A Survey of the State of the Field of Applied Behavior Analysis in Vermont

Abstract

As the number of and demand for board certified behavior analysts (BCBAs) grows across the United States, it is increasingly important to evaluate the status of the applied behavior analysis (ABA) workforce. The goal of this study was to evaluate the current status of the field of ABA within the state of Vermont. We surveyed practicing RBTs, BCaBAs, BCBAs, BCBA-Ds, and ABA professionals within Vermont. We gathered and analyzed information regarding practitioner training and supervision experiences, current work conditions, strengths and barriers related to education, supervision, and practice within the field of ABA in Vermont, and historical and demographic information. Survey responses were analyzed using quantitative and qualitative methods and themes and results are discussed. This study may serve as a model for other states to conduct similar analyses to better meet the needs of the changing landscape of the field of ABA.

Introduction

The field of applied behavior analysis (ABA) in Vermont is a small professional community with a relatively long history that began with deinstitutionalization in the 1970s and continues today with a strong presence in school- and home-based services working with both the allistic and autistic communities. As of the spring of 2023, data from the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) identifies 194 board certified behavior analysts (BCBAs), 4 board certified behavior analysts-doctoral (BCBA-Ds), 12 board certified assistant behavior analysts (BCaBAs), and 114 registered behavior technicians (RBTs) within the state of Vermont. Although ABA is a small professional community within Vermont, the field of ABA within the United States is large and has grown over the past decade. The BACB certificant data in 2023 show 61,337 BCBAs, 5,520 BCaBAs, and 136,113 RBTs in the United States.

The BACB (2023) also provides information on the demand for BCBAs, BCBA-Ds, and BCaBAs. They state that demand for BCBAs and BCBA-Ds has grown steadily since 2011 with an increase in demand of 23% from 2021–2022 (BACB, 2023), with the prior year’s report stating that between 2010 and 2021 demand increased by 5,582% (BACB, 2022). In addition, demand for BCaBAs has increased by 64,382% (BACB, 2022), showing steady growth between 2011 and 2021, with demand decreasing slightly for the first time between 2020 and 2021 (BACB, 2023).

Researchers and professionals in the field have identified a number of possible reasons for the growth of ABA as a profession over recent years (Deochand & Fuqua, 2016). One contributor to the growth is the identified effectiveness of ABA as a treatment for autism spectrum disorders (ASD; Matson et al., 2012; Peters-Scheffer et al., 2011). Although the application of behavioral science to areas of social importance has been expanding (cf. Heward et al., 2022), ABA has seen particular growth within the ASD service sector. BACB data show that 72% of respondents self-report that “autism spectrum disorders” is their primary area of professional emphasis (BACB, n.d.). Factors contributing to this growth of ABA within the field of ASD may include research demonstrating efficacy of ABA procedures, increasing numbers of advocacy groups (e.g., the Autism Society, Autism Speaks), legislation mandating insurance companies to cover the costs of ABA-based procedures for individuals with ASD (Trump & Ayres, 2020), and investments by private equity firms (Garner et al., 2022).

Others have also noted that procedures based upon the science of ABA are applied across a variety of social problems (e.g., Leblanc et al., 2012, 2020), with recent researchers identifying over 300 domains in which behavioral science has been applied to socially significant behaviors (Heward et al., 2022). The field’s growth has also resulted in increased numbers of agencies and jobs for those providing behavior analytic treatment (Brodhead et al., 2018). Despite the growth of the supply of behavior analysts, areas of application of ABA, and popularity of ABA within the field of autism, there appears to be continual demand for trained behavior analysts to meet service needs in a variety of settings. In addition, there is demand for behavior analysts to continue expanding their areas of impact (e.g., Alligood & Gravina, 2021; Layden, 2023; Yingling et al., 2021).

As the professional population of BCBAs grows within the United States it may be valuable to assess the current landscape of the ABA workforce. There are limited data on the profession of ABA and national data that do exist may not be reliable. For example, behavior analysts are not classified by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics within their classification system, which limits the availability of federal data about ABA as a profession. In addition, the data that exist from the National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES) through the publicly available National Provider Identifier (NPI) directory have been shown to be inaccurate (e.g., Dubuque et al., 2021). Although the BACB generates reports on demographics and workforce demand, it may be useful to conduct more comprehensive analyses of the profession of ABA in general as well as within individual regions or states.

In particular, it may be important to assess a state’s workforce for a given profession in order to better understand supply and demand and predict and respond appropriately to related shifts in workforce variables. Researchers conducting workforce analyses have also noted that rural populations in particular may observe larger shifts between demand and supply excess within health-care workforces and may therefore necessitate careful attention (Rambur et al., 2008). This may be of particular importance in rural states such as the state of Vermont.

ABA in Vermont

When examining the profession of ABA within Vermont, evaluating the demand for ABA professionals may be important. The most recent data provided by the BACB indicate an increase in job postings (across over 50,000 online job posting sources) for BCBA/BCBA-Ds in Vermont from 53 to 103, a 94% increase, between 2021 and 2022, respectively (BACB, 2023). The report highlights data from the 30 states with the largest number of job postings and calculates the percentage of increase from 2021 to 2022 for those states. Vermont was not included in the BACB’s highlighted data table because it had a smaller number of job postings; however, when looking at the percentage of growth for demand (rather than number of job posting), if Vermont’s data were considered relative to the other states presented, it would rank below only two states (South Carolina and Indiana) in the percentage of increase in demand across 2021–2022. Further, when analyzing the BACB state data from the report (depicted as numbers within a map of the United States) per capita (using U.S. Census Bureau population estimates for 2021), Vermont ranks 17th in the nation for demand for BCBAs per capita. Measuring demand per capita may be a better measure of demand due to consideration of demand relative to population needs. The demand for BCBAs in Vermont may highlight the need for further examining Vermont’s ABA workforce.

History of ABA

When analyzing current workforce trends, it may also be useful to reflect on the history of the field of ABA in Vermont. Although there are no published accounts of this history, two longstanding and prominent professionals in the field of ABA in Vermont described their perspectives of how ABA was established in both the public and private sectors, with both the developmental disability population and those with behavioral challenges in Vermont’s schools (E. Sbartellati, Ph.D., personal communication December 27, 2021; D. Powsner, M.Ed., BCBA, personal communication, December 27, 2021). When ABA practices were first introduced in Vermont during the 1970s and 1980s, it was in the early stages of deinstitutionalization and special education reform. Professionals held the task of helping individuals who had previously been kept separate from the general population to find a place and meaningful activity in the community. ABA professionals changed problematic behavior and prepared the community to adapt and welcome individuals with behavioral needs via assessment and teaching methodologies. Leaders in the field developed an ABA-based program within a county mental health agency to create a community-based program for autistic individuals who had been institutionalized all their lives. ABA was embraced by the agency leading to expansion to a variety of programs serving individuals with developmental disability and emotional and behavioral health issues.

