Supervision for Certification in the Field of Applied Behaviour Analysis: Characteristics and Relationship with Job Satisfaction, Burnout, Work Demands, and Support

Abstract

Background: Supervision of behavior analysts seeking certification and supervision of service delivery are key processes in the provision of quality behaviour analytic services to individuals with developmental disabilities. Our study is the first to examine international supervisory practices within the field of applied behaviour analysis. Method: An online survey was distributed to 92 professionals internationally, assessing supervisory practice, supervisor support, work demands, job satisfaction, and burnout. Results: Findings indicate high satisfaction with the supervisor and supervisory experience. Excessive work demands positively correlate with high burnout and low job satisfaction. Half of all professionals only worked with one or two clients before certification. Supervisor and collegial support seem to decrease the likelihood of suffering burnout and increase job satisfaction, although relationships were not statistically significant. Conclusions: Supervisor and collegial support warrant further research as protective factors. Implications for an evidence-based supervisory practice that produces ethical and competent supervisees are discussed.

Telehealth to train interventionists teaching functional living skills to children with autism spectrum disorder

“…We compared the cost of providing behavior-analytic treatment in-situ versus via telehealth to assess the cost effectiveness of telehealth-based interventions. We calculated the hourly rate of the BCBA ® (Dounavi et al, 2019), the cost of equipment, and the travel costs associated with providing treatment in-situ. The hourly rate was converted from Euros to United States dollars (€1.00 = $1.27 as of January 18 th , 2021) and multiplied by the total number of treatment hours provided.…”

“…The cost of one set of headphones and one camera totaled $115.87 (€95.58) with an additional $27.28 (€22.50) for postage (tracked and signed for), making the total cost for purchasing and sending the equipment $143.15 (€118.08). The average hourly rate for a behavior analyst in Europe is between €0-75 (Dounavi et al, 2019;$0-91.69) and due to the limited amount of BCBA ® s available in some European countries, families and specialist schools and clinics who can afford it often pay for the travel of a BCBA ® . Travel expenses have been incorporated into Figure 4.…”

“…The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has a population of 9.4 million and just 88 BCBA ® s and Greece has a population of 10.2 million and just 11 BCBA ® s (BACB, 2020). It is therefore unsurprising that many professionals working in the field of ABA have reported high burnout levels (Dounavi et al, 2019;Plantiveau et al, 2018). The limited number of professionals available to provide high-quality interventions to individuals with ASD and the number of disparities in access to quality services based on racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic status (see Smith et al, 2020 for review) elevate the need to investigate alternative delivery methods to disseminate behavior analysis.…”

“…Treatment Fidelity Checklist BCBA ® is on site with all participants in the same school/clinic, charging an hourly rate of $60.36 (converted from €50.00 per hour as described byDounavi et al, 2019 as the average hourly rate for a BCBA ® . BCBA ® also charging hourly rate for travel time).…”

Impact of COVID-19 on the Applied Behavior Analysis Workforce: Comparison across Remote and Nonremote Workers

“…Plantiveau et al also reported some conditions that tended to meliorate burnout and job dissatisfaction, including support at work from supervisors and peers, opportunities for professional development, and high-quality supervision. Dounavi et al (2019) extended this research to a sample of 92 international behavior analysts. They reported that across the three dimensions of burnout, emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment, 37%, 37%, and 27%, respectively, experienced burnout.…”