Re: response-For any families considering or doing ABA... (cross-po...

[Guest guest]

There is nothing about the training of Licensed Clinical Psychologist that

qualifies them to practice ABA. ABA is a specialized area that requires

formal coursework and supervised experience. However, there are some programs

that

allow one to be licensed and a BCBA. There are not many. Either a person

has the formal behavior analysis graduate coursework and supervised

experience, or not. This directly effects the quality of services. Which brings

us back

to the the very issue, that a license in most cases does not reflect

specific training in ABA. There are many LCPs that are indeed practicing

outside the

re area of expertise.

Just because " The Public Health Code defines the practice of psychology as

the rendering to individuals, groups, organizations, or the public of services

involving the application of principles, methods, and procedures of

understanding, predicting, and influencing behavior for the purposes of the

diagnosis, assessment related to diagnosis, prevention, amelioration, or

treatment of

mental or emotional disorders, disabilities or behavioral adjustment problems

by means of psychotherapy, counseling, behavior modification, hypnosis,

biofeedback techniques, psychological tests, or other verbal or behavioral

means.

The practice of psychology does not include the practice of medicine such as

prescribing drugs, performing surgery, or administering electro-convulsive

therapy. " , this does not mean that a practioner is trained in all of these

areas.

As bring an expert in the termination of Department of Justice lawsuits,

expert witness, and a person responsible and contracted to develop state policy

regarding behavioral services, it is the exception that I have found LCPs

that are qualified to practice ABA. However, I agree that it is preferable and

sometimes necessary for the BCBA to have a license.

A license is not the hallmark of a quality home based program. It tells you

something about the background of the person providing services. If they are

practicing behavior anlaysis they should have the requisite training and

experience. The statement about certification not being federally regulated

and liability is correct. However, families can take recourse and sue a bcba

for malpractice like anyone else. Thus why having liability insurance is a

good idea. The Behavior Analysis Certification Board does however provide

oversight and takes disciplinary action toward members.

Also, I am not familiar if Michigan law is a title act or a practice act.

This is a different issue aside from who can provide good services. If it is

a practice act, they can regulate who provides behavioral services. However,

it is the responsibility of the clinician to ensure that they are qualified

to provide services for whatever they do.

I urge behavior analysts in Michigan to work toward formal recognition of

the BCBA credential. In IL, BCBAs are eligilble to provide services under the

medicaid waiver, which has actually greatly improved the quality of services.

We are working towards legislative recognition.

A. Pyles, PhD., BCBA

Licensed Clinical Psychologist

Senior Behavior Analyst

Office of Developmental Disabilities, State of IL

[Guest guest]

I also want to point out that there are people who have a BCABA or BCBA who

don't know a thing about Verbal Behavior.

So make sure you ask!

s

persistentC@...

President and Executive Director

The Mariposa School

for Children with Autism

203 Gregson Drive

Cary, NC 27511

919-461-0600

www.MariposaSchool.org <http://www.mariposaschool.org/>

_____

From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of

janicempellecchi@...

Sent: Monday, October 17, 2005 1:01 PM

kkennedy9933@...;

WayneCountySpecialParents ; SEmich_ABA ;

Michigan_FEATegroups; EverydayMiraclesAutism ;

downriverspecialneedssupport ; ;

Autism-MacombASA

Subject: Re: [ ] response-For any families considering or doing ABA...

(cross-po...

There is nothing about the training of Licensed Clinical Psychologist that

qualifies them to practice ABA. ABA is a specialized area that requires

formal coursework and supervised experience. However, there are some

programs that

allow one to be licensed and a BCBA. There are not many. Either a person

has the formal behavior analysis graduate coursework and supervised

experience, or not. This directly effects the quality of services. Which

brings us back

to the the very issue, that a license in most cases does not reflect

specific training in ABA. There are many LCPs that are indeed practicing

outside the

re area of expertise.