In 1988, the Vermont State Legislature passed Act 264 requiring human services and public education to work collaboratively to serve children and families (Simonson, 2015). To fund this partnership, a unique fiscal and policy mechanism was created in 1992 to increase access to mental health support for children. Titled Success Beyond Six, this program created a fiscal and service collaboration between designated mental health agencies and local education systems across the state (State of Vermont, 2022). Programs of intensive school supports for children with emotional disorders grew alongside intensive school supports for children with ASD and other developmental disabilities. This unique system funded ABA services in schools across populations of need. It also created access to intensive intervention for ASD well before autism insurance reform was mandated in Vermont in 2010 (An Act Relating to Insurance Coverage for Autism Diagnosis and Treatment, 2010). In 2015, Vermont passed the bill related to professional licensing and regulation of behavior analysts. As of 2016, behavior analysts and assistant behavior analysts require a license through the Vermont Office of Professional Regulation (OPR) to practice ABA within the state (An Act Relating to Professions and Occupations Regulated by the Office of Professional Regulation, 2015). These historic descriptions of the field of ABA may provide context for how the practice of behavior analysis was established in the state.

Training Programs in ABA

An additional factor to consider related to a state’s workforce is the capacity for higher education and training programs. Formal education in ABA was brought to Vermont in the 1970s through a consulting teacher program at the University of Vermont (UVM). It was led by a team of instructors from the University of Kansas who embraced behavior analysis as a key methodology in effective teaching. This program trained over a hundred professionals in behavior analysis before the advent of certification and accredited behavior analytic training programs. A training program was later developed in the 1980s at Johnson State College by George Durham, one of the team that came to UVM from the University of Kansas. The program gradually reduced in the number students trained but grew steadily with the advent of BACB certification with the first cohort of Johnson State graduates qualifying for certification as early as 2003. The program was an approved course sequence through the BACB between 2013 and 2017 and was an Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI) verified course sequence (VCS) from 2017 through 2020 when it was discontinued due to a lack of full-time faculty to oversee the program.

Outside of Vermont, over the past decades university training programs offering coursework to qualify students to become BCBA/BCaBAs have also seen substantial growth. According to the Association for Behavior Analysis International who oversees verified coursework preparing students for board certification, there are approximately 341 current verified course sequences offered in the United States for BCBA/BCaBA certification. Within the state, there is not currently a university training program offering coursework leading to BACB certification as the program was discontinued in 2020. This lack of state higher education opportunities within the field of ABA may highlight another important reason for analyzing the current workforce of ABA professionals within the state. Perhaps data describing the workforce may support leaders and professionals in advocating for educational opportunities needed to meet the demand for ABA professionals within the state rather than relying on out-of-state or online programs. In addition, workforce data may provide information useful in the development of educational opportunities that are tailored to Vermont professionals and communities.

Study Purpose

Given what is known about the growth of the field of ABA and its unique nature and history within the state of Vermont, the current study intended to create a detailed analysis and summary of ABA in Vermont via a workforce analysis. The purpose of this undertaking included better understanding Vermont ABA professionals, the communities they serve, the conditions in which they work, and their perspectives on the future of ABA in Vermont. Examining the ABA workforce may benefit the field by allowing professionals and advocates to better understand factors affecting the supply and demand of professionals. In addition, an understanding of the ABA workforce—including education and training—may inform advocacy and reform efforts designed to better meet the demand for professionals in the state.

This study sought to gather both qualitative and quantitative data via an online survey and analyze the data via both statistical and thematic analysis. In particular, we surveyed professionals in the field to answer the following questions: What is the state of the field of ABA in Vermont? What are the lived experiences of behavior analytic professionals in this state? What do Vermont’s ABA community members feel are the field’s strengths and weaknesses and what are their hopes for the future of ABA in their state?

Methods

Instrumentation

The survey questions were initially developed by three BCBAs and one BCBA-D. Questions were edited for clarity and precision and were finalized by the first and second authors. Questions were created based upon other published workforce surveys and the research questions were input into Google Forms. Questions consisted of both qualitative and quantitative measures. Quantitative data targeted data across several categories, specifically demographics of the practitioners, characteristics of education and training, the characteristics of their workplaces (i.e., job roles, treatment experience, treatment interests, populations served), questions regarding salary and compensation, and scale ratings of satisfaction of their course sequences, supervised fieldwork experience, and current work (Tables 1, 2, 3 and 4 list quantitative questions). Qualitative questions solicited reflections on training, professional work, and the state’s ABA community as a whole (Table 5 lists qualitative questions).

Table 1.

Demographic information

Gender	%	County (2020 population)	% Residing	% Working
Female	86.2	Addison (37,383)	6.8	6.6
Male	13.8	Bennington (37,347)	0	0
Nonbinary	0	Caledonia (30,233)	5.1	4.9
Prefer Not to Disclose	0	Chittenden (168,323)	35.6	34.4
Prefer to Self-Describe	0	Essex (5,908)	0	0
Race/ethnicity	%	Franklin (49,946)	16.9	19.7
White	69.23	Grand Isle (7,293)	0	0
Caucasian	16.92	Lamoille (25,945)	3.4	1.6
White/Caucasian	6.15	Orange (29,277)	3.4	1.6
Hispanic	1.54	Orleans (27,393)	0	0
Ashkenazi & Celtic	1.54	Rutland (60,572)	1.7	1.6
Current Age	%	Washington (59,809)	11.9	9.8
20–24	3.1	Windsor (45,905)	6.8	11.5
25–29	10.9	Windham (57,753)	8.5	8.2
30–34	32.8	(State of Vermont, 2021)
35–39	23.4
40–44	10.9
45–49	3.1
50–54	6.3
55–59	1.6
60–64	4.7
65 and above	3.1

Table 2.

Education and fieldwork information from survey respondents

Highest degree earned	%	Number of times the certification exam was taken	%
Master’s degree	90.8	1	86.2
Bachelor’s degree	7.7	2	10.3
Some college courses	1.5	3	1.7
Associate’s degree	0	4 or more	1.7
Doctoral degree	0
High school diploma	0	Latency from onset of graduate coursework to BCBA certification	%
Certification in Field of ABA	%	< 2 year	4.2
In progress	13.8	2 years	29.2
RBT	7.7	3 years	43.7
BCaBA	3.1	4 years	10.4
BCBA	75.4	5+ years	8.3
BCBA-D	0	Educated before certification existed	4.2
Note: Of “in progress” 10% working toward RBT, 90% working toward BCBA		Completed coursework in Vermont	%
		Yes	34
		No	66
BCBAs Year Certified	%	Modality of coursework	%
2002–2007	9.6	In-person classes	28
2008–2012	7.7	Online	38
2013–2018	57.7	Hybrid	33
2019–2021	2
Settings in which supervised fieldwork hours occurred (all that apply)	%	How many supervisors while accruing supervised fieldwork	%
School	77.8	1	25.9
Agency or clinic site	72.2	2	31
Home	38.9	3	25.9
Community	31.5	4 or more	17.2
Other	1.9	Completed supervised fieldwork in Vermont	%
		Yes	81
		No	19

Table 3.

