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Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is听the application of the science of learning to understand and improve behavior that is meaningful to the person and those around them. ABA considers how the environment impacts learning. The term behaviour refers to anything a person says or does, including skills and actions needed to talk, play, and live. Behavior can also be private (e.g., thoughts and feelings).

ABA can听help increase helpful or functional skills (e.g., communication) and/or decrease behaviours that are harmful or interfere with learning (e.g., self-injury).

ABA intervention听uses evidence-based procedures such as positive reinforcement to address a client鈥檚 concerns and needs and to reduce interfering behaviour and increase desirable behaviour.听 Behaviour Analysts practice in a variety of settings with many different client populations.听听听

Resources:

1. The (ONTABA) has developed this听 to describe ABA, what it is and what it is not.听 The graphic and more information can be found on their website.
2. The (BACB) has additional information on its website about the profession of ABA and the client populations it serves.

In 2017, the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care asked the Health Professions Regulatory Advisory Council (HPRAC) to provide advice on:

• What activities or aspects associated with ABA therapy pose a significant and inherent risk of harm (if any), and whether the risk of harm of this therapy varies by client population (e.g., children and adults); and
• If there is a risk of harm, what is the range of options for an approach to oversight that could be considered?

In HPRAC鈥檚 January 2018 report to the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, it concluded:

鈥淏ased on the evidence reviewed, HPRAC affirms that there is a risk of harm associated with most ABA interventions for clients, therefore oversight is recommended. Several oversight options to regulating providers were examined with a particular focus on clinical supervisors.鈥�

With respect to oversight, HPRAC recommended the following:

鈥淏ecause ABA therapy is deemed to pose a significant and inherent risk of harm across many client populations, HPRAC recommends that ABA providers performing a clinical supervisory role be regulated under an established health regulatory college, governed by the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 (RHPA). Other ABA providers would be accountable to the regulated clinical supervisors.鈥�

To protect the public from risk of harm, once regulated Behaviour Analysts who supervise and/or deliver ABA interventions will have to meet clearly defined standards.听 These standards will include having the necessary knowledge, skills, and judgement to meet practice requirements and to be allowed to use the regulated title 鈥淏ehaviour Analyst鈥�.

Anyone who wants to practise a regulated health profession in Ontario, i.e., psychologists, psychological associates, physicians, nurses, dentists, occupational therapists etc., and now, Behaviour Analysts, must be registered with, and be accountable to, a health regulatory College.听听 A College is not a university, community college, or school. Instead, its mandate is to protect the interests of the public by ensuring that clients receive competent and ethical professional services from qualified providers.

Ontario Health Regulators includes the 26 health regulatory Colleges in Ontario, including the College of Psychologists of Ontario. To learn more about how and why health professions are regulated in Ontario, visit their .

For more information, visit the Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) Portal on the College鈥檚 website, watch the College鈥檚 video information session on the regulation of ABA, review the FAQs page for answers to frequently asked questions, or contact the College at aba@cpbao.ca.

You may also find it useful to review the resources published by the Regulation Resource Task Force of the Ontario Association for Behaviour Analysis (ONTABA) .