Just because " The Public Health Code defines the practice of psychology as

the rendering to individuals, groups, organizations, or the public of

services

involving the application of principles, methods, and procedures of

understanding, predicting, and influencing behavior for the purposes of the

diagnosis, assessment related to diagnosis, prevention, amelioration, or

treatment of

mental or emotional disorders, disabilities or behavioral adjustment

problems

by means of psychotherapy, counseling, behavior modification, hypnosis,

biofeedback techniques, psychological tests, or other verbal or behavioral

means.

The practice of psychology does not include the practice of medicine such

as

prescribing drugs, performing surgery, or administering electro-convulsive

therapy. " , this does not mean that a practioner is trained in all of these

areas.

As bring an expert in the termination of Department of Justice lawsuits,

expert witness, and a person responsible and contracted to develop state

policy

regarding behavioral services, it is the exception that I have found LCPs

that are qualified to practice ABA. However, I agree that it is preferable

and

sometimes necessary for the BCBA to have a license.

A license is not the hallmark of a quality home based program. It tells you

something about the background of the person providing services. If they

are

practicing behavior anlaysis they should have the requisite training and

experience. The statement about certification not being federally

regulated

and liability is correct. However, families can take recourse and sue a

bcba

for malpractice like anyone else. Thus why having liability insurance is a

good idea. The Behavior Analysis Certification Board does however provide

oversight and takes disciplinary action toward members.

Also, I am not familiar if Michigan law is a title act or a practice act.

This is a different issue aside from who can provide good services. If it

is

a practice act, they can regulate who provides behavioral services.

However,

it is the responsibility of the clinician to ensure that they are qualified

to provide services for whatever they do.

I urge behavior analysts in Michigan to work toward formal recognition of

the BCBA credential. In IL, BCBAs are eligilble to provide services under

the

medicaid waiver, which has actually greatly improved the quality of

services.

We are working towards legislative recognition.

A. Pyles, PhD., BCBA

Licensed Clinical Psychologist

Senior Behavior Analyst

Office of Developmental Disabilities, State of IL

[Guest guest]

There are a few issues surrounding licensure and the BCBA in Michigan that

probably

should be clarified.

Because Michigan has long had two widely recognized programs that produced high-

quality masters-level licensed clinical behavioral psychologists, the BCBA

credential has

relatively less penetration here than in some other states where masters-level

psychologists have no credential available to them at all. In Michigan, behavior

analysts

could point to their Western Michigan or Eastern Michigan training and license

and were

virtually assured a job. In addition, masters-level psychologists already have

some, all, or

more of the privileges that the BCBA gets behavior analysts where it is

recognized. There

was little need for Michigan behavior analysts to distinguish themselves with an

additional

credential. Thus, we have only about 38 BCBAs in the state. Four are fully

licensed clinical

psychologists; 13 are licensed at the Masters level; a handful are MS-level

students

working toward the Ph.D.; a few are faculty at Western.

The licensure and credential issue Krista Kennedy raised is not that people with

a license

do or don't have the skills to do behavioral treatments. The issue is that lots

of people in

our state are treating specialist credentials as though they are primary

credentials. In

behavior analysis, unfortunately, we are seeing a small but growing number of

BCBAs who

seem to believe that the BCBA credential alone entitles them to hang out a

shingle and

become private practitioners or start agencies. However, the coursework and

experience

required to earn the BCBA credential--essentially that of a masters program--is

not what

Michigan deems necessary to operate independently as a clinical service provider

in

psychology. There is a lot more to providing clinical services than knowing

some basic

behavior analysis. Some of these people don't know that they should have

liability

insurance, how to comport themselves in a treatment situation, what is and isn't

covered

by most insurance, about record-keeping rules, confidentiality, and that they

actually

really do need talk politely and knowledgably to non-behaviorists.

One problem with getting the BCBA recognized in Michigan is the redundancy

mentioned

in the first paragraph. Many of the unlicensed BCBAs in Michigan are eligible

for the

masters-level license. They need to get a form filled out, get some school

records

verified, send in a fee, and collect the 2000 additional post-degree supervised

hours.