Employment information from survey respondents

Years employed in ABA, precertification	%	Years employed in field of ABA	%
1	9.1	1	3.1
2	9.1	2	3.1
3	23.6	3	7.7
4	7.3	4	4.6
5	23.6	5	4.6
6	9.1	6	9.2
7	3.6	7	6.2
8	1.8	8	6.2
9	1.8	9	9.2
10+	10.9	10	44.6
		N/A not currently working in the field	1.5
How Learned About the Field of ABA	%	Currently Employed in Field	%
My Employer	46.9	Yes, Full Time	93.8
A Colleague	21.9	Yes, Part Time	4.6
Through College Courses	20.4	Yes, but only sporadically	0
Personal Research	3.2	Not currently	1.5
Employment or internship	3.2	Current Type of Work in ABA	%
Family Member	3.2	Clinical	39.7
Other	1.6	Direct Service	25.4
Primary Place of Work	%	Supervisory	17.5
Community Mental Health Agency: Youth and Family Services	34.9	Administration and Clinical	4.8
		Educational: student or teacher	3.2
Private ABA Agency	31.7	Age Of Clients Served	%
Public School	27	0-3	31.3
Other	3.2	Preschool Age	62.5
College or University	1.6	Elementary Age	87.5
Community Mental Health Agency: Developmental Services	1.6	Middle/High School Age	78.1
		Post-High/Transition Age	20.3
		Young Adult (up to 26)	12.5
		Adult (up to 54)	6.3

Table 4.

Responses to satisfaction questions

	Not satisfied								Very satisfied
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
How do you feel about your current work in ABA? Rate your job satisfaction.	1.5%	0	3.1%	1.5%	3.1%	10.8%	23.1%	23.1%	12.3%	21.5%
How do you rate your satisfaction with your coursework experience?	1.7%	0	0	1.7%	5%	13.3%	13.3%	20%	21.7%	23.3%
(BCaBAs, BCBAs, and BCBA-Ds only) How do you rate your satisfaction with your supervised work placement?	1.9%	0	0	0	5.8%	5.8%	13.5%	28.8%	23.1%	21.2%
How do you rate your experience with your ABA supervisor(s) prior to certification?	0	3.5%	0	3.5%	1.8%	8.9%	14%	24.6%	21.1%	22.8%
(RBTs) How do you rate your satisfaction your RBT training?	0	0	0	0	0	0	22.2%	22.2%	22.2%	33.3%
(RBTs) How do you rate your satisfaction with ongoing supervision?	0	0	0	9.1%	0	9.1%	9.1%	9.1%	36.4%	27.3%

Table 5.

List of qualitative questions

Question

Comments: reflect on attitudes and feelings about your current employment (or most recent) in ABA in Vermont. What is it like to practice ABA in this state, please include if you have had out of state experience in the field and how it compares.

Comments: your feelings and reflections on your coursework experience in ABA.

(BCaBAs, BCBAs, and BCBA-Ds only) Comments: thoughts and reflection about your supervised work hours experience placements.

Comments: thoughts and reflection on your experience with ABA supervision precertification.

Comments about ABA supervision postcertification

(RBTs) Comments/thoughts about your experience with your training to become an RBT

What do you appreciate about the current state of practice in ABA, especially in the state of VT?

What are some weaknesses of the current state of practice in ABA in VT?

What’s the biggest barrier to growing the field of ABA in the state of VT?

Where have you found acceptance and a sense of value for the field of ABA in Vermont?

What have you encountered in terms of bias against the field of ABA in the state of VT?

How could we improve the state of ABA in the field of VT? In terms of improving job opportunities, improving perspective, reducing barriers?

Any last thoughts or reflections on practicing ABA in Vermont and your experiences in this field and what you hope for in the future.

Note. Qualitative questions were interspersed with satisfaction scales and quantitative questions. These questions often followed a question and the instruction to “comment” served as a prompt to share comments related to prior questions.

Survey Administration and Sample

The survey was designed to obtain information from ABA professionals residing and/or working within Vermont including, RBTs, BCaBAs, BCBAs, and BCBA-Ds. This also included those taking courses or accruing fieldwork toward becoming a BCBA/BCaBA. After developing the survey, we obtained approval of procedures by the Antioch University Institutional Review Board. The online survey was distributed through the BACB certificant registry for the state of Vermont. This included RBTs, BCaBAs, BCBAs, and BCBA-Ds who had opted to receive emails from the BACB. The survey invitation was also sent to the Vermont Association for Behavior Analysis (VtABA) who distributed it to members through email and social media posts. Although there were approximately 168 BCBAs, 13 BCaBAs, 2 BCBA-Ds, and 98 RBTs in the State of Vermont at the time of survey distribution, it is unknown how many of them had agreed to receive BACB survey invitations at the time of survey distribution. Further, VtABA did not share the number of members they directly emailed. Individuals who received the survey were also able to send the survey link to other professionals; therefore, the total survey invitation is unknown. The survey was sent out and remained open for responses for 30 days between April and May 2021.

Four $50.00 Amazon gift cards were offered via a drawing to all participants who requested to enter by sending their email to the first author following completion of the survey. Participant emails used for the gift card drawing were not attached to the anonymous survey responses.

Data Analysis

After the data were gathered, the survey results were extracted from Google Forms as a spreadsheet that was converted to a Microsoft Excel file. The descriptive statistics, mean, median, and standard deviation, were calculated for each variable. The data for statistical comparison were then converted for use in an IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) data file for later analysis. A Pearson correlation coefficient was computed to assess the linear relationship between the six different satisfaction scales as well as starting and highest salaries, years in the field before certification, and years of coursework. A two-sample t-test was performed to compare the satisfaction scales between whether or not respondents completed their supervised fieldwork hours in Vermont. One-way ANOVAs were performed to compare the multiple choice items with the scale items. That included examining the effects of teaching modality, place of work, length of employment, years in the field before certification, and the number of supervisors while accruing supervised fieldwork hours, on the different satisfaction scales and on starting and highest salary.

Qualitative data were organized using a thematic analysis process (Braun & Clarke, 2006). Braun and Clarke describe thematic analyses as well suited to addressing complex and varied data such as data gathered though open-ended interview. It is a systematic process of organizing data into themes and identifying patterns. Our process of thematic analysis mirrored that described by Braun and Clarke and included five core steps: (1) transcribing and reading the responses multiple times; (2) generating codes describing salient details of the responses; (3) organizing the codes into broader themes; (4) reviewing and refining the themes between the coders; and (5) preparing the report including selecting extracts from the data that represent the themes as well as unique responses (Braun & Clarke, 2006). The strength of thematic analysis is not in its ability to statistically represent data, but in its ability to explore and describe the verbal responses of the respondents in a systematic manner, providing a level of analysis of the patterns within the data while still reflecting the complexity and subtlety of human experience as captured in verbal responses (Attride-Stirling, 2001).

We used Miro (www.miro.com) visual boards to summarize responses to open-ended questions (Miro, 2022). Using the Miro board of responses, coders summarized relevant pieces of information into brief statements. For example, a statement, “I received compensation from my employer for my supervised fieldwork hours,” would be summarized as “employer-paid supervision,” or similar. All responses were codified by one coder and 25% of responses were independently recoded by a second coder. Responses from both coders were compared for the purposes of assessing intercoder agreement. Questions to be independently coded by two coders were selected using a random number generator. Discrepancies across codes took the number of discrepancies divided by number of responses to obtain percentage agreement of codes resulting in a 93% intercoder agreement score. Discrepancies were reviewed by the authors to identify any coding errors and come to a consensus on all coded items. The first author created themes derived from coded responses that were reviewed for accuracy by the second author and refined in a collaborative process between the two authors. Themes were organized into graphic charts to visually represent the variety of perspectives in the survey data and to inform narrative descriptions and reporting of results.

