ABA506 Assignment 2

Your paper should present the following information:

1. A discussion of at least 3 resources that can provide information and guidance on some aspect of the supervision process in applied behavior analysis.

2. A discussion of at least 3 reasons that the supervision process is important, including the potential risks of ineffective supervision practices.

3. A discussion of at least 5 important aspects or components of a supervisory relationship and what is involved in each component (e.g., a contract,

supervision meetings, performance feedback, etc.).

4. A discussion of at least 2 potential issues or problems that might arise in the context of a supervisory relationship and suggestions for how to handle

them.

Grading item

Completely accurate

in content and

clearly articulated

Partially inaccurate

in content OR

somewhat unclear in

articulation

Partially inaccurate

in content AND

unclear in

articulation

Item is missing or

completely

inaccurate in content

Total

Discussion of

supervision resource

#1.

4 3 1 0

Discussion of

supervision resource

#2.

4 3 1 0

Discussion of

supervision resource

#3.

4 3 1 0

Discussion of reason

#1 that supervision is

important.

7 5 3 0

Discussion of reason

#2 that supervision is

important.

7 5 3 0

Discussion of reason

#3 that supervision is

important.

7 5 3 0

Explain the potential

risks of ineffective

supervision practices

(may be covered in

one of your 3 reasons

above.)

4 3 1 0

Discussion of the first

important component

of the supervision

process and what it

involves.

7 5 3 0

Discussion of the

second important

component of the

supervision process

and what it involves.

7 5 3 0

Discussion of the

third important

component of the

supervision process

and what it involves.

7 5 3 0

Discussion of the

fourth important

component of the

supervision process

and what it involves.

7 5 3 0

Discussion of the fifth

important component

of the supervision

7 5 3 0

process and what it

involves.

Discussion of

potential problem #1

and how to handle it.

7 5 3 0

Discussion of

potential problem #2

and how to handle it.

7 5 3 0

Overall writing

(clarity, APA style

formatting)

14 10 5 0

Final Grade

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ABA 506 Lesson 6

Implementation, Management, and Supervision of Behavior Analysis Services

This lesson provides an overview of BACB® Task List content area Personnel Supervision and

Management. Topics include the purpose of supervision, who is qualified to provide BCBA

supervision, potential outcomes of ineffective supervision, characteristics of effective

supervisors, effective supervision, important features of supervision and successful supervisors,

evidence-based supervision, indicators of poor supervision, supervision of direct service staff,

schedule and preparing for supervision, evaluation systems, the recommended process for

supervision evaluation, ongoing professional development, performance feedback, supervisor

goals, effective feedback, behavioural skills training, ongoing quality management, approaches

to supervision, supervision objectives, supervision contracts, and the evaluation of supervision

process.

Learner Outcomes Upon completing of this lesson, the student will be able to:

• Describe ten main reasons for effective, competency-based approaches to the supervision of others who are providing behavior analysis services

• Describe the potential outcomes of ineffective supervision • Describe or demonstrate the ten components of effective, evidence-based supervision • Describe and demonstrate ten components of behavioral-skills training of the

supervisee • Apply behavioral-skills training across relevant skill areas including, but not limited to,

those outlined in the BACB® Task List • Describe and demonstrate three components of performance feedback • Describe five ways of providing feedback • Describe three methods to evaluate supervisory effectiveness • Describe five methods for ongoing professional development as a supervisor • Describe five methods for the ongoing professional development of the supervisee

What is the Purpose of Supervision?

The purpose of supervision is to facilitate the delivery of high-quality services that result in client improvement. To provide effective supervision, learning the critical skills and elements of supervision from the start is essential. This is the main reason for this course and why it is so important to have training as part of the coursework as required by the BACB®.

During supervision, the supervisor has the responsibility of developing behavior- analytic, professional, and ethical repertoires in specific areas of behavior-analytic practice, as specified by the BACB®’s current Task List and found in the Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts at www.bacb.com.

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The supervisor also guides behavioral case conceptualization, problem-solving, decision making, and assistance seeking of the supervisee and works to improve the current repertoires of the supervisee. Other aspects of supervision include maintaining beneficial repertoires of the supervisee and modeling effective supervision practices for the supervisee.

Who is Qualified to Provide Supervision for BACB Candidates?

