Our new series, “Spotlight on Black Professionals in ABA,” continues with an interview with Maia Jackson, the clinical development manager of LEARN Behavioral’s Autism Spectrum Therapies (AST) office in Oakland, California, in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area.

The series comes on the heels of an analysis conducted by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB), which found that Black behavior analysts make up only 3.6 percent of the total board certified behavior analysts, a number that lags behind the 13.4 percent of Black people living in the United States, according to 2019 U.S. Census data.

Here, Maia talks about her experience and the critical need for mentorship in the ABA field.

Q: Thanks, Maia, for taking time to chat with us. Let’s start with the beginning: how did you get into ABA? What attracted you to the field?

A: My senior year in college at Sacramento State University, I still didn’t know what I was going to do. I majored in psychology, which is kind of general. As I got closer to graduating, I went on Craigslist—that’s a sign of my age—and saw a job posting that said, “Work with kids!” I really enjoyed kids and thought, Why not? I ended up taking the job and doing direct intervention with four- and five-year-old kids with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). They were adorable.

After a few months of that, I knew I wanted to continue but in a way that allowed me to grow in the field. I started Googling and looking at various options for graduate school, ultimately enrolling in National University’s master’s program in education, which offered a specialization in ABA.

Q: What was graduate school like for you?

A: It was an interesting, though busy, experience. I kept my job with Bridges, an ABA provider in Sacramento, and juggled work with studying. It helped that most of my courses were online, but that also made it harder to make connections and interact with my peers and professors. My studies lasted about a year and a half, and when I graduated, in 2009, I needed a board certified behavior analyst (BCBA) to observe and supervise me in the clinic for a set number of hours, in order to earn my own credentials as a BCBA. But ABA was still a relatively new field, at least in regard to autism, and I couldn’t find anyone to supervise me. There just weren’t that many BCBAs around at that time.

In 2011, I ended up taking a job with AST, which had recently opened a new office in the Bay area. The office caseload grew quickly, which was exciting but also challenging—I was thrown into the mix. There was a learning curve, but I got the supervision and support I needed to earn my BCBA certification and ultimately help kids and succeed in the position.

Q: What was the supervisory experience like for you? What kind of feedback did you receive on your work in the clinic?  

Someone from one of AST’s more established offices in southern California drove up to supervise me, and that was a real game-changer. I came to think of her as my mentor. In fact, I didn’t know what I had been missing until I had someone come in and provide that level of support. Mostly, what she gave me was time—time to sit and listen as I talked about my cases, time to answer my questions, time to trouble shoot. I hadn’t had that level of support before. She gave me her input and clinical guidance and expertise. Plus, she was a woman of color, like me, and I hadn’t worked with a woman of color in ABA until that time, even in grad school. She gave me the confidence to express my thoughts and concerns about the job, and advice on how to balance my professional and personal lives. We still keep in touch and call each other to troubleshoot or even just catch up.

Q: It sounds like the relationship with your mentor was a game changer, indeed. How has that experience influenced your continued work in behavior analysis?

A: Well, right now I work as the clinical development manager, supporting newly hired trainers and providing training to new supervisors, so my job, essentially, is to help guide and support new employees in clinical positions. This is important because the better trained we are, and the more we feel supported in our positions, the better the outcomes for our clients and the higher retention rates for our team.

I’m also part of a team of five professionals at LEARN launching a mentorship program for employees taking part in our organization’s Future Leaders Diversity Advancement Program Cohort, designed to increase the number of Black BCBAs at LEARN. The program provides financial assistance to employees attending National University’s master’s program in ABA. As I mentor, much of what I’ll do is what my mentor did for me—listen, guide, and help troubleshoot any problems that come along, whether related to the field or to things like work-life balance.

Mentoring is something I truly love doing. It differs from a supervisory role, where people might be guarded and careful with what they say. In a strong mentor relationship, people can pick up the phone and call anytime without worrying how they’ll be perceived. The focus is on building confidence, happiness, support, and growth.