Results

Respondent Demographics

The survey administration rendered 65 respondents and all responses were coded regardless of level of education and certification. Forty-nine respondents were BCBAs (75%), nine were working toward their BCBA credential (13%), two were BCaBAs (3%), and five were RBTs with one respondent working toward their RBT credential. Fifty-six respondents (86%) identified as female and nine (14%) as male.

Participants were asked to self-identify their race/ethnicity. Sixty respondents identified as white or Caucasian, one as Hispanic, and one as Ashkenazi/Celtic. Three respondents did not provide race/ethnicity information. It should be noted that participants self-described their race/ethnicities so although “white” and “white/Caucasian” could be considered the same category, within Table 1, we opted to report findings in the way in which participants self-identified.

Approximately 14% of respondents were within the ages of 20–29, 50% of respondents were within the ages of 30 and 39, 14% were within the ages of 40–49, and approximately 15% were 50 or above. Respondents primarily resided and worked within the same Vermont counties. The largest percentage of respondents (35% and 34%) reside and work within Chittenden County (respectively), which includes four of the state’s most populous cities. Approximately 64% of respondents work and reside within three counties (Chittenden, Franklin, and Washington counties). There was an absence of respondents working or residing in four counties. See Table 1 for further demographic information.

Education and Fieldwork Experience

Table 2 includes information about the respondents’ education and supervised fieldwork experiences. Over 90% or respondents held a master’s degree with approximately 8% reporting a bachelor’s degree or less. Results showed that the majority of respondents held a master’s degree and a BCBA credential earned between 2013 and 2018 (57%), with approximately 17% of respondents being certified prior to 2012. The majority of respondents reported taking the BCBA exam one time (86%). Ten percent reported taking the exam twice and 4% reported taking the exam three or more times before passing. As a point of comparison, first time pass rates for BCBA certification exams ranged from 63% to 67% between 2015 and 2020 (Dubuque & Kazemi, 2022).

Regarding education, 34% of respondents completed coursework within the state and 28% identified their coursework as being “in-person.” The majority of respondents took online (38%) or hybrid (33%) coursework. The largest percentage of respondents reported a 3-year latency from the onset of their graduate coursework to their certification (43%). Approximately 29% reported a 2-year latency, whereas 18% reported a 4 (or more)-year latency from coursework onset to certification.

Respondents reported supervised fieldwork occurring in a variety of settings. A majority of respondents received fieldwork experience in schools and clinics (77% and 72% respectively) followed by homes (38%) and community settings (31%). Over 81% of respondents completed their supervised fieldwork in Vermont. Thirty-one percent of respondents reported having two supervisors while accruing fieldwork and an equal number of respondents reported having either one supervisor or having three (25%). Finally, 17% reported having four or more supervisors. See Table 2 for additional education and fieldwork data.

Population Served

The survey included questions about the populations respondents work with and allowed for more than one response as it was expected that ABA professionals may work with individuals who have a variety of diagnoses and age ranges (see Figs. 1 and 2). The most common age groups endorsed were elementary school age (86%), middle and high school age (77%), and pre-school age (62%), respectively. It was less common for respondents to identify working with individuals outside of the age range for public school. Twenty percent of respondents endorsed working with individuals aged 0–3, 12% with adults up to age 26, and 6% with adults. No respondent endorsed working with the geriatric population.

Fig. 1.

Graph of treatment populations served by survey respondents

Fig. 2.

Graph of ages of clients served by survey respondents

Respondents were also asked to identify which diagnostic populations they served (Fig. 1). Eighty-two percent of respondents identified working with clients with ASD and 72% with clients with emotional behavioral diagnoses. Slightly over half of the respondents endorsed working with those with developmental disabilities (57%). Fourteen percent of respondents identified supporting clients with non-developmental mental health diagnoses. Less common responses included health related issues (9%), behavioral pediatrics (6%), organizational consulting (2%), and sports and wellness (2%). No participant identified working within geriatrics or animal behavior.

Employment

Table 3 provides responses regarding employment. The highest percentage of respondents had worked in the field of ABA for 10 or more years (44%), with 93% of respondents currently employed full-time in the field. Forty-six percent of respondents learned about the field of ABA through an employer. In addition, 40% of respondents described their primary work as clinical, with 25% identifying their work as direct service or program implementation. A smaller proportion of respondents endorsed supervision (18%) or administrative roles (11%) as their primary role. There were several respondents (13%) whose roles did not fit into one of the provided categories. These respondents described themselves as consultants, teachers or as having blended roles between clinical, managerial, or administrative roles. See Table 3 for additional employment data.

Satisfaction Scales

Table 4 depicts the results of the job satisfaction scales with further statistical analysis provided below. Overall, 80% of respondents placed themselves at or above a 7 on a scale of job satisfaction between 1 (“Not Satisfied”) and 10 (“Very Satisfied”). Twenty-one percent of respondents reported being very satisfied with their job. In addition, 23% of respondents were very satisfied with their coursework, and 47% of respondents reported an 8 or higher on a scale of satisfaction with their supervised fieldwork placement. Finally, 69% of respondents reported an 8 or higher on a scale of satisfaction with their experience with ABA supervisors prior to certification.

Data were also collected on factors relating to job satisfaction and reinforcement, in particular what employment benefits were received and what factors affect job satisfaction. Over half of respondents endorsed receiving retirement accounts, medical and dental insurance, personal time, and access to trainings and continuing education units (CEUs). The three most common factors affecting job satisfaction were compensation (69%), quality of management and supervision at work (62%), and impact on clients (58%). See Figs. 3 and 4 for more detailed information.

Fig. 3.

Graph of employment benefits received by survey respondents

Fig. 4.

Graph of factors impacting job satisfaction reported by survey respondents

ABA Competencies and Interests

Participants were asked about their areas of interest within the field of ABA and their responses were diverse (Fig. 5). The most common items endorsed were ACTtraining/ACT for ABA (62%), non-ASD applications of ABA (60%), organizational behavior management (59%), verbal behavior (54%), ASD applications of ABA (46%), relational frame theory (42%), and wellness (37%). Topics of less interest included, but were not limited to, applications related to school-based services, using ABA for students with emotional behavioral diagnoses (2%), and school and classroom-wide systems of behavior management (2%).

Fig. 5.

Graph survey respondents’ reported areas of interests within ABA

Respondents were also asked to endorse ABA interventions they felt competent with and used in their practice. All respondents endorsed observations and data collection. See Fig. 6 for all items included in the survey. The most commonly endorsed items were core components for providing ABA service: observation and data collection (86%), differential reinforcement (85%), and functional assessment of problem behavior (83%). The Verbal Behavior-Milestones Assessment and Placement Program (VB-MAPP) was the most endorsed packaged assessment and curriculum (63%). Each of the types of functional analysis listed were endorsed by less than half of the respondents with 43% selecting classic functional analysis as an area of competence.

Fig. 6.

Graph of reported areas of competence of survey respondents

Statistical Analysis Results

We included all the data gathered from the 65 respondents. Missing values were omitted from the statistical analysis, but no respondent was eliminated for skipping items. A Pearson correlation coefficient was computed to assess the linear relationship between the six different satisfaction scales as well as relationships with starting and highest salaries, years in the field before certification, and years of coursework (see Table 6). The majority of the relationships were not significant, but there were several scales that were significantly correlated.

Table 6.

