Howard N. Sloane (1932–2010)

Abstract

​HowardHoward N. Sloane, colleague, friend, and mentor, died October 2, 2010. Howard was 78 years old. He is survived by his wife of 35 years, Judith Crandall-Sloane, his children Gary, Jeff, and Wendy, and his eight grandchildren. Howard was a moving force throughout his career in advancing the field of applied behavior analysis, helping to launch the careers of others, and helping innumerable children and their families. Howard will be remembered for his many contributions to the field and for his unyielding humanity. Howard received his PhD in psychology from Pennsylvania State University in 1959. His early work as a postdoctoral student at Walter Reed Hospital and later as an assistant professor of biochemistry at John Hopkins School of Public Health focused on the effects of diet on behavior. He was a research professor at the University of Illinois from 1964 to 1965. In 1966, Howard moved to Utah for an academic position in the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Utah. He partially retired in 1992 to become the Executive Director of the Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies, a position he held until 1995. Then he fully retired and moved to California, where he served on several boards, was an active consultant, and was the Executive Director of the California Association for Behavior Analysis from 2004 to 2005. Howard's contributions to the field of applied behavior analysis are pioneering. In 1964, he joined a group of young professionals who became legends in applied behavior analysis at the University of Washington's Institute for Child Development under the direction of his longtime friend Sidney Bijou. This group included Don Baer, Mont Wolf, Todd Risley, Jim Sherman, Ivar Lovaas, Ron Hawkins, Jay Birnbrauer, Hayne Reese, Robert Wahler, and others. This interaction and his friendship with Sidney Bijou were shaping forces for Howard's career, which translated into shaping forces for the field. Howard was amazingly productive, with hundreds of scholarly publications of articles, books, software, and professional presentations. However, it was not just the number of publications but their impact that has been so important to the field. His edited book with Barbara MacAulay, Operant Procedures in Remedial Speech and Language Training, was an early seminal book in applied behavior analysis, as was his later book, Applied Behavior Analysis in Education: A Structured Teaching Approach. Possibly, his best known book that advanced applied behavior-analytic techniques to the general population was his classic, The Good Kid Book. This book was born out of a series of individually written pamphlets teaching parents how to manage 16 of childhood's most common problem behaviors, from tantrums to shyness. The Good Kid Book is a classic, still in print after 32 years and still widely popular with parents and families. Helping others was one of Howard's most outstanding characteristics, whether it was helping new professionals entering the field or helping children and their families. I owe a great debt to Howard for his mentoring and support, as do others such as George Endo, Elaine Clark, Gina Green, Richard Young, Richard West, and Charlie Greenwood. Howard opened professional doors for us and gently pushed us through. Howard was also instrumental in starting high-quality behavior-analytic services for children and their families both nationally and internationally. He was a consultant for the U.S. State Department for International Development in India. He was a cofounder of the Utah Partners program that brought services to children with autism in Bolivia. He and his wife Judy organized and ran a summer reading camp that brought high-quality direct instruction services to hundreds of struggling learners. Howard was one of the original founders of the Behavior Modification Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, which evolved into the Pingree Center for Children with Autism that has served thousands of children with autism and their families. In his classic essay, “What is Behavior Analysis?,” Howard wrote, “Applied behavior analysis attempts to improve individual and social conditions.” Simply put, that is what Howard's career was all about.