In this section, we will review who is qualified to provide supervision for the required experience hours for certification with the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB). According to the most recent requirements by the BACB, supervisors must be one of the following:

• A BCBA/BCBA-D in active status. Supervisors who hold BCBA/BCBA-D certification must also meet an ongoing supervision CEU requirement. • A licensed or registered psychologist certified by the American Board of Professional Psychology in Behavioral and Cognitive Psychology who was tested in Applied Behavior Analysis; or • An authorized Verified Course Sequence (VCS) Instructor who is providing supervision in a Practicum or Intensive Practicum (Verified Experience Instructor).

In addition, the supervisor may not be related to, subordinate to, or employed by, the supervisee during the experience period. Note that employment does not include compensation received by the supervisor from the supervisee for purposes of providing the supervision services. It is also recommended to frequently review the BCBA Handbook for relevant and applicable standards pertaining to providing supervision of behavior analysis services.

Potential Outcomes of Ineffective Supervision

It is useful to identify the potential dangers and outcomes of ineffective supervision and how this affects the quality of services. Some of these dangers include:

• Low-quality services to clients that result in a lack of client progress or harm • Poor-performing supervisees with insufficient practice repertoires • Poor-performing supervisees unable to problem solve or who cannot make decisions in

novel or unfamiliar situations

Also worth considering are supervisees who do not become effective supervisors in their own practices and supervisees who engage in unethical behavior, which are both considerable concerns for clients and the future of the field.

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Characteristics of Effective Supervisors

Effective supervisors should model for the supervisee ethical and effective practice based on evidence from behavior analytic literature. Also, they should use up-front and clear directions. This includes the next steps for expanding knowledge, relevant experiential and practical experiences, and strategies that support positive impacts on current cases or the work of the supervisee. The effective supervisor also encourages the supervisee’s growth within her/his scope of current competency and is reflective while maintaining clear and effective boundaries in the supervision sessions.

Carrying Out Effective Supervision

Supervisors’ goals should include ensuring competent and comprehensive development of skills that instill a clear understanding of ethical practices. These skills should include:

• Respecting client rights and interests • Maintaining professional boundaries • Practicing only within the scope of one’s competencies (as specified by the BACB)

For those they supervise, supervisors should create a model and process for skill development. This would involve establishing expectations and boundaries of the supervision relationship. These elements should be included clearly in a contract for supervision that both the supervisor and supervisee agree to and sign, which is also an expectation by the BACB for those entering supervision arrangements. The supervision relationship may include such components as:

• Completion of the required BACB supervision contract • Frequency, scheduling, and method of communication and contact • Ways of communicating the supervision relationship • Goals for supervision for the supervisor and supervisee, with expectations for each

party

The supervisor should help to create a vision for how to achieve the supervisee’s goals by:

• Gaining foundational knowledge, with strategies for this (examples include experience, observation, reading the literature, and attending lectures/conferences/workshops)

• Accessing practical experience

In addition, supervisors need to provide information to the supervisee regarding essential experiences that must be incorporated throughout the course of supervision and formulate a sequential plan for achieving both required and desired goals throughout the course of supervision. This would include elements such as:

• Timelines • Practical experiences

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• Resources available and those to be acquired

It is a good idea to review with the supervisee the BACB® Guidelines and points of emphasis. This includes the purpose of supervision as previously reviewed in this lesson.

Important Features of Supervision

The supervisor should be able to describe and/or demonstrate the components of effective, evidence-based supervision. This includes such factors as:

• Establishing performance expectations for both the supervisor and supervisee • A description of how supervision will proceed according to the BACB experience

standards (which may include the frequency of individual supervision, whether it is individual or group supervision, in-person or online, and other parameters)

• A description of potentially appropriate activities as described in the BACB experience standards

• A description of determining the supervisee’s competency in understanding and applying interventions and methods from the behavior analytic literature and current best practices

• Development and review of the contractual agreement of how the supervision will be provided, responsibilities of each party, and other specifics, including any fees and payments, scheduling, responsibilities of each party, and other factors, as mentioned previously.