Correlations: satisfaction scales, length of study, and salary

		Length of Study	Starting Salary	Highest Salary	Coursework Satisfaction	Experience Hours Satisfaction	Employment Satisfaction
Length of Study	Pearson Correlation	—	.305*	.427*	.113	.097	.272
	Significance (2-tailed)		.039	.003	.448	.518	.065
	n	47	46	46	47	47	47
Starting Salary	Pearson Correlation	.305*	—	.628**	-.159	-.042	-.101
	Significance (2-tailed)	.039		.000	.230	.770	.433
	n	46	63	62	59	50	63
Highest Salary	Pearson Correlation	.427**	.628**	—	-.222	.076	.063
	Significance (2-tailed)	.003	.000		.091	.601	.628
	n	46	62	62	59	50	62
Coursework Satisfaction	Pearson Correlation	.113	-.159	-.222	—	.619**	.117
	Significance (2-tailed)	.448	.230	.091		.000	.371
	n	47	59	59	60	51	60
Experience Hours Satisfaction	Pearson Correlation	.097	-.042	.076	.619**	—	.035
	Significance (2-tailed)	.518	.770	.601	.000		.806
	n	47	50	50	51	52	52
Employment Satisfaction	Pearson Correlation	.272	-.101	.063	.117	.035	—
	Significance (2-tailed)	.065	.433	.628	.371	.806
	n	47	63	62	60	52	65
Supervision Satisfaction	Pearson Correlation	.118	-.159	-.148	.269*	.622**	-.001
	Significance (2-tailed)	.428	.245	.280	.047	.000	.993
	n	47	55	55	55	52	57

Note: * Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (two-tailed), **Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed)

Graduate Training Experience

There was a positive correlation between satisfaction with experiential work placement and supervision r(50) = .62, p =.000, as well as a positive correlation between satisfaction with coursework and supervision r(54) = .27, p =.047 and a positive correlation between satisfaction with coursework and experiential work placement r(50) = .62, p =.000. For the respondents in this survey, their experience within their graduate training programs was positively related to their experience with supervision.

A two-sample t-test was performed to compare the various satisfaction scales between whether or not respondents completed their fieldwork hours in-state (see Tables 7 and 8). The majority of the relationships were not significant. There was a significant difference in job satisfaction between those that completed their supervised fieldwork hours in Vermont (M = 7.94, SD = 1.58) and those that did not (M = 6.67, SD = 2.90); t(61) = 2.104 p = .006. Respondents who reported completing their fieldwork hours in Vermont scored themselves higher in job satisfaction than those that completed their hours out of state.

Table 7.

Levene's test for equality of variances: comparing various measures with whether or not experience hours were accrued in vermont

	F	Significance
Coursework Satisfaction	2.859	.096
Experience Hours Satisfaction	.733	.396
Employment Satisfaction	8.224	**.006
Length of Study	.220	.641
Starting Salary	.104	.748
Highest Salary	.128	.722
Supervision Satisfaction	.417	.521

Note: * Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (two-tailed), **Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed)

Table 8.

t-test for equality of means: comparing various measures with whether or not experience hours were accrued in vermont

		t	df	Sig (2-tailed)	Mean Difference	Std.Error Difference	95% Confidence Interval of the Difference
							Lower	Upper
Coursework Satisfaction	Equal variances assumed	.417	58	.678	.25000	.59970	-.95044	1.45044
	Equal variances not assumed	.374	15.070	.714	.25000	.66871	-1.17474	1.67474
Experience Hours Satisfaction	Equal variances assumed	.398	50	.692	.24286	.60954	-.98143	1.46715
	Equal variances not assumed	.388	13.236	.704	.24286	.62567	-1.10637	1.59209
Employment Satisfaction	Equal variances assumed	2.104	61	*.040	1.27451	.60583	.06308	2.48594
	Equal variances not assumed	1.471	12.574	.166	1.27451	.86659	-.60410	3.15312
Length of Study	Equal variances assumed	.371	45	.712	.45000	1.21182	-1.99073	2.89073
	Equal variances not assumed	.620	43.330	.539	.45000	.72634	-1.01449	1.91449
Starting Salary	Equal variances assumed	-.812	59	.420	-.322	.397	-1.115	.472
	Equal variances not assumed	-.875	16.077	.394	-.322	.368	-1.101	.457
Highest Salary	Equal variances assumed	-.892	58	.376	-.475	.532	-1.541	.591
	Equal variances not assumed	-.932	15.590	.366	-.475	.510	-1.558	1.52472
Supervision Satisfaction	Equal variances assumed	.266	55	.791	.178872	.67164	-1.16728	1.52472
	Equal variances not assumed	.254	12.551	.804	.17872	.70357	-1.34679	1.70424

Note: * Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (two-tailed), **Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed)

Salary

There were several significant relationships relating to salary. There was a positive correlation between starting salary and the duration of coursework r(45) = .31, p = .039 as well as a positive correlation between highest salary and the duration of coursework r(45) = .43, p = .003. Other significant relationships regarding salary were found, some expected and some notable. As one might predict, there was a positive correlation between starting salary and highest salary r(61) = .63, p = .000. There was a positive correlation between years in the field before certification and starting salary r(45) = .32, p = .017. This again may be related to many working in the field before becoming certified.

Duration of Coursework

In addition, there was a positive correlation between years in the field before certification and duration of coursework r(45) = .44, p = .002. Reflecting upon the fact that Vermont provided funding for ABA services via Success Beyond Six for a decade before the first cohort was trained in a program designed to lead to certification, it is likely that many current professionals began working in the field of ABA before entering a training program specifically leading to certification.

Coursework Satisfaction

One-way ANOVAs were performed to compare the effects of teaching modality, place of work, length of employment, years in the field before certification, and number of supervisors while accruing fieldwork hours, on the six different satisfaction scales and on starting and highest salary. The majority of the relationships were not significant. However, a one-way ANOVA revealed there was a statistically significant difference in coursework satisfaction between at least two groups of job roles (F(4,54) = 3.489) p = .013. A Tukey’s HSD Test for multiple comparisons found that the mean value of coursework satisfaction was significantly different for clinical job roles and “other” job roles (p = .040, 95% C.I. = -.39963, -.0637). In addition, a Tukey’s HSD Test for multiple comparisons found that the mean value of coursework satisfaction was significantly different for supervisory job roles and “other” job roles (p = .016, 95% C.I. = -4.9461, -.3539). Respondents who described their job role as “other” had higher satisfaction scores on coursework than those that described their roles as clinical or supervisory (“other” descriptions included consulting, teaching or as having roles blending clinical, managerial, or administrative roles).

Thematic Analysis Results

Respondents were asked to respond on their perspective and thoughts regarding their experiences in behavior analysis from their coursework to current clinical practice. They were also asked to reflect on the field of behavior analysis in Vermont and respond with suggestions for the field’s growth and improvement. We summarized the responses by topic, sharing the common themes as well as the most frequent responses. Each theme was further organized by valence: frequently a common theme was both described as a strength and a challenge. For example, respondents commented on the small nature of Vermont as a whole and their individual communities. Some respondents pointed out how this quality enhances their collaboration and work enjoyment; others saw it as limiting for professional growth.

