Why Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)?
Applied Behavior Analysis is considered by experts in research and in health services
as the only health and educational intervention that has a high degree of research
evidence of effectiveness to produce
behavior change.
Why Join the Applied Behavior Analysis Program at SUNY Downstate?
Behavior Analysis is the scientific study of principles of learning and behavior. Two primary areas of study include the experimental analysis of behavior and applied behavior analysis. The experimental analysis of behavior is the basic science of the discipline and has, over many decades, accumulated a substantial and well-respected body of research literature on how behavior is learned and changes over time. The experimental analysis of behavior is the scientific foundation of applied behavior analysis. ABA is a systematic approach for influencing socially important behavior through the identification of reliably related environmental variables and the production of behavior change techniques that make use of those findings. Practitioners of behavior analysis provide services consistent with the dimensions of ABA. Common services may include, but are not limited to, conducting behavioral assessments, analyzing data, writing and revising behavior-analytic treatment plans, training others to implement components of treatment plans, and overseeing the implementation of treatment plans. Behavior analysts are qualified to provide services to clients with a variety of needs, including improvements in organizational functioning (e.g., staff performance, management and pay structure interventions), skill deficits (e.g., communication, adaptive behavior), and problem behavior (e.g., aggression, self-injurious behavior), among others.
What You Will Learn
This 36 or 42 (comprehensive exam vs. thesis track) credit graduate program is designed to prepare students without a master's degree or with a master's degree in an unrelated field to practice in a variety of settings and with people across the lifespan. The program will provide the course work and clinical requirements necessary to be eligible to take the credentialing exam for the Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) credential, as well as to be eligible for NYS licensure as a Behavior Analyst. The curriculum provides in-depth exposure to the underlying theory and concepts of behavior change, strategies for measuring and interpreting behavior change data, and specific issues in behavior for people on the autism spectrum.