Assessment of an Associate BCBA Program

Abstract

As a person progresses through different stages of certification as a behavior analyst, mentorship becomes an extremely important component in the further building of both technical, or clinical, and soft skills. The context examined in this work is the Autism Society of North Carolina (ASNC), which is facing the issue of needing to assess their current Associate Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) program, which aims to address a missing piece in our field of applied behavior analysis. The needs of the organization led me to the literature on training, supervision, mentorship, and particularly the theory of andragogy. Qualitative methods were used, as the project seeks to answer questions about experience, meaning and perspective from the standpoint of the participant. Data were collected through review of documents and interviews. Through data analysis it was determined the current data collection process may be too cumbersome for accurate skill measurement over the course of the program. Additionally, participants felt they grew in some skills with current components of the current program but would like more feedback. Lastly, the program addresses some of the challenges noted by participants. Based on these findings, recommendations for the organization include utilizing andragogic principles to guide the learning to occur within the program. Specifically, involve the Associate BCBAs in a shared process, incorporate a self-evaluation of skills, and establish a process to outline expectations of the program.