ABA Australia – 2025 Annual Report – Inside Behavior Analysis

By Alexandra Brown

ABA Australia continues to grow and develop. We have evolved from a small group of 43 behaviour analysts in our founding year to a leading organisation with 573 members in 2025. The launch of its professional self-regulation certification marked a pivotal milestone in strengthening professional standards and advancing the field in Australia. As the association continues to grow, it remains committed to supporting the profession through new initiatives and strategic projects.

The growth of the association underscores the importance of encouraging member participation in the association to keep administrative costs low. As a result, ABA Australia has relied on its members to take part in working groups and contribute to various projects. One such project involves creating an entry-level exam to assess aspiring behaviour analysts. In another project we have been updating our supervision standards and materials to equip supervisors with effective training resources for the next generation of behaviour analysts. Simultaneously, we have been reviewing and enhancing our education standards, including our professional development requirements. As a result, we have had to adopt a forward-thinking approach to ensure that we address the future needs of our profession.

Members of our dedicated working groups have carried most of the work involved in these projects. Their commitment and effort have helped to drive our association’s evolution to better serve our members. We are excited for the continued growth and development of ABA Australia as we strive to meet the growing needs of our profession and membership.

Our 2024 conference in Melbourne was a sell-out, attracting over 400 professionals, including behaviour analysts, behaviour support practitioners, teachers, and others. Keynotes Dr. Gina Green and Dr. Manny Rodriguez, along with invited speakers Dr. Neville Blampied, Sharon Paley, Nicholas Maio-Aether, Dr. Rebecca Sharp, Dr. Tim Edwards, and Good to Great Schools, were part of the event. The conference featured a five-room multi-stream setup covering diverse topics like behaviour analysis in the classroom, health and fitness, early intervention, reducing restricted practices, cultural diversity, working with profound autism, sexual behaviour, and social skills.

For the third consecutive year, ABA Australia included an applied animal behaviour stream at its conference, where experts in applied animal behaviour shared insights on conservation practices, ABA principles in the animal field, shelter work, and the use of behaviour analysis across different species like cats, dogs, and horses. The annual conferences serve as a highlight for ABA Australia and its members, offering a reminder of the shared challenges and the supportive community present.

The annual conferences have played a vital role in developing our field and encouraging behaviour analysts’ participation in ABA Australia’s projects. The annual conference motivates new volunteers to join ABA Australia’s working groups and informs the association for the next projects.

ABA Australia representatives attended the conference in Washington, DC in May 2025. We were honoured to be invited to present on the regulation of Behaviour Analysts in Australia. As always, ABAI’s support for international chapters at the Affiliate Chapter Training was also very much appreciated by our attending board members.

As we look forward to the next year, we will continue to work toward our ever-growing goals, with pride for our profession.