ABA 523 - Intro to ABA and Psychiatric Disorders

Prevalence of mental health disorders continues to rise in child, adolescent, and adult populations nationwide. Professionals working in applied behavior analysis, special education, psychology, and other human service fields are likely to encounter clients who have been diagnosed with a mental health disorder. The purpose of this course is to expose students to ABA’s history with psychiatric disorders, as well as explore the literature of ABA as it relates to interventions that have been used to treat these disorders. Students will learn how to conceptualize psychiatric disorders through a behavioral lens, (including how private events fit into a behavioral framework) and understand the function and limitations of the DSM-5-TR and the ICD-11 from a systems and behavioral perspective. Students will learn how to consider various contingencies related to the development of a psychiatric disorder as well as consider the implications of these when developing collaborative treatment plans. An emphasis will be placed on how to identify the scope of practice and competence for behavior analysts treating clients that present with co-occurring psychiatric diagnoses as well as how behavior analysts must consider expanding their training to gain experience in a specialty (e.g., substance use disorders, depression, dementia, clinical behavior analysis).

Prerequisites & Notes
ABA510 or ABA511, ABA 525 or ABA513

(Cr: 3)