Some of our BCBAs are electing not to be licensed. One masters-level BCBA told

us that

he did not get licensed because he did not want to burden himself with the need

for

supervision, state regulation, insurance, and so on. This is not helpful. It is

dividing the

behavior analysis community and lowering standards in the state. It might not

be

unreasonable to ask the Michigan licensing board to at least recognize BCBAs as

meeting

the basic course work and pre-degree practicum hour requirements for limited

licensure

(because they generally do meet these requirements). This would get the BCBA

named in

regulations, slightly facilitate the licensure process for BCBAs, and get the

BCBAs the

privileges they want. But I don't have a good answer to the question: Why

should

Michigan set up more infrastructure and perhaps create additional legislation to

recognize

a credential that subsumes an easily obtained equivalent already recognized by

statute

and rule? If it did recognize the BCBA separately, Michigan would certainly add

the

supervision and other requirements it imposes on masters-level psychologists.

The

organizations representing the other treatment professions would demand it--if

they

didn't all line up in opposition. But because it would most likely involve

additional

regulation, supervision requirements, and costs for the BCBAs, we might actually

have

Michigan BCBAs opposing recognition because some are already opting out of

licensure

for the same reasons. I don't see a way of getting independent recognition

without the

regulation. Perhaps there are legislative gurus who know how to get around all

this, but I

am not such a person and I don't know any.

A more fundamental issue in Michigan right now is getting some money for real DD

services and controlling the growing number of people who do not have sufficient

behavior analysis or professional practice skills to know what they are doing

when

providing comprehensive treatment to real people with autism. Money would help

cash-

strapped parents and school districts pay for real services by licensed

professionals with

real training and appropriate specialist credentials. The free-for-all in

Michigan DD

services, in which anybody with a hankering can be an " autism therapist, " is not

improved

when some BCBAs join the fray and advertise that they are actually trying to

avoid

oversight and supervision that their licensed peers accept and pay for. The

growing

anarchy is leaving large openings for people who have no credentials or training

at all, or

credentials from who-knows-where, to set up autism treatment practices. We are

changing from a title-act state to a " buyer beware " state.

This, of course, is only the tip of the iceberg. Complicating everything, there

are a host of

potential changes in licensure supervision requirements on the horizon, as well

as a

shelved provision requiring that licensed sychologists get CEUs in exchange for

fewer

post-degree hours. This could pop up again at any moment. Additionally, I am

not sure

how anyone will get a BCBA in Michigan when the rules change to require a BCBA

supervisor in 2006. If I understand this correctly, starting next year, anyone

wanting to be

licensed and get the BCBA will either have to choose one or the other, or hire

two different

supervisors. Licensure requires doctoral-level supervision for 2000 or 4000

post-degree

hours (masters and doctoral level, respectively). But there are only four

Ph.D.-level,

licensed BCBAs in the state, while most of the BCBAs are unlicensed

masters-level

psychologists. There is not enough overlap to have one person do the job, and

only a few

places have both. We could have situations in which a licensed Ph.D. clinical

psychologist

might also need to hire an unlicensed masters-level supervisor just for the

BCBA.

T. Todd

Professor of Psychology

Eastern Michigan University

[Guest guest]

There are a few issues surrounding licensure and the BCBA in Michigan that

probably should be clarified.

Because Michigan has long had two widely recognized programs that produced

high- quality masters-level licensed clinical behavioral psychologists, the

BCBA credential has relatively less penetration here than in some other

states where masters-level psychologists have no credential available to

them at all. In Michigan, behavior analysts could point to their Western

Michigan or Eastern Michigan training and license and were virtually assured

a job. In addition, masters-level psychologists already have some, all, or

more of the privileges that the BCBA gets behavior analysts where it is

recognized. There was little need for Michigan behavior analysts to

distinguish themselves with an additional credential. Thus, we have only

about 38 BCBAs in the state. Four are fully licensed clinical psychologists;

13 are licensed at the Masters level; a handful are MS-level students

working toward the Ph.D.; a few are faculty at Western.