Q: In your own words, why do you think it’s important to increase the number of Black professionals in ABA—and to increase diversity across the field, in general?

A: At LEARN and AST, we have a diverse clientele, though I’d like to see an even more diverse clientele—to see a broader range of children accessing services. Systemic issues prevent some children from getting the care they need. It often starts with well-baby checks, for instance, where a pediatrician might not refer patients who are Brown or Black to the appropriate resources in a timely manner or might not diagnose them early enough. Difficulties with transportation, work schedules (with parents working multiple shifts), and funding also prevent some children from getting the care they need. Plus, not everyone can afford services. Even with insurance, a $40 to $45 co-pay several days a week adds up quickly.

Early diagnosis and intervention are also critical. Studies show that Black and Hispanic children are diagnosed later than white children. We need to do more to make sure all children are diagnosed as early as possible so they can take advantage of the benefits of early invention. Increasing diversity among BCBAs, who can go out in the community and conduct parent and caregiver workshops, while raising awareness to pediatricians and other people in the community, are key to better serving the broad range of children in need. LEARN’s partnerships and community liaison team are doing that important work, and I would love to join and support their effort going forward.

Read the first interview in this series, “Spotlight on Black Professionals in ABA: Brandon Whitfield,” and find out more about our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Plan.

Our new series, “Spotlight on Black Professionals in ABA,” kicks off with an interview with Brandon Whitfield, the clinical director overseeing LEARN Behavioral’s Autism Spectrum Therapies (AST) Beach Cities office in beautiful, sunny Los Angeles.

This series comes on the heels of an analysis conducted by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB), which found that Black behavior analysts make up only 3.6 percent of the total board certified behavior analysts, a number that lags behind the 13.4 percent of Black people living in the United States, according to 2019 U.S. Census data. To put this in perspective, this equates to roughly one Black behavior analyst for every 28, compared to a population of roughly one Black person for every eight people in the United States.

Here, Brandon sits down to talk about his efforts to help boost diversity and share stories about his experience in the field.

Q: Brandon, thanks for taking time to talk with us. You recently served on a panel of speakers for a webinar, “Racial Equity in ABA,” at the University of Southern California – Dornsife. How did you get involved?

A: Well, it was really coincidental. During a Harbor Regional Center vendor advisory committee meeting with other behavioral health agencies, I asked for updates on what they were doing to address diversity concerns. In a previous meeting, they had discussed some agendas surrounding action items for diversity, and I wanted to find out what was happening. A colleague from Harbor Regional Center heard me ask the question and later reached out to talk to me about her involvement with the “Racial Equity in ABA” event at USC – Dornsife. We hit it off from there, with both of us seeing a real need to diversify the field and make the pool of clinicians more reflective of the children and individuals with autism in need of treatment.

Q: You’ve been at AST for 12 years now. How did you get into the ABA field?

A: That’s a fun story—and a long story because it spans my entire working life. In college, I worked for a company as part of their mobile crisis intervention unit for adolescents and adults. I was assigned to a 13-year-old boy with autism who had severe behaviors, and I thought to myself: How did he reach the point of needing a 24-hour crisis service? I started researching and learning about autism, knowing there had to be a better way.

After wrapping up undergrad, my dad, a school psychologist, introduced me to his intern, who worked for AST. One thing led to another, and I started as a behavior technician on May 5, 2009. I’ve been here ever since.

Q: Tell us about your experience as a behavior technician (BT). How did it inspire you to continue in the ABA field?

A: Working as a BT was an eye-opening and rewarding experience. I started off as a BT in the classroom, where I realized I could affect change not only with the single child I was assigned to but also with his peers.

I remember taking my client to the playground and exposing him to social opportunities while playing kickball and basketball. He didn’t have the skills to socialize successfully, but I could see the desire to play and engage with his peers. So, it gave me a real purpose—to help him build the skills to get out there and play and socialize successfully. And with time, he did.

