Newsletter
Volume 29 | 2006 | Number 2
News from the Autism Special Interest Group
By Dr. David Celiberti, BCBA
My final term as SIG President concluded in May 2006. I have served in this capacity since 1998 and have witnessed growth in many areas. It has been an honor to serve the Autism SIG over the last several years, to support the merger of our newsletter with the newsletter of the Autism SIG of Association for Behavior and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT), to expand the newsletter’s scope, to see our membership triple in size, to create an array of committees to help the SIG achieve its objectives, to participate in development of the Autism SIG Consumer Guidelines, and to work collaboratively with other SIGs. I appreciate all the support of my colleagues both within the SIG leadership and within the broader SIG membership.
Officers
Members attending the May 2006 meeting elected an individual to the position of President-Elect. With respect to officer composition, in May 2004 members voted to eliminate the Vice President position and create a two-year President-Elect position in its place. Following a two-year term as President-Elect, the individual will serve as Autism SIG President for two years, allowing for continuity and a smooth transition in leadership. In May 2004, Mary Jane Weiss was elected to this position without opposition. She has served as President-Elect ever since and assumed the position of Autism SIG President in May 2006. I am confident that Mary Jane will serve the SIG well in her term as President.
SIG members also voted in 2004 to approve the creation of an appointed position of Secretary-Treasurer to be held by the same individual acting as Autism SIG Newsletter Editor. The length of this appointed term is two to three years. The Newsletter Editor is typically a senior, clinical psychology graduate student who spends one to two years grooming the incoming Newsletter Editor. Past Editors include graduate student Dr. Sandra Harris at Rutgers University and Megan Martins, a doctoral student in clinical psychology at Rutgers University, who has served for the last three years. Megan will be leaving Rutgers for California for her pre-doctoral internship. I am very grateful to Megan for all of her hard work over the years serving the Autism SIG and I wish her well! The next Autism SIG Secretary-Treasurer and Newsletter Editor will be Kate Fiske.
SIG Committees
This past year, the Autism SIG successfully launched a number of committees to help achieve SIG goals and objectives. These committees met four to five times per year at Rutgers University. We are open to other SIG members joining these committees. The responsibilities and objectives of these committees are detailed below.
Membership Committee Objectives
- Maintain the current membership of the Autism SIG
- Initiate an annual membership drive to recruit new members to the Autism SIG
- Support the membership drive of the Parent Professional Partnership (PPP) SIG
- Recruit and engage volunteers to support the various activities of the Autism SIG
Committee Members
- Chigusa Weekley, M.S., BCBA (Chair)
- Megan Martins, M.S.
- Germaine Ibrahim, M.Ed.
- Suzanne Buchanan, Psy.D., BCBA
- Mary Jane Weiss, Ph.D., BCBA
Consumer Resource Development and Dissemination Committee Objectives
- Coordinate and execute the revision of the Consumer Guidelines
- Develop other strategies/resources to support education, awareness, and access to services
- Disseminate Consumer Guidelines and other resources within the professional and consumer communities
Revision Subcommittee Members
- David Celiberti, Ph.D., BCBA (Chair)
- Mary Jane Weiss, Ph.D., BCBA
- Ruth Donlin, M.S.
- Suzanne Buchanan, Psy.D., BCBA
- Kendra Peacock, M.S.
