses/2024-spaba-annual-grant-awards

HEGDE RESEARCH AWARD: Research Projects advance the evidence base for behavior-analytic conceptualization for treatment of speech, language, communication, and feeding disorders.

1) Grace Lafo, MS, CF-SLP | Advisor: Dr. Lesley Shawler, Ph.D., BCBA, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale

Co-Author: Valerie Boyer, Ph.D., CCC-SLP

Project: “Using Behavioral Skills Training to Train Clinicians to Conduct an AAC Assessment”

2) Lori Mastrogiacomo, MA, BCBA, LBA| Advisor: Dr. Mary Jane Weiss, Ph.D., BCBA-D, LABA, Endicott College

Project: “Effects of Contingent Parentease and Vocal Imitation on Vocalizations of Infants at Risk for Autism”

ESCH APPLICATION AWARD: Application Projects involve the effective use of the science-based principles of behavior by SLPs and may include research studies that contribute to the science of ABA and/or studies that reflect the mission of SPABA.

Whitney Trapp, MS, BCBA | Advisor: Dr. Alice Shillingsburg, Ph.D., BCBA-D, LP, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Munroe-Meyer Institute

Co-Author: Mary Halbur, PhD, BCBA-D

Project: “Use of Asynchronous Training to Teach Clinicians to Deliver Direct Instruction to Children with Autism”

DOWER DISSEMINATION AWARD: Dissemination projects can be cross-discipline dissemination of accurate information about speech pathology and behavior analysis.

Kennedy Cloe, BS | Advisor: Dr. Lesley Shawler, Ph.D., BCBA, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale

Project: “Teaching Traveling to Speech Generating Device: An Extension”

2025 SPABA Awards: The application window for the 2025 awards closed on July 15, 2025. The recipients of the SPABA SIG’s 2025 awards will be showcasing their projects virtually in the fall of 2025. Each calendar year, both student members and practitioners can access the latest information regarding award proposal submissions for the ongoing year on our website, www.behavioralspeech.com.

DUAL CREDENTIALED INDIVIDUALS’ ACTIVITIES

Throughout 2024, dual credentialed individuals remained actively engaged in a variety of endeavors, spanning research, information dissemination, and the application of behavior analysis principles to address speech, language, feeding, and communication disorders in individuals of all ages. These efforts included publishing scholarly articles, publishing chapters in speech-language textbooks and behavior-analytic textbooks, conducting webinars, hosting and/or participating in podcasts, speaking at professional conventions, presenting posters at conferences, and mentoring students in the fields of ABA and speech pathology. While most activities occurred in North America, several also took place internationally, thus aligning with the SIG’s overarching mission. In total, dual credentialed individuals delivered at least 207 presentations in 2024, including appearances at events such as the ABAI 2024 Annual Convention, ASHA 2024 Annual Convention, various state speech/language association conferences, various state applied behavior analysis association conferences, various webinars, podcasts, and even local news interviews. Additionally, many dual credentialed individuals contributed presentations at non-speech/non-behavior analytic conferences. For a detailed list of 2024 presentations, please visit: https://www.pinterest.com/SPABASIGofABAI/2024-slp-bcba-slp-bcaba-presentations/

Nine dual credentialed individuals conducted workshops and/or were discussants/presenters at the ABAI 2024 Annual Convention and fourteen dual credentialed individuals conducted workshops and/or were discussants/presenters at ABAI 2025 Annual Convention. For a comprehensive list all 2025 presentations by dual credentialed individuals, please visit https://www.pinterest.com/SPABASIGofABAI/2025-slp-bcba-slp-bcaba-presentations/

INITIATIVES

Past

SPABA SIG upheld its dedication to distributing ABAI’s Interprofessional Collaborative Practice Between Behavior Analysts and Speech-Language Pathologists resource document to professionals in both fields. We are thankful for ABAI’s leadership in creating this significant document and take pride in noting that one of our current SPABA Board members was among the four authors.
SPABA SIG maintained the presence of M.N. Hegde, PhD’s work on our website, showcasing his invaluable contributions to the speech-language field through a behavior-analytic perspective, which serves as a source of inspiration for all.
SPABA SIG produced an end-of-year electronic newsletter as a paid member benefit.
In 2024, SPABA SIG offered free community practice events (SCOPE). We hosted five events with Dr. Deirdre Muldoon (Stimulus Equivalence), Dr. Sarah Frampton (Matrix Training), Dr. Ellie Kazemi (Artificial Intelligence in Speech-Language), Landria Seals Green (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in Social Skills Instruction), and lastly with Drs. Bronwyn Hemsley, Lucy Bryant, Howard Shane, and Katharine Beals (Systematic Review of Gestalt Language Processing and Natural Language Acquisition).
SPABA SIG was a CE provider via the BACB. Those who attended any SCOPE were able to purchase a CE for a nominal fee.
2024 SPABA SIG members were able to earn 2.0 CEs as part of their membership benefits.
SPABA SIG’s ongoing and consistent social media presence helped in dissemination across disciplines.

Current

The SPABA SIG offers CEs for attending SCOPEs in 2025.
The SPABA SIG will offer a virtual conference in the fall of 2025.
The SPABA SIG is regularly active via our Facebook group, Facebook page, as well as X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, Pinterest accounts and our LinkedIn page.
SPABA SIG and VB SIG held a joint Reunion, Social and Networking Session at the ABAI convention in 2025.

Future

The SPABA Board of Directors looks forward to expanding our membership through various initiatives, social media, and increasing member participation within our committees.
We will continue disseminating behavior analytic information to ASHA members through the ASHA community forum listserv and to US and international speech pathologists via various speech/language Facebook groups as well as presenting at speech/language conferences and conventions.
We will continue disseminating speech-language information to ABAI members and BACB certified individuals via various behavior-analytic Facebook groups and list-servs as well as presenting at ABA conferences and conventions.
We will continue disseminating interprofessional collaboration information across related disciplines and fields to maximize outcomes for shared consumers of our services. This collaboration has strong benefits and enhances communication between our related professions.
We will explore grant opportunities and additional fundraising efforts to ensure long-term sustainability.
We would like to complete several projects over the year to support our members and colleagues:
Develop web-based tutorials and in-person courses to disseminate information regarding a behavioral approach to the study and treatment of speech, language, communication and feeding disorders in children and adults.
Work with the Verbal Behavior SIG and Behavioral Gerontology SIG on joint programs and initiatives.
Develop web-based coursework for RBTs and newly certified BCBAs focusing on typical speech and language development birth to teen.

The success of these initiatives hinges on greater financial backing and volunteer time from our members. We invite you to consider offering us your expertise or services, making financial donations, or offering committee support. With your assistance, we can effectively address the needs of our membership, needs of SLPs, BCBAs, BCaBAs and RBTs delivering direct clinical services and successfully fulfill our planned activities and initiatives.

If you are interested in learning more about the SPABA SIG, wish to volunteer to sit on a committee, or assist with a specific project, please visit us at www.behavioralspeech.com and join or follow us on social media:

Facebook Group: SPABA.SIG

Facebook Page: SPABASIGofABAI

X (formerly Twitter): SPABASIG

Instagram: SPABASIG

Pinterest: SPABASIGofABAI

LinkedIn: speech-pathology-applied-behavior-analysis-special-interest-group-of-abai

LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/spabasig