I was also motivated by watching his peers grow. Really quickly, they realized that it was OK to play with kids with special needs. Stereotypes washed away, the more time they spent together.

Q: That’s a great story, and I love the line “stereotypes washed away.” How does the story continue? In other words, what prompted you to become a behavior analyst?

A: As a BT, the research always intrigued me. I read some studies from UCLA that showed how peers could be involved and help with autism treatment, specifically with social skills. So, I got to read about what I saw happening firsthand.

My supervisors also played a role. I started getting access to parents on home cases and began helping to implement parent education goals. I really liked that interaction and started reading about it. I borrowed the classic ABA textbook from a friend—”the Cooper book,” we call it in the field. It’s by John Cooper and some other scholars from Ohio State University. Most people would fall asleep with all the scientific jargon, but I loved it. I ended up using it as a supplement to help parents and caregivers. I even made copies of certain chapters for the parents to review with me during sessions.

My supervisor noticed my extra steps and encouraged me to pursue a master’s degree and earn my BCBA. I told myself, “This is what I’m meant to do.” And I did it. Eventually, I was promoted to a program supervisor position. I worked 40 hours a week as a program supervisor, plus weekends at a group home. I spent every spare minute studying.

Q: That sounds like a busy schedule, but your hard work paid off. Tell us about your first months as a behavior analyst?

A: I started with a pretty challenging caseload—10 cases. But I felt more independent, more grown-up. Sure, I needed to work on time management and staff management, but I cherished the level of influence that I had gained over the treatment planning for the cases I was assigned. I really liked that.  The one difference that was really pronounced for me: within what felt like a day, I went from being people’s peer to being their supervisor. It was an adjustment, but I really enjoyed working with my team and growing together.

Q: It sounds like you were a natural, given that you’re now a clinical director. What are some of your future goals as a leader in the ABA field, both in general and in your involvement with LEARN’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Plan?

A: In general, I’m itching to get back to my community outreach, which has largely been upended by COVID. It’s something we’ve been passionate about in our region and something that works—using community outreach to increase awareness of ABA in communities of color. Tremendously large communities are underserved in our area, so I’d really like to change that—from a diagnostic standpoint to access to early intervention.

Of course, I’m really excited about LEARN’s DEI efforts. Beyond LEARN’s Future Leaders Diversity Advancement Program, we’re exploring the possibility of establishing affinity groups within our organization. Affinity groups essentially provide a safe space for employees who are members of marginalized groups to come and talk, problem-solve, and get support for issues that relate to diversity, equity, and career development. Efforts the DEI group is making as a whole really reflects LEARN’s dedication to securing a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive future. The conversations taking place are important, and I hope they’ll spark more people to jump into the fray.

By Nathan Franklin
Managing Behavioral Treatment Technician, WEAP, Milwaukee

As our country starts the process of distributing vaccines for COVID-19 and re-opening our cities, many people are hoping that 2021 delivers a return to normal. We are getting that first glimpse of a promising horizon. But instead of trying to return to the old normal, we have a chance to establish a new and better normal, informed by the experiences of the past year.

The coronavirus pandemic brought many new problems to our lives in 2020, but it also exposed problems that have long existed, particularly the racial inequities that are so deeply and structurally rooted in our country.

One of the more well-documented areas of racial disparities is in the area of health care, including behavioral treatment for autism spectrum disorder (ASD), with which I am personally involved. I’ve spent the last 10-plus years providing applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy to children with autism in Milwaukee at Wisconsin Early Autism Project (WEAP). Studies show that Black and Hispanic children are diagnosed with autism at an older age than white children, are more likely to be misdiagnosed initially, and are less likely to receive an accurate diagnosis at all. Because the best outcomes for children with ASD depend heavily on early diagnosis and treatment, reading these studies was revealing—and brought the issues of racial justice to the forefront of my personal focus.