- Mary McDonald, Ph.D., BCBA
- Jane Barbin, Ph.D., BCBA
- Robert Montgomery, Ph.D., BCBA
- Kristine Quinby, M.Ed., BCBA
- Deb Harris, BA, BC ABA
- Lynn Faerber, BA
Dissemination Subcommittee Members
- Mary Jane Weiss, Ph.D., BCBA (Chair)
- David Celiberti, Ph.D., BCBA
- Jenna Miller, M.A.T., BCBA
Newsletter Committee Objectives
- Generate ideas for possible content
- Recruit contributions for the Newsletter related to the current, ongoing features of the Newsletter (e.g., program descriptions, article reviews, book reviews, clinical write-ups)
- Develop themes for upcoming issues
- Coordinate the annual Student Research contest
Committee Members
- Megan Martins, M.S. (Chair and Newsletter Editor)
- Kate Fiske (Future Newsletter Editor)
- David Celiberti, Ph.D., BCBA
- Mary Jane Weiss, Ph.D., BCBA
- Tamara Bannon, LMSW, BCBA
SIG Web site Committee Objectives
- Develop a Web site for the Autism SIG
- Support development of the PPP SIG Web site
- Expand and update content as needed
- Promote awareness of the SIG Web sites
Committee Members
- Mary Jane Weiss, Ph.D., BCBA (Chair)
- Suzanne Buchanan, Psy.D., BCBA
- Barbara Wells (parent member)
- Linda Meyer, Ed.D., MPA
- Jenna Miller, M.A.T., BCBA
Revised Consumer Guidelines
As many of you know, the Autism SIG has undertaken the complex, yet critical, task of providing consumers with some guidance regarding how to select a behavior analytic service provider. I wanted to provide a bit of history about the development of these guidelines. The original version of the guidelines was developed by a committee spearheaded by Gina Green in 1998. In September 2004, the Autism SIG adopted a revision of the Guidelines for Consumers of Applied Behavior Analysis Services for Individuals with Autism and Related Disorders. At that time, the Guideline Revision subcommittee consisted of John Brown, Suzanne Buchanan, Jane Carlson, Ruth Donlin, Janet Lund, Mary McDonald, Jenna Miller, Sharon Reeve, Bridget Taylor, and Mary Jane Weiss. Gina Green and Jack Scott also provided considerable input. Because we want the guidelines to remain a priority of the Autism SIG and to reflect changes within the field, in May 2005 we began the process of revising the existing SIG guidelines.
The task of revising these guidelines is an important one that warrants the involvement and careful consideration of many people. To this end, we recruited assistance from the Autism SIG membership during our business meeting in Chicago last May. A number of SIG members volunteered and became part of the Revisions Subcommittee. These members included Jane Barbin, Lynn Faerber, Deb Harris, Mary MacDonald, Robert Montgomery, Kendra Peacock, and Kristine Quinby. These individuals were joined by Suzanne Buchanan (PPP SIG Vice President), Ruth Donlin (PPP SIG Secretary), and Mary Jane Weiss (Autism SIG President-Elect). Gina Green and Jerry Shook also provided considerable input. I would like to express my gratitude to these individuals for their efforts in improving upon this important document.
In addition, we requested feedback from Autism SIG members on the existing version of the guidelines, which was received and considered through November 2005. Approximately 20 individuals offered specific suggestions. The feedback was summarized and incorporated into a draft version which was further reviewed by the Revisions Subcommittee. A final version of the revised guidelines was distributed to the membership for a vote in April 2006. If accepted, the revised guidelines will be available on the Autism SIG Web site (www.autismsig.org).
A number of respected ABA agencies and consumer groups have expressed gratitude to the Autism SIG for putting forth these guidelines.
Autism SIG Meeting
Over 100 individuals attend our SIG meeting each year. This is impressive given that our meetings are typically held on Saturday evening! Our routine is to have a brief business meeting and elections followed by a panel discussion or special presentation. Each year, we allot 50 minutes for discussion of issues raised by the panelists. The round table discussion consists of panel members responding to a series of structured questions followed by a large group discussion. Last year’s panel focused upon the SIG’s Consumer Guidelines. The panel, comprised of both behavior analysts and parents, included Gina Green, Debra Harris, Steve Luce, and Barbara Wells. This year, in lieu of a panel, the Autism SIG hosted Jack Scott, who discussed plans for ABA 2007, and Jerry Shook, who previewed the BACB’s plans to develop an autism specialty certification.
