Chinese ABA

In the previous year, the China Association for Behavior Analysis (CABA) has focused on promoting the science of behavior analysis in Mainland China by (a) providing online Applied Behavior Analysis Professional training course sequence for local therapists, (b) setting up the Behavior Analysis Practitioner Certification Committee, (c) providing trainings on the Behavior analyst professional skill requirement guideline and Specification for applied behavior analysis services for children, and (d) organizing the ninth annual conference.

The year 2022 was a busy year for CABA.

At the beginning of March 4, 2021, Behavior Analysis Practitioner Certification Committee was set up to carry out the preparatory work for the professional skills certification of behavior analysis practitioners in China. On March 4, May 13, July 20, and September 14, 2021, 4 professional skills certification meetings for behavior analysis practitioners were held respectively. Chairman of the Rehabilitation Association Autism Rehabilitation Professional Committee, Applied Behavior Analysis Representatives of the professional committee, representatives of the China Association of Mental Disability and Relatives and Friends, the Office of the National Autism Rehabilitation Research Center and relevant personnel and experts from Huaxia Publishing House attended the meeting. Cao Yuejin, executive director, and secretary general of the Rehabilitation Association presided over the meeting. On September 15, 2022, and October 13, 2022 2 meetings were held. After repeated discussions, the participants reached a lot of consensuses. The progress of the relevant work is as follows: (1) Determining the name of the professional skills certification work progress of behavior analysis practitioners. To meet the requirements of national standards, the term “behavior analysis practitioners” will be uniformly used. (2) Established the “Behavior Analysis Professional Skills Certification Committee”, with Jia Meixiang, the chairman of the Autism Professional Committee of the Rehabilitation Association, as the chairman of the committee, and Cheung Miaomiao, the deputy director and secretary general of the Behavior Analysis Professional Committee, as the secretary general of the committee. (3) Determine the work direction of the committee: prepare for the professional skills certification of behavior analysis practitioners. (4) Determine the principles of work development: The establishment of the Professional Skills Certification Committee for Behavior Analysis Practitioners and the development of future work will adhere to the principles of openness, fairness, impartiality and non-profit, and emphasize the principles of professionalism and ethics. (5) Determine the framework and specific functions of the professional skills certification committee for behavior analysis practitioners: the important work now can be set up as transactional work departments (such as finance, network) and educational work departments (including credential, examination and ethics), and then gradually improve and enrich the organizational system and functions according to specific work needs. (6) Establish a “Promotion Committee for the Professional Skills Certification of Behavior Analysis Practitioners” to jointly carry out the promotion of the professional skills of behavior analysis practitioners in China. (7) Build a professional skills certification system service platform for behavior analysis practitioners.

On the 20th and 21st of May 2023, we held our eighth annual conference online. This year’s conference with support from the China Association of Rehabilitation of Disabled Persons, Hua Xia Yuan Dao, Peking University Sixth Hospital and Beijing Mentougou Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital.

Dr. Guo Yanqing from the Peking University of Sixth Hospital gave an opening speech. Professor He Huizhong from Beijing Normal University gave her presentation on her research regarding the implementation of PRT in China PRC. Dr. Li Xue from the Peking University of Sixth Hospital presented Social Skills for Teenage ASD. Dr. Wang Chongying from Nankai University presented Whole school multiple hierarchy of prevention and solution on students’ problem behavior. Dr. Zhu Jing from Shanghai Zhunyi Consultancy presented Data analysis-case study. Ms. Cheung Miaomiao from Star Sight child education and research center gave an in-depth presentation on ABA program evaluation. Professor Xu Sheng from East China Normal University gave a presentation of comparative study on online parent training versus both in-home and at center training. Dr. Lin Fanyu from NinBo XingCheng Institute gave a presentation on ethics concerns with ABA.

In 2023, we will continue working actively towards the goal to provide high-quality and professional services to the Chinese public.

Notes: CABA’s three training series are: Professional-Elite Training series (PETs), Professional-General Training series (PGTs), and Public Awareness Training series (PATs). Our PETs training focused on training ABA specialist for the special education field in mainland China, for this training, we’ve invited Chinese speaking BCBA-Ds and BCBAs to provide systematic training programs for local therapists who at least hold a bachelor’s degree and have been working in an educational setting for more than three years. PGTs programs aimed to invited qualified speakers to provide year-long training programs to both local therapists and parents. PATs training, provided by trained therapists, focused on the public awareness of how powerful ABA is, and stress the fact that the principles of ABA are not only evidence-based training programs for ASDs but also can be used in school settings as well as any settings that included human behavior.