Occupational Therapy Applied Behavior Analysis SIG

By Amy Stango

MISSION
The occupational therapy special interest group’s mission is to promote the development and dissemination of behaviorally oriented occupational therapy research and to promote interdisciplinary collaboration between behavior analytic and occupational therapy professionals. This collaboration between occupational therapists and behavior analysts is a boon for members of the public who receive services to address deficits in meaningful behaviors, or occupations, such as activities of daily living, education, work, play, leisure, social participation, and rest and sleep.

GRATITUDE

The occupational therapy SIG is grateful for the support of the ABAI members who helped to form the group: Jessica Dean, Adrienne Fitzer, Jenna Weisz, Susan Silvestri, Kristine Quinby, Josh Pritchard, Hallie Ertel, Christine Barthold, Ansley Hodges, Lina Slim-Topdijan, Rebecca Tagg, and Amy Stango. We also wish to extend our thanks to the Speech Pathology Applied Behavior Analysis (SPABA) SIG, which has offered ongoing support in the development of our SIG.

MEMBERSHIP

The occupational therapy SIG provides a significant amount of free access to SIG information and interaction through our Facebook group. We have 3,027 Facebook users who have joined our SIG in this manner.

FINANCIAL

There are currently no fees associated with joining the occupational therapy SIG.

SIG MEMBER ACTIVITIES

The occupational therapy SIG was formed during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to date, the interactions of group members have been virtual. Formal and informal members of the SIG have been actively conducting research, disseminating information regarding evidence-based practice, applying the principles of applied behavior analysis to the research and treatment of occupational performance, publishing scholarly articles, conducting webinars, creating digital material, speaking, and conducting workshops at professional conventions, and mentoring students in both the fields of ABA and occupational therapy.