We included the number of commonly coded responses in parentheses within the description of the results when terms like “’some” or “many” were used. The numbers are intended to provide support for the use of those terms. We opted to not use percentages to describe the data as we believed it may be misleading and give a false sense of quantity to the responses. Open-ended data allow for a wide range of responses from one prompt. Giving a certain response does not imply a lack of endorsement for another response, it simply captures what that respondent may have been thinking about, and what was salient to them at the time of their responding. It also captures the respondent’s history with completing surveys: some respondent chose to give a list of responses, others a single response, and others a wrote a narrative response. Due to the variety in the number of respondents who answered each question, percentages may have been potentially misleading. In summary, due to the unpredictable nature of responses to open-ended questions, the data reflect the shared content of the responses more qualitatively than quantitatively.

Supervision and Fieldwork Experience

Responses were organized in themes of access and quality. Respondents wrote about the ease or difficulty of accessing supervision at the various stages of their career. The respondents also commented on the caliber of their supervision, both the content covered and the quality of the supervisor. Regarding supervised fieldwork experience placements, many respondents valued access to varied settings and supervisors (18), either commenting on the benefits of their diverse experiences or lamenting their lack thereof.

When responding about supervised fieldwork placements responses were primarily positive. The most common responses included reporting of having free supervision (8) through an employer, having varied fieldwork settings (8), having multiple supervisors (8) with a broad experience, having a high-quality supervisor (6), and appreciating independence during supervised fieldwork accrual (4). Other positive responses included hands-on training, and high standards for supervision, and having a paid fieldwork experience. One respondent remarked on the benefit of trust within the supervisory relationship, “I was allowed latitude in helping to plan and make decisions; I was part of the full team; I was provided great feedback, had questions answered—[this] allowed me to develop the confidence I needed to work more independently.” Negative responses surrounding supervised fieldwork included a lack of diverse settings, and varied responses about lack of local supervisors, lack of resources, low quality or nonrigorous experiences, and negative effects of BACB standards changing during training.

Respondents also commented on aspects of supervised fieldwork accrual including the use of remote supervision, structured supervision, and recommendations for connecting coursework and fieldwork, and reporting that most skills were acquired postcertification.

One respondent commented on a desire for more supervision surrounding the contextual and relational aspects of clinical work:

I wish that my supervision experience had been more focused on the specifics of working in a diverse school behavior program—coordinating with teams, working on IEPs, scheduling staff, etc.—rather than ABA basics that essentially duplicated what I was working on in grad school.

When asked about supervision experience postcertification, five individuals shared that it was similar to precertification. Other responses included quality relationships with a supervisor, supervision being motivational and collaborative, including varied clients, regular supervisions, and multiple supervisors were also mentioned. Negative responses varied surrounding postcertification supervision. Responses included that it is nonexistent, that there are a lack of opportunities, that only peer supervision is available, what is available is inconsistent, and that some ABA supervisors are supervised by non-ABA professionals.

Coursework

Themes of access, quality of instructors and course content were identified from the analysis of the responses to the prompt to comment on their ABA coursework experience. Those that wrote about access noted the current absence of an in-state program as well as the benefits to online learning. Responses were divided and slightly skewed toward negative feedback regardless of whether they completed their ABA education locally or online. Positive comments targeted online education, hybrid education, an in-state program, and others. Online programs were reported as “good,” “great,” and challenging, as well as preparing students for the exam, with high quality, affordability, and flexibility. Hybrid programs were described as providing hands-on learning while being feasible for working professionals to attend. Responses regarding the in-state program included having great instructors, hands-on intensive training integrated into worksites, as well as hearing good things from colleagues. Other positive responses included that coursework prepared individuals for clinical work, as well as having good teachers and courses.

Negative responses about coursework included feedback specific to the former graduate program through the Vermont State Colleges. Responses included comments on the quality of their education, having dual relationships among instructors and students as the teaching staff included supervisors and directors from local agencies through the years, lacking support from the Education Department professors, and not having a current program. Critical comments about online programs pointed to lack of applied training with distance learning. One respondent commented, “My coursework provided a strong overview but lacked in-depth exploration of specific application areas. I felt well-prepared by the course work when I took the exam, but not necessarily well-prepared to be a functional BCBA.”

Current Employment

Respondents were asked to reflect on their attitudes and feelings about their current or most recent employment in ABA in Vermont. An additional prompt asked what it is like to practice ABA in the state, and to include if they had out of state experience in the field and how that compared to in-state practice. Responses were sorted into themes of work conditions, the views of ABA in the local community, the Vermont ABA community itself, and structures and policies regarding ABA in the state. Respondents spoke about issues that ABA professionals experience regardless of their home state as well as issues that may be endemic to Vermont.

Positive attitudes varied across respondents. Repeated responses included perceptions that the profession has “gotten better over time” (3), that ABA is valued and accepted. Responses included appreciating manageable caseloads and having work/life balance. One respondent noted ABA being accessible through insurance as a positive development. Many respondents reported about supportive work environments, and that ABA is a satisfying and rewarding field. Other responses similarly spoke positively about the Vermont ABA community being supportive, small, collaborative with high professional standards. Respondents also shared positive responses about positive education experiences and local opportunities for professional development.

A lack of, or inaccurate public knowledge of, ABA was the most reported negative coded response regarding practicing ABA in Vermont (10). One respondent commented, “It is difficult at this time due to many misconceptions about ABA being too strict and too narrowly focused.” Another wrote, “Many people are unaware of what ABA is. It is continually teaching staff, parents, community partners about ABA.” Respondents also reported that they encounter low wages, and difficulty with “buy-in,” and a limited scope of practice for ABA within Vermont as the next most common responses. In addition, respondents named problems of staffing difficulties, large caseloads, and waitlists. One respondent commented on how a small community and nonprofit agencies’ reliance on public funds affects working conditions:

The state and our ABA community are small, many paths cross and cross again so the relationships established with other providers (and employers) are crucial to maintaining a good network. There are more clients than staff [can serve], so there is a fair bit of competition between employers’ overqualified staff leading to difficulties maintaining stability in treatment at my employer due to compensation rates lagging behind the private sector some (especially in direct service/RBT/BI [behavior interventionist] roles).

Current State of Practice in Vermont

We asked respondents to share what they appreciate about the current state of practice of ABA in Vermont as well as its weaknesses. We identified themes of ABA in the local community, the Vermont ABA community itself, structures, and policies, as well as work conditions. There was an additional theme of ABA as a profession not specific to Vermont. Many respondents appreciated the strong relationship with the public school system (8) and commented on collaboration within the ABA community (6), as well as with other disciplines (3). Several respondents also noted the benefits of being a part of a small community within a small state (6). One respondent reflected on a sense of satisfaction with the culture of ABA in Vermont:

I appreciate how thorough ABA is being represented in Vermont. There are a lot of qualified BCBAs that are willing to work with you or communicate with you. I appreciate how thought was put into how to get ABA across the state.

Responses to this prompt; however, were more critical than celebratory: respondents shared more feedback in responses to the weaknesses they perceive. Some respondents reported a lack of acceptance in public schools (4). It is likely that ABA is received differently across the state, with more acceptance in certain counties and school systems than others. Many respondents cited a need for better dissemination of behavior analysis in the community (6). Several commented on ABA having a “bad” reputation and stigma (3). Many criticisms were related to unmet needs and long waitlists (10). One respondent commented on the experience of providing ABA services to children with emotional behavioral disorders:

The field is developing and evolving by the minute. I think it can hardly keep up with itself. Working with a lot of students with emotional/trauma-related behavioral challenges rather than students on the Autism spectrum, I feel it is necessary to expand my knowledge base beyond "traditional" ABA without losing my commitment to behavioral principles. It is complicated.

