PSYCHOLOGY ABA Autism Faculty Request
1. Program strength and vitality
The Psychology Department has been at the forefront of developing, researching, and teaching
behavioral treatments for many psychological problems since the inception of the Clinical Behavioral
(CB) MS program in 1984. We have a good reputation in the state and nationally for training our
graduate students in how to develop and implement behavioral interventions for problems related to
autism and other developmental disorders. For the past 10 years, the Clinical Behavioral MS program
has admitted between 8-12 students from a selection pool of around 50 applicants. These students
come to our program to become licensed masters-level psychologists and Board Certified Behavior
Analysts (BCBA) who use applied behavior analysis and behavior therapy techniques. We have 100%
employment for students coming out of this program.
Building off the strengths of our graduate program, our department has developed a Board Certified
Assistant Behavior Analyst (BCaBA) concentration within the psychology undergraduate major that
contains courses preapproved by an outside credentialing body (i.e., the Behavior Analysis Certification
Board). This course sequence involves two courses and one field experience that were recently
approved by the CAC (PSY 370 - Applied Behavior Analysis for Children with Autism, PSY 371 - Applied
Behavior Analysis for Children with Autism Lab Experience, PSY 374 - Applied Behavior Analysis Field
Experience) and existing courses (PSY 304 - Learning, PSY 365 - Behavior Modification, and PSY 203 - Self
Analysis and Control). The final course for this preapproved sequence will be reviewed by the CAC in
winter of 2016. This academic year the department received over $50,000 in state funding for
equipment supporting this final course, PSY 302W - Research Methods in Applied Behavior Analysis, so
that our students will be obtaining state of the art training in basic principles of learning, allowing
students to have a deeper understanding of these principles before applying them with children with
autism-spectrum disorder. Students who complete the approved course sequence are eligible to apply
for BCaBA certification, which makes them highly employable. Nationally, employment opportunities in
this field have increased an average of 75% between 2012 and 2014, and this growth is expected to be
higher in states like Michigan where legislation supporting insurance reimbursement for Autism services
has been passed.
The person we hire for this position will strengthen our graduate program that prepares students for the
BCBA credential and is essential for our new undergraduate concentration. Currently, applied behavior
analysis is the only evidence-based intervention for autism spectrum disorders (ASD), making the
support and funding of this position critical for the viability and sustainability of the concentration within
the psychology major that provides graduates entry into a high demand field. Adding an Applied
Behavior Analyst (ABA) specializing in children with ASD to our mix of clinical faculty would enhance our
reputation in this area even more, and identify EMU as a place where graduate and undergraduate
students can become certified to work with autistic spectrum disordered children. At present, EMU is
the only university in southeast Michigan that has an approved course sequence for the BCaBA
credential.
2. Demand for program
The number of majors in our UG program has increased from 964 in the Fall of 2011 to 1005 in the Fall
of 2015. The increase in psychology majors we believe is due to the energy in the department from the
graduate programs and the increase in research opportunities available. The graduate programs have
given us a visibility among the undergraduates and provided students the opportunity to see first hand
what a future in psychology might look like. Furthermore, last academic year a new director for the
Autism Collaborative Center (ACC) on campus was hired in addition to several full time BCBAs to manage
the programming in their classrooms. The classrooms are expanding from two to four units this
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PSYCHOLOGY ABA Autism Faculty Request
academic year, providing growth in the number of slots for undergraduate field experience positions
available on campus as well as paid behavior technician positions. The addition of an ABA Autism expert
to cover our BCaBA course concentration will continue to strengthen our students’ interest in our major,
attract even more students, and support the clinical and training mission of the ACC. Further, the
legislators in Michigan recently passed a bill requiring insurance companies in Michigan to pay for
treatment of ASD. The state is very eager to support the expansion of the workforce needed to support
these services. In fact, the EMU psychology department was provided with $20,000 in scholarship
money from the State of Michigan to support students studying in programs that prepare them for the
BCaBA and the BCBA credentials. While there was no guarantee that this source of student funding
would be renewed annually, Michigan continues to have long waitlists for ABA services for children with
ASD and the state remains committed to addressing this shortage of professionals.
Over the past decade demand for ABA services to support those with ASD has increased. We currently
have several notices for job opportunities posted on our department’s bulletin board from parents of
children with ASD requesting in-home aides to work with their children on behavioral interventions, and
every semester our faculty receive emails from parents recruiting students to work with their ASD
children. The Association of Professional Behavior Analysts recently surveyed its members regarding
employment for those individuals with BCBA/BCaBA certification and related credentials. Of the nearly
1,200 responding, 80% held full time work, while 14.8% indicated they worked part time by choice.