The licensure and credential issue Krista Kennedy raised is not that people

with a license do or don't have the skills to do behavioral treatments. The

issue is that lots of people in our state are treating specialist

credentials as though they are primary credentials. In behavior analysis,

unfortunately, we are seeing a small but growing number of BCBAs who seem to

believe that the BCBA credential alone entitles them to hang out a shingle

and become private practitioners or start agencies. However, the coursework

and experience required to earn the BCBA credential--essentially that of a

masters program--is not what Michigan deems necessary to operate

independently as a clinical service provider in psychology. There is a lot

more to providing clinical services than knowing some basic behavior

analysis. Some of these people don't know that they should have liability

insurance, how to comport themselves in a treatment situation, what is and

isn't covered by most insurance, about record-keeping rules,

confidentiality, and that they actually really do need to talk politely and

knowledgably to non-behaviorists about non-behavioral areas of psychology.

One problem with getting the BCBA recognized in Michigan is the redundancy

mentioned in the first paragraph. Many of the unlicensed BCBAs in Michigan

are eligible for the masters-level license. They need to get a form filled

out, get some school records verified, send in a fee, and collect the 2000

additional post-degree supervised hours. Some of our BCBAs are electing not

to be licensed. One masters-level BCBA told us that he did not get licensed

because he did not want to burden himself with the need for supervision,

state regulation, insurance, and so on. This is not helpful. It is dividing

the behavior analysis community and lowering standards in the state. It

might not be unreasonable to ask the Michigan licensing board to at least

recognize BCBAs as meeting the basic course work and pre-degree practicum

hour requirements for limited licensure (because they generally do meet

these requirements). This would get the BCBA named in regulations, slightly

facilitate the licensure process for BCBAs, and get the BCBAs the privileges

they want. But I don't have a good answer to the question: Why should

Michigan set up more infrastructure and perhaps create additional

legislation to recognize a credential that subsumes an easily obtained

equivalent already recognized by statute and rule? If it did recognize the

BCBA separately, Michigan would certainly add the supervision and other

requirements it imposes on masters-level psychologists. The organizations

representing the other treatment professions would demand it--if they didn't

all line up in opposition. But because it would most likely involve

additional regulation, supervision requirements, and costs for the BCBAs, we

might actually have Michigan BCBAs opposing recognition because some are

already opting out of licensure for the same reasons. I don't see a way of

getting independent recognition without the regulation. Perhaps there are

legislative gurus who know how to get around all this, but I am not such a

person and I don't know any.

A more fundamental issue in Michigan right now is getting some money for

real DD services and controlling the growing number of people who do not

have

sufficient behavior analysis or professional practice skills to know what

they are doing when providing comprehensive treatment to real people with

autism. Money would help cash- strapped parents and school districts pay for

real services by licensed professionals with real training and appropriate

specialist credentials. The free-for-all in Michigan DD services, in which

anybody with a hankering can be an " autism therapist, " is not improved when

some BCBAs join the fray and advertise that they are actually trying to

avoid oversight and supervision that their licensed peers accept and pay

for. The growing anarchy is leaving large openings for people who have no

credentials or training at all, or credentials from who-knows-where, to set

up autism treatment practices. We are changing from a title-act state to a

" buyer beware " state.

This, of course, is only the tip of the iceberg. Complicating everything,

there are a host of potential changes in licensure supervision requirements

on the horizon, as well as a shelved provision requiring that licensed

sychologists get CEUs in exchange for fewer post-degree hours. This could

pop up again at any moment. Additionally, I am not sure how anyone will get

a BCBA in Michigan when the rules change to require a BCBA supervisor in

2006. If I understand this correctly, starting next year, anyone wanting to

be licensed and get the BCBA will either have to choose one or the other, or

hire two different supervisors. Licensure requires doctoral-level

supervision for 2000 or 4000 post-degree hours (masters and doctoral level,

respectively). But there are only four Ph.D.-level, licensed BCBAs in the

state, while most of the BCBAs are unlicensed masters-level psychologists.

There is not enough overlap to have one person do the job, and only a few

places have both. We could have situations in which a licensed Ph.D.

clinical psychologist might also need to hire an unlicensed masters-level

supervisor just for the BCBA.

--

T. Todd, Ph.D.

Department of Psychology

Eastern Michigan University

Ypsilanti, Michigan