• Assessment of initial skills of the supervisee and how the ongoing assessment will occur

Successful Supervisors

Supervisors who function successfully understand the experiential and knowledge- based starting points of the supervisee and are fluent in understanding the supervisee’s needs, goals, and motivations. The supervisor should have a process for training the supervisee on specific skills (which will be discussed at a later point in this course), observing the supervisee executing these skills, and providing feedback on performance and how to shape skill improvements or refinements that may be needed. The supervisor must also review both direct client interactions, as well as written or permanent product outcomes, such as:

• Functional assessment data • Functional assessment reports • Intervention data • Behavior intervention/support plans • Other reports as warranted by the circumstances and needs of the supervisee and the

situation in which he/she is working

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Components of Evidence-Based Supervision

The supervisor should be able to describe or demonstrate the components of effective, evidence-based supervision, which include:

• Behavioral skills training of the supervisee • Scheduled observations that may include in-vivo, video, web-based, and/or computer-

assisted observations at various points during the training process (before, during, and after)

• Review of written materials developed by the supervisee, such as behavior plans, functional assessment reports and data, graphs of client progress, and progress notes, if appropriate to the situation.

Supervisors should also be able to describe or demonstrate the following components of effective supervision:

• Scheduling of supervision meetings • Performance evaluations • Evaluation of the supervision process • Evaluation of the supervisor by the supervisee

Challenges and Indicators of Poor Supervision

As the supervisor of Behavior Analysis services, you need to be able to recognize and correct problems with supervision. Some undesired effects of poor supervision can include:

• Low-quality services to clients • A lack of progress by the client • Harm to the person being served and possibly to others

Supervisees may perform poorly in the applied setting and not have sufficient practice opportunities and thus possess insufficient and/or ineffective repertoires to provide the necessary behavior analytic services. In addition, the supervisee may be unable to problem solve and make sound decisions in novel or unfamiliar situations.

Another potential outcome is that these supervisees will themselves have ineffective repertoires as supervisors in their own practice after becoming certified (given these individuals are able to meet all requirements and pass the exam for certification). Thus, an important component of the training program would be to provide supervision as early as possible in order to prevent poor service, ineffective practice, and/or unethical behavior by behavior analysts who become certified. Supervised experience of BCBA candidates is a vital aspect of training to become effective, ethical practitioners, making it also critical that supervisors are trained to provide competency-based supervision to their supervisees.

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Supervision of Direct Service Staff

Supervision by a BCBA will also include how the supervisee implements the behavior analysis programs and services that were devised by the BCBA with the input of the team, family members and/or legal guardians, and others involved. The tasks involved are similar to those stated previously in this course but need to be approached from a different perspective. This involves training in key behavioral skills for the direct service staff (also referred to as paraprofessional staff and may have different titles in different programs, schools, and organizations that provide behavior analysis services), as well as an understanding of behavior analytic concepts, approaches, and procedures. It may also include training on how to look for the functions of behavior and methods to assess function, such as:

• The use of interview instruments

• The use of direct observation methods, such as ABC charting or Pattern Analysis

These practices need to be conducted under close supervision of a qualified professional, such as the supervising BCBA. Ensuring that consistent and accurate data collection is taking place, along with implementing the plan as written, are critical aspects of supervision and training of the direct staff. Using methods such as Inter-Observer Agreement and Fidelity checks can help ensure data collection is accurate and taking place as directed by the supervisor and as outlined in the behavior plan, as well as assuring the consistency of the implementation of the plan as written.

Scheduling Supervision Sessions and Content of Meetings

The BCBA supervisor should set a schedule to arrange regular supervision meetings with the direct service staff for purposes of reviewing progress, reviewing data, and to discuss any potential difficulties or barriers that may be occurring in the setting or with the client. The supervisor also needs to set aside time to conduct training sessions on a regular basis.

It is suggested that training sessions be arranged monthly and can be best accomplished in a group situation with all direct service staff being supervised and perhaps others that need training in the organization. These training sessions may be considered supervision sessions, but separate supervision meetings with individual staff, as well as group sessions for case reviews, are highly recommended as a best practice, in addition to training on skills, methods, new research, and so on.

It is also a sound practice for BCBAs to provide competency-based pre-service training for all newly hired staff before they begin providing services to clients. Most organizations are required by various state or school contracts to ensure such pre-service training, as well as regular ongoing training and annual re-training requirements. So, it is important to check and implement regulatory requirements that affect what training the supervisor may need to provide, as well as the number of hours and frequency of training and supervision meetings with the staff.

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Preparing for Supervision The following are skills that supervisors need to master, which include:

• Supporting ongoing professional development • Behavioral Skills training • Delivering feedback • Evaluating the process

To support professional development, the supervisor must remain current with BACB requirements and keep contact information up to date with the BACB. Also, the supervisor needs to read the relevant literature in their specialization or training and needs to ensure that the supervisee understands the supervisor’s specialty areas and areas of competence. The supervisor needs to ensure that during supervision, the supervisee is providing services that are within the scope of practice and training of the supervisor, as well as the supervisee, to the extent the supervisee has had relevant training in coursework and experience. At a later point, we will review aspects of the types of areas to focus on within behavioral skills training.

