The Perceptions and Experiences of Professionals Collaborating with Behavior Analysts

Abstract

Behavior analysts frequently work in professional areas that necessitate treatment from an array of professionals, each representing different disciplines and specialties within healthcare, education, rehabilitation, and human services. Therefore, to best meet the diverse needs of clients and their families, behavior analysts are often required to work collaboratively with professionals from other disciplines and must acquire the skills to do so effectively. To learn more about behavior analysts’ collaborative relationships with colleagues from other disciplines and identify opportunities for further education and training, we surveyed professionals from other disciplines including speech-language pathologists, educators, administrators, occupational therapists, social workers, and psychologists. Overall, participants agreed that continued collaboration with behavior analysts would be useful, although the results revealed challenges in collaboration and disparities in reported perceptions and experiences. These findings, as well as ideas for fostering better collaboration, will be reviewed.