Many respondents expressed a need for more providers, both behavior interventionists and BCBAs (12). Several cited financial issues such as low pay (4) and funding challenges (3) as a potential factor contributing to these weaknesses in Vermont’s service systems. There was less homogeneity in the critical responses as well, this again, may be due to the unique community cultures within the different counties in Vermont.

Barriers

The survey asked what were viewed as the current barriers for growth of ABA in Vermont. The themes again included ABA in the community and the local ABA community itself. Many respondents commented on the need for better dissemination of ABA (14), with some citing a lack of knowledge (6) or acceptance (3). One respondent elaborated after commenting on a felt difference in philosophy between ABA and some local human service organizations, “From my perspective, this divide is more the result of misunderstanding than understanding.”

These questions also contained themes of work conditions and policies and procedures. Multiple respondents mentioned issues of low pay (7), and not enough BCBAs to fill the need for services (13) or provide adequate supervision (4). There was also a repeated call for better funding (8). One respondent commented bleakly on their perception of a school-driven job market, “districts are rushing to get in-house BCBAs so they can check the boxes off that they have one employed, then they will quickly overload them and make their work meaningless and put them in ethical blackholes.”

Responses regarding barriers to growth also noted the absence of local educational programs (10). One respondent expressed their desire for an in-state program with the comment, “THERE ARE NO BCBAS!!!!!! As an owner . . . we cannot find bcbas so that we can provide more services. we NEED A PROGRAM IN VERMONT.” Additional responses lamented the small and rural nature of their state resulting in a limited job market (5) and extensive travel (2).

Bias and Acceptance

The survey asked respondents to write about their experiences of both bias against and acceptance of ABA. Regarding the question of acceptance, the responses were organized into themes of the different places they have felt valued. The most common response identified schools as a place of acceptance and appreciation (17). One respondent remarked, “I am a welcomed member of the school and teachers value my knowledge.” Other common responses were amongst colleagues (12), and with the families and individuals they serve (10). According to one respondent, “value lies in our partnerships with clients and their families . . . one relationship at a time. This is where hearts and minds are changed.”

The responses to where bias has been encountered were organized in themes of where bias was experienced, what that bias looked like, and their thoughts about the origins of bias. The places of bias ranged from schools to other professions, and to the institutions that ABA professionals work within. Many respondents wrote how bias came in general misconceptions of the field and beliefs about ABA (12) that included “ABA is only for ASD,” to “ABA is unethical,” and “ABA is not trauma informed.” Several respondents speculated on the source of bias and looked to past negative experiences with ABA (5) and anti-operant teaching sentiment within other disciplines (9). One responder commented on the positive change they have seen in the acceptance of ABA in Vermont:

Things have gotten much better, when I first started here 15 years ago ABA did not have a positive reputation, lots of bias that it made kids robotic, it didn't take into account their individuality or who they were, it wasn't parent friendly etc. I still think that it’s foreign to families and some school collaborators that the hours of service recommended even at very young ages is so intense.

RBT Training and Supervision

RBTs were asked to comment on their training and supervision experiences. Because there were only five respondents that identified at this level of certification, the data were not statistically or thematically analyzed. Responses to both questions were positive. There was a mix of training modalities, some were trained by their supervisors, others received online training. Comments about supervision included appreciations for timely feedback, modeling, and consistency of access.

Areas for Improvement and Next Steps

Lastly, the survey asked how the Vermont behavior analytic community could improve and grow. Themes of changing culture within the community and changing relationships with the larger community were identified. Respondents looked towards increasing collaboration and practicing humility within ABA, being open to the perspectives and potential validity of other disciplines, and reducing our own bias for different forms of treatment. Others discussed the need for disseminating accurate information about ABA while continuing to work with integrity so that the public equates ABA with honest and transparent treatments.

When asked how to improve the profession of ABA in Vermont, dissemination was the most common suggestion (17). One responded asserted, “we must seize all opportunities to clarify our values and humanity using language that everyone can understand. We must ensure that our practices are transparent and 'televisable.'” Respondents suggested ways to improve the field’s infrastructure including rebuilding a system of education and training in behavior analysis (12) and ways to improve funding and access to services (13). Respondents described ways of improving the visibility and image of ABA and suggested public awareness campaigns (17) and lobbying (3).

Respondents throughout the survey expressed a desire to expand the scope of ABA beyond autism and school-based services (5). This sentiment was captured in several ways with various suggestions for expansion. One respondent suggested, “Widening the scope [of ABA]. I think ACT is a great way to do this. ABA isn't strictly for autism, but it is often treated as such. I think the clinical, cold, [and] strictly data driven view of ABA is a huge problem with the community.” Another asserted, “I think we need to continue to adapt to the changing science and accept new interventions such as [the skill-based treatment derived from the] IISCA and ACT, be more collaborative and flexible in our approaches.” These comments reflect how ACTtraining (acceptance and commitment therapy for ABA), was the most frequently selected area of interest in the survey (Fig. 5).

Discussion

These survey results provide a view of the state of the field of ABA in Vermont. These results may have additional implications when analyzed in relation to the national trends in the ABA workforce. Within our survey of Vermont’s workforce, respondents primarily identified as white or Caucasian (92.3%) with no respondents identifying as African American, American Indian/Alaskan Native, or Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander. This is somewhat similar to yet slightly less diverse than Vermont’s overall demographic information which estimate that residents are 94% white according to the 2021 U.S. Census data with approximately 2% of the population identifying as Asian, 2% as Hispanic, and 1.5% Black, about .5% Native American. In contrast, as of January 2022, overall demographic information for national combined BACB credentials includes 54% white, 22% Hispanic/Latinx, 10% Black, 7% Asian, and less than 1% American Indian/Alaskan Native, and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, with 7% of certificants providing no answer. In addition, national credentialed individuals are 85% female, 13% male, and fewer than 1% identifying as nonbinary, with 1% providing no answer, which is similar to our survey sample.

In contrast to national trends, Vermont BCBAs’ primary professional emphasis is not necessarily ASD. Only 16% of our survey respondents reported working only with individuals with ASD1, with 67% reporting working with individuals with ASD in addition to one or more other populations. In addition, 17% reported working only with populations other than ASD. Within the BACB’s nationally reported data, BCBAs’ top five reported areas of primary professional emphasis were autism (71%), followed by education (12%), intellectual and developmental disabilities (5%), clinical behavior analysis (3%), and higher education (1%), with “prefer not to answer” representing 3% of certificants (BACB, n.d.).

Another trend that may differ slightly from national trends, was that 72% of our respondents listed Emotional and Behavioral Disorders as a population they regularly work with whereas this was not a population category the BACB listed. Respondents to the Vermont ABA workforce were nearly as likely to be working with individuals with ASD as they were with clients with emotional behavior disorders or developmental disabilities (Fig. 1.) The similar number of BCBA respondents working with individuals with ASD and with individuals with EBD aligns with the history of ABA within Vermont, which reportedly grew out of work with both populations. It should be noted that the percentages depicted in Fig. 1 may differ from those discussed here due to analyzing and categorizing individual responses across categories versus simply reporting totals per selected category.