About 30% of the sample worked in governmental agencies, about 40% self-employed, and about 13%
in colleges or universities. Most were working with children or adults with ASD or other developmental
disabilities. Interestingly, over 45% of the sample had between 0-5 years of experience working in the
field, suggesting many were recent graduates of certification programs. Salaries for these individuals
averaged between $40,000 and $80,000 per year, with self-employed individuals making slightly more
than government employed. The Association, in their summary of the survey findings, stated, “Overall,
the data show a young profession whose practitioners are in great demand by a diverse user
community.” It is clear that this is a burgeoning profession with many job opportunities for graduates of
BCaBA and BCBA programs. In 2015, Behavior Analyst was rated as one of the top ten jobs for “do
gooders,” that is jobs that pay over the median salary in the United States and the workers indicate that
they feel their job makes the world a better place (http://www.payscale.com/data-packages/bestjobs/do-gooder). This combination of strong employment growth, high job satisfaction, and EMU
hosting the only undergraduate BCaBA program sequence in southeastern Michigan positions the
department for growth above and beyond our currently strong numbers.
3. Relation to college/divisional/university goals
College goals
An ABA Autism faculty member will promote scholarly activities that are inherently interesting to
graduate and undergraduate students. This faculty person will be conducting clinical research to ensure
the efficacy of treatments provided and how to more effectively and efficiently deliver better service to
children with ASD and their families. This kind of applied research addresses critical needs and is well
suited for undergraduate and graduate student involvement. ABA training in course sequences
preapproved for the BCaBA and BCBA credentials will advance the careers of our students by making
them more marketable as psychologists. Finally, this position supports the College goal of engaging
students in service to the surrounding community by training them to do assessment and treatment at
the ACC and points of service elsewhere in the community.
Divisional/university goals
This position relates to several divisional goals. It strengthens our undergraduate program by
supporting the only BCaBA approved course sequence in southeastern Michigan. In addition, this
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PSYCHOLOGY ABA Autism Faculty Request
person would strengthen the staffing at the ACC, providing an invaluable service to the Ypsilanti
Community, offering high quality, low cost assessments and treatment. This contributes to divisional
goals of being recognized for service and public engagement. Furthermore, the enhanced training the
undergraduates receive will better position them for getting involved with research going on at the
graduate level in our department.
4. Current availability of faculty
We currently have no BCBA faculty members. We have had to hire from outside the department to
provide training and supervision in ABA to our students. The last two winter semesters we have hired a
master’s level BCBA to teach a Special Topics course on Behavioral Treatments for Autism (now
approved as PSY 370 and PSY 371). When we initially began the class, it enrolled 6 students; this winter
we currently have 13 students enrolled. Once the final approval for the course concentration and
related program changes go through the CAC, we will begin advertising the undergraduate
concentration and anticipate further growth in enrollment. At the graduate level, we have had to hire
adjunct faculty to cover one of the required courses for our CB Masters program (PSY 625 - Clinical
Behavior Analysis) for this and the previous winter semesters. This is the program’s core applied
behavior analysis course and existing faculty are already committed to covering other courses. Thus,
this hire will meet key needs of our high demand undergraduate and graduate programs.
5. Relation to general education
Although the BCaBA course concentration does not meet general education requirements, students
introduced to working in this clinical area may seek additional field experiences (e.g., at the ACC) and
these could count towards LBC credit.
6a. Accreditation considerations
At present, we have no faculty who are Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBA) as all of our present
faculty received their training in behavior analysis prior to this credential becoming standard. While we
currently have undergraduate (BCaBA) and graduate (BCBA) course sequences approved by the Behavior
Analysis Certification Board, changing accreditation standards require us to have at least one BCBA
accredited faculty member by 2017. While we have used BCBA adjuncts to cover the undergraduate and
graduate courses, a tenure track faculty member with BCBA will be required for accreditation to be
maintained.
6b. Resources needed/available
The faculty member we hire will need to be active in research and demonstrate a history of contributing
to the scholarly community in ABA. The department will need to supply a small lab space, but most of
the research can be conducted at our onsite clinic at 611 W. Cross Street or at the ACC. This person may
require video and other digital equipment to support research and supervision of in-home ABA services.
Our clinic and department budgets can cover most of these costs. The department collaborated with
the ACC in obtaining about $20,000 in state funding for assessment and ABA treatment support
materials. These materials are housed at the ACC and available for collaborative research on ABA
services.
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