Abstract
Despite some early starts, such as Seekins and Fawcett’s, The Behavior Analyst, 9, 35–45, (1986) description of the stages of public policy making and the ABAI task force on public policy headed by Fawcett et al, The Behavior Analyst, 11, 11–25, (1988), little progress has been made to bring the field of behavior analysis up to the standards of other professions (e.g., pediatrics) in the area of advocacy. In this article we will use experiences in advocating for the profession of behavior analysis in the state of New York to encourage behavior analysts to become involved in advocacy in their state (locally, regionally, state-wide). Further, we suggest that the experiences and observations of professionals who are experts at advocating on a national level (e.g., pediatricians) may be important in encouraging behavior analysts to establish a national advocacy platform. In addition, this article will attempt to make the case as to why it is critical that behavior analysts seek and adopt leadership positions municipally, at the state level, nationally, and even internationally, in the area of advocacy. Finally, we will suggest that there is a need to integrate advocacy into the training and daily activity of behavior analysts and why the field might now be ready for this shift, as we stand on the shoulders of giants.
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Data Availability
Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no datasets were generated or analyzed during the current study.
Notes
Although a complete functional assessment of this issue lies outside the scope of this article, it should be noted that the tobacco industry engaged in complex macro behaviors (e.g., companies partnering together) to deceive the public about the safety of their products (Coraiola & Derry, 2020). This deception continues today in many countries outside the United States (see https://www.takeapart.org/tinytargets/).
Some students might contact instructors on these topics in pursuit of the culturo-behavior science certificate, or through their practical training or research experiences led by faculty advisors who work in advocacy, policy, or other cultural and community-based applications of behavior science.
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Authors’ note
The authors thank all of the grass roots coalition members, including families, self-advocates, students, faculty, organizations, and professionals, and especially Maureen O’Grady, Tricia Moss-Lourenco, and Julia Donnaruma who participated in this effort. Never underestimate the power of a group of well organized, passionate, invested community members in their ability to accomplish what was said to be “impossible”. Note: portions of this article have been presented at the Behavior Analysis Leadership Conference (2022), Miami, FL.
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Napolitano, D.A., Cohen, L.A. & Cihon, T.M. Behavior Analysis at a Macro Level: The Case for Behavior Analysts in Public Policy Work. Behav Analysis Practice (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-024-00928-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-024-00928-y