Hey good people, I need your help! As many of you know, I am a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. Across the country we are having a movement to require licensure for behavior analysts so that practitioners are held to our scope of practice and are bound by ethical guidelines. This is to protect consumers, ensure quality of service, and hopefully open doors to one day have applied behavior analysis as an insurance-covered medical expense for appropriate diagnoses. Currently ABA is the only scientifically proven treatment for autism, and it has proven beneficial in so many various populations and settings. But heres the rub. We have to get the Tennessee legislature to support us. That in itself is not an issue. It appears licensure for behavior analysts is inevitable at this point, and that is a good thing. The issue lies in WHO will be our governing board. As behavior analysts, we want to govern ourselves, like occupational therapists govern themselves and physical therapists and doctors govern themselves, but we are up against the Tennessee Psychological Association because they want to be our governing body... But to us, that doesnt make sense. We are not psychologists. We dont do psychology. Psychologists arent necessarily experts in behavior analysis. Its not a good fit, and it could be detrimental to our field. Why does this matter to you? Maybe it doesnt. But to me, as a practitioner of ABA and a parent to two children who could benefit from behavior analysis services (although my companys insurance doesnt pay for it. Ironic.) it matters a lot. My goal is to leave this world a better place, and part of that is making sure all children get the services they need. Maybe you dont have a kid with autism, but maybe one day youll have a grandchild who does. Maybe one day youll be in a car accident and youll need rehab, and I dont want you to have to fight for quality treatment. So, back to the issue at hand, were making progress in baby steps. Right now we have a bill about to go before the Tennessee Senate Government Ops Committee, and we need all the support we can get. This is a small step towards our overall goal of streamlining behavior analysis and making it accessible to everyone who needs it. Can you help? If you have a few moments, please contact the following legislators. If you are a constituent of any of these senators, please, let them know! Our bill goes before committee on Wednesday, and they need to hear from us for the next few days that this bill is important to the people of Tennessee. They need to know behavior analysis is not psychology, and that what we do matters, and that people with special needs matter. Do it for Dax and Ty and every other kid without a voice. Please help! (Sumner County folks, Ferrell Haile is on this committee. Let him hear your voice!) SAMPLE SCRIPT: Hi, I am calling to ask the Senator to VOTE YES on SB1047 -- this is Senator Brian Kelsey’s Behavior Analysts of TN Licensure Bill. Special Needs Families in TN need consumer protection, and to be assured they receive ABA services from the most qualified & educated professionals in the field of Behavior Analysis. Please VOTE YES on our bill and help it move through the Senate THIS YEAR. Thank you!” SENATE GOV OPS COMMITTEE MEMBERS: Chair: Mike Bell: [email protected] 615-741-1946 Bradley, McMinn, Meigs, Monroe and Polk Counties 1st Vice-Chair: Ferrell Haile [email protected] 615-741-1999 Sumner, Trousdale and parts of Davidson County 2nd Vice-Chair: John Stevens [email protected] 615-741-4576 home office: 731-986-9742 District 24 — Benton, Carroll, Gibson, Henry, Obion, and Weakley Counties Janice Bowling: [email protected] 615-741-6694 District 16 Coffee, Franklin, Grundy, Marion, Sequatchie, Van Buren and Warren Counties Thelma Harper: [email protected] 615-741-2453 or 615-327-9484 District 19-Part of Davidson County Jim Kyle: [email protected] 615-741-4167 Office: 901-544-6372 District 30 Part of Shelby County Becky Duncan Massey: [email protected] 615-741-1648. Home Office: 865-524-5555 District 6-Part of Knox County Jim Summerville: [email protected] 615-741-4499 District 25 — Cheatham, Dickson, Hickman, Humphreys, and Robertson Counties Thank you all so much for everything you do!!!
Posted on: Sun, 09 Mar 2014 23:56:10 +0000
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