Pennsylvania ABA

By Jim Chok

The Pennsylvania Association for Behavior Analysis (PennABA) is pleased to share our annual update.

Mission and Vision
PennABA seeks to promote high-quality behavior analysis in the region, maintain the scientific integrity of the discipline, and advocate on behalf of behavior analysts and consumers of behavior analysis.

History
PennABA was incorporated in 1998. Richard Foxx and William Helsel saw a need to support behavior analysis in the state of Pennsylvania. In 2000, Richard Kubina chaired a meeting at the ABAI annual convention to help elect PennABA’s first set of officers. With the creation of PennABA, service providers, teachers, students, and families in Pennsylvania gained a resource that fosters the application and growth of behavior analysis.

PennABA Updates
PennABA’s operations were disrupted this past year by the Covid-19 pandemic. Given that our 2020 conference was scheduled toward the very beginning of the pandemic, we initially planned to hold the conference with safety measures in place. However, as the risks of pandemic accelerated and we became more aware of how the virus is spread, and which conditions lead to greater risk, we determined we could not safely proceed with our conference.
As the pandemic continues to pose significant health risks, we are planning our next steps for 2021. Currently, we are aiming to develop and post a series of webinars that can be accessed for continuing education credits. Given the difficult financial climate many of our members may be facing, we will be offering these continuing education opportunities free of charge.
In addition to conference planning, several of our executive council members remained engaged in the legislative efforts to license behavior analysts in Pennsylvania. These members have coordinated with local state representatives as well as leaders from other states who have previously navigated legislation related to licensing.

Closing
PennABA will continue to serve behavior analysts and consumers of behavior analysis in the region through continuing education and advocacy. We thank the members of PennABA, whose continued support is integral to all that PennABA has accomplished.