Hi there! A message from founder and co-editor, Joseph Cautilli, M.Ed., M.Ed., CBA.

Abstract

I remember the morning of May 30th, 1999 well ... I was in Chicago attending the 25th Annual convention for the International Association for Behavior Analysis ... and I received some frightening information: I had been elected editor of the Clinical Behavior Analyst, the newsletter of the special interest group (SIG) by the same name. This information was particularly frightening because I had never put out a newsletter before and now I was on the hook to put out three this year. Yes, three. The first newsletter is for the Association for the Advancement of Behavior Therapy (AABT). I had recently initiated a SIG that grew pretty Quickly. This group, the Behavior Analysis Special Interest Group (BASIG), has as it's mission to provide a concentrated analytic voice among voices which are more cognitive and structural. We intend to emphasize functionalism said behavioral approaches to verbal behavior. As well, we hope to highlight the importance of conducting research from a strong theoretical base, sometimes lost in the ebb and flow of blind empiricism. Some areas of interest that will be reflected in this newsletter include Clinical Behavior Analysis, Behavioral Models of Child Development, Community-based analytic interventions, and Behavioral Philosophy. With the help of my co-editor, Beth Rosenwasser (iBRosie@aol.com), Craig Allen Thomas, David Reitman, John Forsyth (forsyth@csc.albany.edu), and Duane Lundervold (dlunderv@utep.edu). I began to envision a nowsletter that would interest the members of both SIG's. I was on the hook for yet one more newsletter. This time for an important organization fostering the credentialing of analysts in the state of Pennsylvania. Like Florida, California, and soon New York, my keystone state of Pennsylvania has begun to credential analysts and has suggested such a credential for hiring into the position of behavior specialist in its Behavioral Rehabilitation Program for Children and Adolescents. In addition, many in the Intermediate Units (IU's) were in the process of pursuing certification largely to meet the needs of children with Autism spectrum disorder and language delays. This was to be a very different newsletter. The goal of the newsletter was to help credentialed analysts maintain contact and to let providers and the state know that analysts are in the community and that we have a lot to offer. Fran Warkomski (fwarkoms@cisc.k12.pa.us), from the Bureau of Special Education's Instructional Support System, played an incredible role in bringing credentialing to PA and is a big supporter of empirically supported analytic interventions. I remember talking to her and letting her know that the newsletter was designed, in part, to demonstrate that those of us in the BA community were committed to more than just Autism. BA also offers much in areas such as: Schizophrenia, disruptive disorders, and redesigning social service organizations and service delivery models in the state. I then asked my colleague at Devereux, Michael Weinberg to help. He contacted Fran and attempted to revive the efforts to build a state chapter of analysis. He also led the way in contacting Dave Feeney (DistanceEd@aol.com), head of distance learning and the behavior2000 list serve (BEHAVIOR 2000-request@LISTSERV. TEMPLEEDU) at Temple University about building a web page for the newsletter. Only time will tell if these and other endeavors will be successful in getting our message out. Well back to the convention. With the friendly encouragement I received from Robert Hawkins, Kelly Wilson, Chauncy Parker, and others, I began to think: I can do this! After all, with the help of my friend, Craig Allen Thomas, (cthomas@tclc.com), we succeeded in getting together a list serve for the child therapy SIG (AABT). …