ABA 825 - Effective Consultation and Collaboration

Intervention in autism requires collaboration across different disciplines and with many varied team members. Nearly all individuals with autism receive a combination of services, including ABA, speech therapy, and OT. It is imperative that services be delivered in an integrated and collaborative manner, to maximize outcomes. Behavior analysts working on teams strive to ensure that data guides deci¬sion-making, and use data to assess the impact of all treatment choices. Teams we consult to or collaborate with do not always share such goals, and successfully intervening with collaborators requires a complex skill set. In this course, students will learn how to work effectively in a trans-disciplinary model, how to develop joint goals with professions from multiple disciplines, and how to effectively work as a member of a collaborative team. Furthermore, the course will review elements of successful consultation. Specifically, we will review how to define goals, provide in¬terventions, and monitor the success of consultation. The emphasis will be on working in and with these teams to shape data-based decision making and the use of empirically verified treatments. Collaboration with parents will also be highlighted. Students will also be taught how to define roles, provide recom¬mendations and negotiate differences of opinion and systemic limitations. Consultation will also be reviewed in the context of effective intervention and behavior analytic best practices.

Credits: 3