Chapter Spotlight: Illinois ABA

“The Illinois Association for Behavior Analysis is a state organization whose purpose is to promote behavior analysis through education and advocacy of the science and practice.”
Brigid McCormick

The Illinois Association for Behavior Analysis (ILABA) is a state organization whose purpose is to promote behavior analysis through education and advocacy of the science and practice. The goals of the organization include encouraging collaboration among behavior analysts in Illinois, fostering relations between practices and universities in Illinois, and keeping behavior analysts informed about licensure and certification, being responsive to changes to insurance provision, continuing education opportunities, and public policy.

The 2021 Board of Directors for ILABA is comprised of Brigid McCormick (president); Nasiah Cirincione-Ulezi (president-elect); Rocco Catrone (secretary); Brad Zelinger (treasurer); Leannah Sheahan (student representative); and Sara Baillie, Alison Carris, Melinda Miller, and Natalia Baires (members-at-large).

In an effort to impact greater change in the state of Illinois, ILABA has four sub-committees and/or task forces. These include (1) Legislative Affairs, (2) Academic Affairs, (3) Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and (4) Practitioner Affairs.

ILABA’s tenth annual, and first all-virtual, convention was held on February 18–19, 2021. Presentations covered a broad band of issues related to both practice and theory, along with diverse settings and populations (e.g., behavior management, working with adult populations, ACT, race, and building leadership pipelines). The conference was preceded by a poster session, social, and a workshop by Dr. Greg Hanley entitled, “What is Today’s ABA for addressing Problem Behavior, and What Changes When You Practice Today’s ABA?” Five conference presentations are available now on-demand through Behavior Live. Conference attendees attain continuing education credit at no additional cost.

The chapter’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee has continued to develop a community for members, and offers a book club, a Conference Presentation Mentoring Program, and Dissemination efforts to extend into Illinois’s communities beyond behavior analysis.

ILABA’s Academic Affairs Committee supports Verified Course sequence representatives and students in universities across the state. While their Practitioner Affairs Committee works to host events throughout the year.

Finally, ILABA’s Legislative Affairs Committee has continued to work closely with state legislators to make progress on the Behavior Analyst Licensing Act in Illinois. All board members continue to advocate for the bill and gain support from other behavior analysts, legislators, and professionals in the state; ongoing updates on this topic can be found via ILABA’s website and social media outlets.

ILABA members are contacted by the board via email, and can also access regular updates through the ILABA Facebook page and updates on https://ilaba.org or by contacting the ILABA President, Brigid McCormick, at president@ilaba.org.

Annual meetings will continue to be held both at the ILABA conference and the ABAI annual convention.