Re: VIP & BAO.ORG

Bill Verplank asks two critical questions about BAO (1) Are we making
Behavior analysis a cult? (2) Are we only talking to ourselves?

The question of cult status is an important one. BAO is the publisher of
the Behavior Analyst Today (BAT). BAT has always published thoughtful
critiques of Behavior Analysis. For example Steven Hayes wrote an article
some issue back warning behavior analyst's of the exact things that
Verplank points out. In addition, the most recent issue of BAT publishes
the strongest critique of behavior analyst of exaggerated claims for
children with autism (check out hte article by James Herbert). Thus, I
believe that we print both sides of the issues. We are committed to
science, not and I repeat not religon. We will publish, even Bill critique
if you can find the energy to write it up. ( I have been very concerned
about you being on a venterator for the last year, so I mean energy
sincerly- we may not always agree but my concern for you is real). Do I
believe that Behavior analysis has reached hte point where it will become
its own profession. To this I say yes. Will it replace all other
professions, never nor would I want it too. BAO is just a recognition
thatthe field of behavior analysis has moved into becoming an alternative
to psychology for those seekign behavior change. Will we be superior,
probably in many areas. Still in others we might not be and we should be
humble about this and acknowledge this.

Are we only speaking to ourselves? I teach in a teacher education masters
program. I serve as an appleate due process officer in teh state of
Pennsylvania. I am also Director of Clinical Team services in a local
mental health clinic and run an extensive community based service program,
many of the people who work in the program are not, nor probably will
never be behaviorists. Thus, the vast majority of my day is spent talking
to educators and clinicians not to convert them but to apply sklills to
practical problmes which I help them solve. Is BAO only speaking to
itself? BA is the offical website of the Behavior Analysis SIG at the
Association for the Advancement of Behavior Therapy (a SIG I founded and
continue to serve as president). AABT is a largely cogntive organization.
Cogntivists have and will continue to write articles for BAT in areas
where the editoral staff feels grounds for integration are possible. Check
out the next four issues Spanning the next year and you will find that
many of the front running clinicans in the field of anxiety disorders,
post traumatic stress disorder, and depression will be writing articles
for BAT. A second group that BAT serves are those in the Clnical Behavior
Analysis SIG at ABA. This SIG is far from opposed to alternative
traditions. We have published a series of articles from this group
covering everything from pain to disociative identity disorder. we have
another series of articles coming up from this group critiquing there own
approach to therapy and looking at the growing pains for Clinical Behavior
Analysis. Another area where BAT vertures to encourage discussion is in
its soon to come Sunday lecture Series. The Sunday Lecture Series (SLS)
will be provided by the Walker institute group and will provide ACT 48
continuing education credits to teachers in Pennsylvania. SLS plans to
provide 3 hour workshops every Sunday morning in the up coming year. These
workshops will cover things like functional behavioral assessment, direct
instruction, classroom mangament, curriculum based measurement, curriculum
based assessment, etc.

I offer the above as only a brief example of why I must respectfully
reject your statements about BAO. I do understand your decision not to
join Neitche and become a VIP to the BAO site.While your decision saddens
me personally, I wish you the best ( I hope that we will be having this
discussion ten years from now- at which time I will probably be saying
"see I told you so!;-)"). Remember the invitation is always an open one.

Joe

P.S. As a side note, while not an easy decision for me, I support the
Edison take over. Edison has supported Direct Instruction curriculums in
the past. In addition, I support Temple's new role. While I am not at this
point personally involved at this point, I believe that this will put alot
of new ideas into the system and alot of old issues might be settled.

P.P.S. BAO is all the behavior analysis, with none of the things that you
hate like beggin' spam.

On Thu, 18 Apr 2002, William S. Verplanck wrote:

> (1)     Sorry, Joe, under no circumstances would I participate in this
> program.  It's no more, and no less, one more step in the direction of th=
e
> development of behavior analysis, and especially 'applied' behavior
> analysts, into a cult.
>
> To quote myself:
>
> "We're great at explaining ourselves to ourselves and at neglecting to no=
te
> that there are many others with whom we should converse, to whom we may
> contribute, from whom we might learn, and with whom we may
> accommodate.  Behavior analysis must _not_ become a cult."
>
> There is already far too much evidence that the process of cult-formation
> is already too far advanced=85
>
> Today's NYT reports that 42 (1 out of every 6) of Philadelphia's schools
> (most failing victims of educationalism?) are being privatized, most of
> them contracted out to the "Edison" people, five to Temple University,
> three to the Univ. of Pa, and the remaining fourteen to four other bodies=
,
> with a variety of methodologies.  Do any of these apply the methodologies
> of applied behavior analysis?  Will the able behavior analysts (both expt=
al
> and applied) at Temple participate?  If not, why not?  How many such
> schools and charter schools have behavior analysts set up, worked in _or_=
 with?
>
> Are we talking only to ourselves, and not to parents, school boards, revi=
ew
> boards, and those politically responsible for education?
>
> Shouldn't behavior analysts be out there running schools and teaching, by
> example?  (Whatever became of Don Cooke's very beh. an. endeavors?)
>
> (2)     I'd like to believe that I'm totally out of the loop, laboring
> under a great misapprehension, and that the foregoing is altogether
> wrong-headed.  Then, there's another reason I can't participate in
> Nietsche.  I'm 86 and live on the end of a fifty or sixty foot oxygen
> tube.  Emphysema precludes long-term commitments--of which I already have
> too many!
>
> W.S.V.
>
> P.S.  I note that the record of Edison's schools is lousy.  Should behavi=
or
> analysts try to teach _them_ something?
>
> W.S.V.
>
>
>
> _____________________________________________
>     William S. Verplanck          [email protected]
>   An award-winning site: http://web.utk.edu/~wverplan/
>     http://web.utk.edu/~wverplan/kantor/kantor.html
> _____________________________________________
>