Alabama ABA – 2025 Annual Report
By Paige McKerchar
The Alabama Association for Behavior Analysis (ALABA) serves as a scientific and professional organization that embraces the principles and practices of behavior analysis. Their goal is to promote research that will advance the understanding of behavior, and to identify and promote the use of effective and humane behavioral procedures that meet individuals’ educational and habilitative needs. In addition, ALABA strives to serve as a resource for political, legislative, and policy-making bodies in Alabama in ways that support the scientific and professional interests of behavior analysts.
The ALABA Executive Committee’s most important task is hosting an annual convention that offers an opportunity to learn from nationally recognized behavior analysts and other knowledgeable professionals. Members look forward to gathering with former schoolmates, colleagues, and friends while networking with new professionals who often become colleagues and collaborators. The annual convention is also vital because it offers Board Certified Behavior Analysts and Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analysts a way to earn high-quality continuing education credits close to home.
Last year’s convention was held October 17-18 at the Hilton Birmingham at UAB with a virtual option offered via BehaviorLive. Attendance at the two-day, one-track convention continued to grow with 228 in-person attendees and 38 virtual attendees.
The convention began with President-Elect, Dr. Laura Senn’s Presidential Address, An Overview of the Cliff in Alabama: Where We Are and Where We Can Go. The remaining presentations included various Invited Speaker addresses and an Alabama Research Symposium focused on sharing the array of research being done in the State. Invited Speakers included: Dr. Caio Miguel presenting Bidirectional Naming and the Integrative Verbal Behavior Approach, Dr. Holly Gover presenting Prioritizing Choice and Assent in the Assessment and Treatment of Food Selectivity, Dr. Theodore Tomeny presenting Oft-Overlooked Nonautistic Siblings: Intervention and Outcome Across the Lifespan, Dr. Sarah Frampton presenting Application of Skinner’s Analysis of Problem Solving to Teach Complex Behaviors, Dr. Alice Shillingsburg presenting Strengthening Gestures: A Critical Component to Building Robust Communication Skills for Autistic Children, Dr. Adithyan Rajaraman presenting Advocating for Trauma-Informed Care in ABA Services for Individuals Who Exhibit Dangerous Behavior, Dr. Robin Landa presenting Compassionately Addressing Severe Problem Behavior in Applied Settings, Dr. John Michael Falligant presenting Response Dynamics in Automatically Maintained Self-Injury: Insights and Future Directions, and Dr. Kimberly Tomeny presenting Empowering Families: Collaborative Strategies to Promote Caregiver-Implemented Intervention. The line-up also included a panel discussion on Reflections and Predictions for Skill Acquisition Programs in ABA conducted with several of our invited speakers as panelists.
Congratulations to the new ALABA President-Elect: Lauren Elliott (Simplified Behavioral Health); Members-at-Large: Holly Patrick (Positive Behavior Supports Corporation) and C. Renee Renda (Jacksonville State University); and Student Representative: Malachi Jackson-Talmadge (Jacksonville State University). The 2025 Executive Committee, which also includes Sheridan O’Brien, Laura Senn, Amanda Niedfeld, and Jodi Robeson is working on plans for the 2025 convention scheduled for October 9-10 in Birmingham, AL. Please visit www.AlabamaABA.com for more information and to become a member.
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