As a white man working with many children and families of color, I find the reality of a delayed or even absent diagnosis alarming and upsetting—and consider access to ABA a social justice issue that I can personally and directly help address. While I realize the causes of these disparities are complex and must be understood through a larger lens of historic and systemic racism in our societal institutions, I believe we can all make progress addressing these inequalities by starting in our own circles to seek understanding and solutions.

The good news is that by many measurements, the diagnosis gap is beginning to show signs that it is closing, though the problem is far from solved. Getting a diagnosis is only the first step, however, after which actually accessing the necessary services is key. And here again, race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status can affect access to treatment and the quality of treatment.

For a long time, I took for granted that the vast majority of children I’ve worked with have been Medicaid-funded. Unfortunately, many providers simply do not accept Medicaid clients. While I’m grateful to work for a company that is the exception to that rule, I would call on the federal government, state government, and providers to do more to increase access to services. No one should be denied services because of their income, and since the economic disparities in this country are tied to historic and structural racism, it is not just a matter of social justice but also racial justice to ensure that quality treatment is available to everyone who needs it.

There are other obstacles that can contribute to the lack of access to ABA. For example, many ABA services take place in a client’s home, creating an unintentional barrier for working families, given that home-based services require the presence of a parent or guardian. For families who need multiple people working multiple jobs just to make ends meet, this requirement alone can prevent them from accessing services.

One possible solution is to provide opportunities for treatment that children can receive without their parent or caregiver. In the beginning of 2021, WEAP opened a learning center in the city of Milwaukee, giving communities of color the more convenient access they didn’t previously have but needed. Access is important, and the difference between travelling across a city and having resources in your own neighborhood can be the difference between receiving services—and not.

The services provided for children with ASD are no exception to the general rule of racial inequities, though the research and our understanding are only beginning to develop. For anyone inclined towards research, this is an open invitation to look into these issues more deeply. The experiences of the past year have given us new perspectives to understand that solving a widespread problem requires a combination of research, structural changes, and personal responsibility to do our part in our own worlds. For those of us heavily involved in the world of ASD, this historic opportunity to pursue a new and better normal calls on us to recognize, understand, and address the injustices in our field—and to act with a sense of urgency to ensure that our treatment options continue to improve not only in quality but also in equality.

By: Angela Montes, MS, BCBA

Racism. Its existence makes our hearts heavy, evokes sadness, generates uncertainty, and creates fear. Starting and having a conversation about racism has always been difficult. Even though it may make us uncomfortable, it’s an important conversation to have. As parents and caregivers, you may find yourself asking: How old does my child need to be to have this conversation? How do I even start the conversation? Are there any resources that will help me with this conversation? Here are some starting points, using some of the tools you might already have, to initiate a conversation about racism.

Ages 0-2:

It is recommended that children see their parents and caregiver interact with individuals whose race and ethnicity differ from their own. Take it a step further and enrich your environment to ensure that your child is exposed to books and toys that include multiple ethnicities. According to studies (Kelly, D.J., et al. 2005), children as young as three months old can categorize people by race. Early intervention is critical.

Children’s Books about Diversity

Ages 3-4:

Between this age, parents should continue to model inclusivity of other ethnicities via physical interactions, TV shows, books read, and toys purchased. Children who see their parents and caregivers engage in unbiased behavior benefit from the positive model they observe. As a proactive strategy, initiate the conversation of racism with your child by pointing out the differences in color of skin, hair, and language. It is important to show young children that differences exist and that it’s okay to be different.