Another area of competence for the supervisor is providing feedback to the supervisee. This needs to be carried out in a constructive, supportive manner and should be designed to improve the skills and competencies of the supervisee. Therefore, part of the purpose of feedback when the skills are not yet at the desired or optimal level is to provide opportunities for practice and correction. In this regard, the supervisor needs to establish performance goals and objectives for the supervisee that are clearly stated and understood by the supervisee in advance. A plan for supervision that is above and beyond a contract is also an important component of competency-based supervision.

It may be useful for BCBA supervisors working within an organization or operating their own agency to form a relationship with universities with BACB-approved course sequences and establish an internship or mentoring affiliation at the applied site. Students are often seeking a setting to gain experience and to receive supervision as part of the experience requirement needed for certification. Such an approach, which is a standard in other fields, such as psychology, can help with providing a high quality of supervision and experience for the supervisee as they will be working directly within the supervisor’s organization. There are many advantages for all concerned, including training competent practitioners, which will improve and enhance behavior analysis services to the public in general.

Evaluation Systems and Process

The supervisor also needs to evaluate the process, which can have several components, including:

• A plan for supervision with goals and objectives for the supervisee • A method for evaluating supervisee progress and skills • A list of skills the supervisee needs to learn and master, starting with a baseline

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There should be a remediation or correction plan with target dates for completion, a summary report for the supervisee to review on a regular schedule based on the number of weeks of supervised experience, and an opportunity for the supervisee to provide feedback to the supervisor, which can also be incorporated into a rating scale along with open-ended written feedback. Recommended Process for Supervisor Evaluation Devise a plan for supervision to include:

1. Goals and objectives for the supervisee to achieve 2. Time frames for completion 3. A regular schedule for supervision sessions and observation times 4. A method for evaluation, including supervisor observation 5. Scoring of performance during observation using a data system 6. Verbal skills evaluation during supervision meetings 7. Evaluation of permanent products (reports, behavior plans, notes, data presentation in

graphic and table form) 8. Plan for remediation of skills not meeting criteria with time frames for completion to

meet criteria 9. Feedback to supervisee on a regular basis 10. Feedback and evaluation of supervision and supervisor by the supervisee

Ongoing Professional Development

Supervisors need to engage in their own ongoing professional development. This can be facilitated by creating a learning community to:

• Enhance supervisory and training behavior • Raise awareness of available resources • Obtain training in various ways

This can be done by reading relevant literature on behavior analysis, attending conferences, workshops, online seminars or webinars, and internal training events within one’s own organization. Some of these internal training events may be in the form of face-to-face training, webinars, staff meetings, clinics or clinical rounds in some hospital or clinic settings, mentoring meetings, and other forums. Often many of these options also may be available for continuing education credits, which are required for maintaining certification if the training events meet BACB standards and requirements.

Aspects of a learning community can include regular review of resources and research for best practices in supervision, forming supervisory study groups, participation in journal clubs, and Special Interest Groups (such as those sponsored by the Association for Behavior Analysis: International and/or local ABAI chapters). Also, it includes peer review or peer-mentoring

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groups, in which the supervisors seek out colleagues to review their cases or discuss challenging cases or situations or ethical dilemmas.

If the supervisee wants to develop expertise in a particular area, such as Precision Teaching, or Discrete Trials Training, the supervisor needs to be well-versed in the area before he/she can teach and supervise in these areas. As a supervisor, you should recognize situations in which you need to seek consultation about a case. There are several professional organizations that may be available as a resource for supervisors and supervisees. Some of these include:

• ABAI (Association for Behavior Analysis International) • APBA (Association of Professional Behavior Analysts) • BACB (Behavior Analyst Certification Board) • CCBS (Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies) • NASP (National Association of School Psychologists) • APA (American Psychological Association) • NEA (National Education Association)

These organizations all have websites with a large amount of information and resources. ABAI and APBA support research and practice of behavior analysis, and APBA supports BACB certificants in the practice of behavior analysis. The BACB website provides listings of organizations authorized to provide Continuing Education (CE) training either in live events, such as conferences or workshops, and/or via online means. ABAI holds several conferences per year, including the long-running annual conference and the autism con