SIG Newsletter
I am pleased to report that the Autism SIG has maintained its commitment to four Newsletter issues per year. The Newsletter is a joint effort of the Autism SIGs of the Association for Behavior Analysis ( ABA) and the Association for Behavior and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT). This partnership between the Autism SIGs of ABA and ABCT has proven to be successful and mutually beneficial. Our Newsletter is published on a quarterly basis by the Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center (DDDC) at Rutgers University. It is distributed via the internet to the vast majority of SIG members, although there are approximately 30 members who receive their newsletters through the mail. The DDDC absorbs the remaining printing and mailing costs that exceed our voluntary contributions.
It was recently decided to pursue themed issues; therefore, all future newsletter issues will represent a predetermined theme. Thus far, the themes of early intervention, challenging behaviors, adults with autism, and family issues have been identified. Upcoming Newsletter issues will address topics as follows:
- Summer 2006: Challenging Behaviors
- Fall 2006: Autism Treatment in School Settings
- Winter 2007: Early Intervention
- Spring 2007: Technology
- Summer 2007: Recreation and Leisure Skills
- Fall 2007: Underserved Populations
Newsletter features include program descriptions, clinical intervention write-ups, research synopses, book reviews, and citations and/or abstracts of recently published ABA research related to the assessment and treatment of autism. We also include conference previews and job announcements. Ideas for contributions can be discussed with Mary Jane Weiss, President-Elect, or Kate Fiske, the incoming SIG Newsletter Editor.
One of our ongoing objectives has been to broaden the array of Newsletter contributors, and I am very pleased to report that the number of contributors this year has increased from 16 to 48. I would like to acknowledge the following individuals who contributed to the Autism SIG Newsletter in the past year. I apologize if I inadvertently left someone off this list.
Jessica Archer Megan Attowe Tamara Bannon Tanya Baynam Suzanne Buchanan Lindsey Burrell Staci Carr Irene Cavanagh Marlene Cohen Philip Drash Barbara Esch Susan Evans Lynn Powers Faerber Wayne Fischer Kate Fiske Jena Gant Peter Gerhardt Robin Goin-Kochel Peggy Halliday Dawn Hendricks Bill Heward Jana Horowitz Russell Korman Karen Lenard |
Anna Lewis Rachel Loftin Maria Malott Megan Martins Joshua Masse Cheryl McNeil Audrey Meissner Chris Mesopotanese Linda Meyer Robert Montgomery Laura Newberry Lora Perry Sarah Stevens Naomi Sweizy Rachel Tarbox Karen Thibault Matt Tincani Adrein Thompson Jerry Ulman Diane Van Driesen Mary Jane Weiss Barbara Wells Aurelie Welterlin Shirley Wiley |
Student Research Poster Competition
We are pleased to announce that the SIG will sponsor the ninth annual Student Research Poster Competition. All graduate or undergraduate students who are the first author on an autism-related research poster are invited to submit their posters for consideration. We routinely publish an announcement in the Newsletter and directly recruit students during poster sessions at the ABA convention; however, this year the Autism SIG leadership has taken additional steps to recruit a larger number of student poster submissions. For example, in the last few months, we have contacted ABA members working in the area of autism treatment who supervise undergraduate and graduate students to notify them about the poster contest.
The winner of the Student Research Competition is typically announced in the summer issue of the Autism SIG Newsletter. As part of our business meeting each year, we invite individuals to serve as judges of the competition. Last year’s judges include Corinne Donley, Peter Gerhardt, Robert LaRue, and Bobby Newman. The winning posters were “The Relationship between Social Interaction and Stereotypic Behavior” by Rachel Loftin from Indiana University and “Teaching Children with Autism to Respond to Joint Attention Initiations” by Megan Martins from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Rachel and Megan each received a certificate and a $50 gift certificate to the ABA bookstore. Congratulations Rachel and Megan!
If you are interested in joining the Autism SIG, please contact Kate Fiske at kfiske@eden.rutgers.edu.
Again, it has been a pleasure to serve the Autism SIG.