SLP-ABA: Collaborating to support individuals with communication impairments.

Abstract

This paper addresses collaboration between professionals in the fields of speech-language pathology and applied behavior analysis (SLP and ABA). Although the fields of SLP and ABA each address a wide range of different concerns, they share an interest in supporting individuals with communication impainnents. However, despite this siguificant area of overlap, the history of collaboration between these professionals has varied markedly over the past 50 years. This paper provides (a) a historical sketch of events that have led to renewed interest in collaboration among professionals within these fields. (b) the advantages of collaboration, and (c) suggestions for ways to strengthen current levels of collaboration in the service of individuals with communication irnpainnents.

Teaching Social Communication

“…Both approaches also use environmental arrangement to elicit initiations from the child. In the naturalistic behavioral approach, these strategies are referred to as environmental arrangement (Kaiser, Ostrosky, & Alpert, 1992), controlling access, or motivating operations (Koenig & Gerenser, 2006) and are used to ensure that the child is motivated by the material prior to presenting a prompt for a specific response. In the DSP approach, these strategies are referred to as communicative temptations (Paul, 2001)although this term is sometimes used by some naturalistic behavioral approaches as well-or playful obstruction (Greenspan & Wieder, 1998) and are used to encourage the child to initiate or respond to the adult in some way.…”

“…Another barrier to collaboration between disciplines is the use of highly specialized terminology in each discipline, which may mask underlying similarities between interventions (Koenig & Gerenser, 2006). For example, behavior analysts refer to prompting and developmentalists refer to scaffolding, when, in fact, the two terms can refer to the same behavior on the part of the therapist.…”

Frequency of Mand Instruction Reported in Behavioral, Special Education, and Speech Journals

“…For example, in public schools, the charge of teaching students to mand may be delegated to special education teachers, speech-language pathologists, and/or behavior analysts. These groups of professionals may implement treatment models informed by distinct and often competing bodies of research literature (Koenig and Gerenser 2006). These distinctions may be reflected in the recent decision by the Behavior Analysis Certification Board (2013) to discontinue a master's degree in speech pathology as an approved qualifying degree for certification as a board certified behavior analyst (BCBA) thereby creating potential further division between professional groups.…”

Speech-Language Pathologists and Behavior Analysts: A Survey of Video Modeling Use and Perspectives

“…There is concern among some professionals regarding scope of practice and encroachment when it comes to SLPs and BCBAs working with individuals with ASD. 8 In part, the differences stem from contrasting theories of skill acquisition. 9 Where BCBAs take a behavioral stance on skill acquisition, SLPs tend to adopt a more developmental, relationship-based approach.…”