10 Tips for Reading Picture Books with Children through a Race-Conscious Lens

Ages 5-11:

Between this age range, children are making stronger associations across racial groups. Continue the exposure of multiple ethnicities via books, TV shows, and interactions. Initiate a discussion about the subtleties within TV shows and how stereotypes often carry over into the real world. Begin to discuss how racism has created an unfair treatment of people of different

races. Continue the conversation that this issue has been ongoing and that they can help support the fight against racism through advocacy groups. Having direct conversations during this age can help improve racial attitudes. As a proactive strategy, parents and caregivers can begin conversations about racism early and not wait until their child is exposed to a racist event.

CNN/Sesame Street racism town hall

Ages 12 and up:

Keep the conversation going! During this time, continue to model interactions with other ethnicities, diversity within books, games, and TV shows. Remain open in dialogue, including answering questions children have about racism (even if it’s uncomfortable for you). These direct conversations promote inclusion and that it’s okay to discuss racism within your family structure. In doing so, you are providing different perspectives for your children. Teach your children how to recognize racism and how to respond to situations they may encounter. For example, you can equip your child with statements to use, such as “I don’t agree with you,” or “that wasn’t cool – because…” Additionally, ensure your child knows whom they can approach to report and discuss what they experienced. Using age-appropriate language, ensure that children also have the skill of self-awareness regarding race. From evaluation, that is your starting point to begin to educate your children on what race is and what it isn’t.

How to Talk to Your Kids About Anti-Racism: A List of Resources

Resources

Studies on the topic of race

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2566511/

(Kelly, D. J., Quinn, P. C., Slater, A. M., Lee, K., Gibson, A.,

Smith, M., Ge, L., & Pascalis, O. (2005). Three-month-olds,

but not newborns, prefer own-race faces. Developmental

science, 8(6), F31–F36.

https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-7687.2005.0434a.x

https://www.academia.edu/3094721/Children_Are_Not_Colorblind_How_Young_Children_Learn_Race

Tools on How-To regarding racism

https://themighty.com/2015/04/what-to-do-when-kids-pointat-someone-in-public/

http://www.childrenscommunityschool.org/social-justiceresources/

https://centerracialjustice.org/resources/resources-fortalking-about-race-racism-and-racialized-violence-withkids/

https://www.embracerace.org/resources/10-tips-forreading-picture-books-with-children-through-a-raceconscious-lens

Resources to expand your library

https://akidsbookabout.com/

http://hereweeread.com/

https://bilingualkidspot.com/2019/05/13/diversity-booksfor-children

https://www.mylittlemoppet.com/books-about-diversityand-tolerance-for-young-kids/

Over the last 10 weeks, I know that most of us have experienced some level of fear, sadness, uncertainty, and hardship as the pandemic has swept across the country and changed almost every facet of American living. For many of us, these feelings have been compounded in recent days with sorrow, anger, and confusion as civil unrest has forced us to look hard at the inequities in American society. Especially to members of the Black community that we work with and serve, I send my personal support and empathy, and I want to be clear that we stand in support of the rights, safety and dignity of all people.

As an organization, it’s periods like these that force us to think deeply about our role in creating a brighter future in the communities we serve. Inherent in our mission is the idea that we exist to help children succeed. But now more than ever, it’s important to take stock of who we help and how we do it. I believe strongly that:

• Our mission is to deliver as much hope as we can, to as many families as we can, equally and fairly within all the communities we serve.
• We have a duty to serve all families with compassion, respect and understanding of their circumstances.
• While society as a whole may not be a level playing field, we must do better to create a workplace that is inviting, and model inclusion and diversity.

So, what’s next?

1. We will be re-evaluating how we train and support the clinical competency of our clinical and administrative team to ensure that our services are compassionate for all
2. We will be tasking our Diversity & Inclusion Committee with generating new ideas on how we can better promote a diverse and inclusive workplace
3. We will continue to proactively seek to expand our services to underserved communities in need

Every step forward counts, and if we can make small progress every day towards our ideals, we can deliver results that will continue to make us proud to work for LEARN as we do our part to contribute to a brighter future for all.

#togetherwecan

-Justin

President, LEARN Behavioral