There were several limitations to this study. Given the rapid growth of ABA within the United States and Vermont, it is unknown if these results remain relevant or representative of the current landscape of Vermont given the unique societal landscape of the 2021 and 2022 years (e.g., COVID-19). In addition, our response rate of the actual credentialed professionals at the time of survey administration may not be representative of the population of credentialed behavior analysts. It is possible that self-selection bias affects results of any survey. It is also unknown if the survey reached all credentialed individuals or if individuals received the survey and opted not to participate. For example, the survey was emailed to all BACB registrants that listed Vermont as their home state via the BACB email service operating at the time. It is possible that the emails in the BACB system were not current or of common use. This opens the possibility that not all credentialed individuals received the survey. Our survey respondents were not verified, opening the possibility that individuals who responded to the survey were not practicing within the State of Vermont; however, there was no evidence from the open-ended responses that reflected this possibility. Future researchers conducting workforce analyses may investigate methods to increase survey response rates and to increase confidence in survey responses representing actual workforce trends.

Another potential limitation is the small sample makes it difficult to generalize the importance of observed themes and trends to the entire population of ABA professionals within Vermont. In comparison to the number of BACB credentialed professionals listed in the BACB database as living in Vermont at the time of administration, approximately 25%, 15%, and 5% of Vermont’s BCBAs, BCaBAs, and RBTs (respectively) responded to the survey. Especially at the level of RBT and BCaBA, the small number of respondents may decrease the likelihood of results representing perspectives from all RBTs or BCaBAs within Vermont.

An additional potential limitation is the inclusion of responses from those “in progress” toward a BCBA credential when analyzing results. When looking at their responses, seven of the nine respondents had already earned a master’s degree, with five of them reporting seven or more years of experience in the field of ABA. In Vermont, it has been common for those “in progress” to be working as a clinician or serving in a role similar to that of a BCBA due to the limited workforce. The purpose of this study was to examine the in-state ABA workforce as a whole and as such, only presenting data from certified ABA professionals could risk presenting a skewed picture of the ABA community in Vermont. We opted to include responses from these Vermont professionals who reported working and/or training within the field of ABA and therefore identified as members of the ABA workforce. Future researchers may choose to omit responses from those working toward certification.

Although these results provide a snapshot of demographics and trends of ABA practitioners in the State of Vermont, it does not provide a detailed analysis of supply or demand of ABA practitioners. Future researchers conducting state workforce analyses might also include an analysis of supply and demand. Zhang and Cummings (2020) analyzed the numbers of BCBAs in relation to estimates of children with ASD per state as well as the need for ABA providers using guidelines for optimal caseload. With conservative estimates, they found that the supply of ABA providers relative to children with ASD within Vermont was below the estimated threshold for needed ABA providers, although, Vermont’s supply was estimated to be second only to Massachusetts. When considering these results along with the more recent analysis of the growing demand for ABA professionals, one can see the complexity and importance of analyzing workforce trends and needs.

The results of our survey show that though the majority of respondents from all certification levels (82%) endorsed working with clients with ASD, a smaller but notable number of respondents endorsed working with individuals diagnosed with an emotional behavior disorder (72%). In addition, 84% of respondents work with populations other than or in addition to ASD. This reflects the first author’s experience as a former director at a designated community mental health agency for a regional school-based ABA program. It was common that those enrolled in services had a variety of diagnoses. Vermont’s Success Beyond Six funding system allows for children to receive intensive behavioral services based on need rather than diagnostic category. This highlights that the estimates of Zhang and Cummings (2020) may not be indicative of the landscape of ABA services in Vermont. Although the supply of ABA professionals nearly met the estimated threshold for needed ASD services, the calculations do not inform the supply of professionals for individuals in need of ABA services without an ASD diagnosis. The high percentage of practitioners serving populations other than or in addition to ASD may indicate that the need for providers is even greater in Vermont where there are not enough providers to serve individuals with ASD alone, to say nothing of the need for other non-ASD client populations. This analysis may also highlight the importance of analyzing a state or region’s workforce for those interested in building capacity. In this case, using the results from Zhang and Cummings (2020) in isolation may have been misleading without the additional data generated from the workforce analysis.

Future researchers might also further analyze attitudes and beliefs of professionals within a given profession. We did not conduct further focus groups or data gathering, however some interesting trends emerged that may have been worthy of investigation. Future researchers could ask respondents about the broader perceptions of ABA. In reviewing the responses to all of the questions, complaints about the lack of acceptance for ABA and the stigma surrounding its practice were frequent. There was a resonant overall theme of a desire for the field to be better understood and accepted. As researchers, we wondered about this phenomenon, both as a public relations need and as a potential source for harm towards the populations and communities served. Miranda Fricker (2007) described a specific type of injustice called testimonial injustice that occurs when a listener does not believe a speaker due to prejudice towards that speaker. This prejudice can be made up of beliefs about the inability of a person to be an accurate reporter of their own experience as well as beliefs about the superior validity of the perspective of the listener. This injustice may occur when there are preconceived beliefs about ABA, but also when ABA practitioners do not listen to their clients, community partners, and the autistic community as a whole. Further qualitative research could examine biases about ABA and how they may be affecting the field’s willingness to listen and respond appropriately to critique.

Future researchers and professionals in the field could replicate or extend these methods for other states or regions, perhaps collaborating with state professional ABA organizations (e.g., state ABAI or Association of Professional Behavior Analysts [APBA] chapters). Higher level professional organizations may consider expanding workforce analyses similar to the American Psychological Association (APA)’s Center for Workforce Studies (CWS), which provides publications on topics including salaries, employment characteristics, race and ethnicity, and education among others. Although the BACB does conduct evaluations of workforce data, they primarily focus on quantitative demographics and may not capture important qualitative information from members of the ABA community at large. To this point, the BACB has not collected potentially valuable information about student career pathways, professional salary reports, or member profiles. In addition, the CWS provides many examples of publications that may be beneficial for use as models in the development of a more robust and useful workforce analysis within the field of ABA at both the state and national levels.

This study provides one example of a workforce analysis within the field of ABA. The results may be potentially useful to Vermont organizations or professionals seeking to build capacity within the state. As noted, Vermont does not currently house a higher education program leading to BCBA certification. Perhaps these results may provide useful data for those seeking to advocate for training programs within the state’s institutes of higher education. In addition, workforce data may be useful for supporting other advocacy efforts. We hope this study may serve as a model for professionals in states, regions, or working for organizations seeking to analyze the ABA workforce to inform capacity building or other advocacy efforts.

Authors’ Contributions

Authors’ contributions are indicated by the order of authorship.

Funding

Portions of this study were sponsored by the Vermont Association for Behavior Analysis (VtABA). VtABA provided funds offering incentives in the form of four $50 Amazon gift cards given to four survey participants randomly selected from survey completers who provided an email to enter the incentive drawing.

Data Availability

Readers can contact the corresponding author for additional information if needed.

Declarations

Conflicts of Interest/Competing Interest

The authors have no conflicts of interest or competing interests to declare.

Ethics Approval

This research was approved by the Antioch University Institutional Review Board. We verify that this research was conducted in accordance with established ethical standards including the Behavior Analyst Certification Board’s Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts.

Consent to Participate

All participants provided informed consent prior to participating in the online survey.

Consent for Publication

I have consent from all co-authors (explicit) and from the institutions to which they are affiliated (tacit) to submit this manuscript for publication.