Welcome to Ethics and Applied Behavior Analysis. My name is Doctor Sarah Bloom. I became an applied behavior analyst after working in the Delaware public schools in a classroom for children with autism spectrum disorders. After a few months of that process, I realized that I needed to learn a lot more about problem behavior. 

I did some reading. I found a great article on functional analysis by Doctor Brian Iwata, and I contacted him and asked him for help with using the procedures in my classroom. After a correspondence with him, I applied to the Ph.D. Program at the University of Florida, where I got my Master's and Ph.D. with Brian Iwata. 

My first faculty position was at Utah State University. I taught in the Department of Special Education and Rehabilitation, where we housed the Applied Behavior Analysis program. And recently had an opportunity to come to University of South Florida, and I was delighted to be able to come back to Florida to this growing and exciting program. 

When you complete this course, you will have a better understanding of how to navigate the sometimes tricky world of ethics as a behavior analyst. You'll have an understanding of the guidelines that are outlined by the Behavior Analysis Certification Board. That's not only going to help you as you pass your test to become a board certified behavior analyst, but it's going to help you achieve your goals as a behavior analyst. 

In preparation to make this a good course for you, I have prepared the presentations, the lectures, and have carefully selected the reading materials. I've designed the exercises for you and written your module exams. I will only be delivering one of your presentations, but I have been working closely with Mallory to develop all the presentations you'll see. 

I really enjoy teaching. And we've worked hard to try to adapt the in-class experience into this online format. In order to do that, we have prepared a variety of activities for you. Viewing presentations is just part of the package. In addition to doing readings, you're going to be engaging with the material by participating in online forum discussions, by completing module exams at the end of each module. 

This shouldn't be considered a stressful experience. This is part of the experience of learning, being able to make a response and get feedback on that response. You're also going to be generating your own content, creating presentations that will be viewed by your peers and will help all of you understand more thoroughly the types of different alternative treatments that are available for kids with autism, and how you, as an ethical behavior analyst, will navigate them. 

We all come to Behavior Analysis with different backgrounds. Whatever your background is, please know that you have something special to bring to bear on the conversation. My background is unusual. I did work in the public schools. But before that, I had a number of different unrelated careers. And I find that those other activities have helped me to see Behavior Analysis in a different way. So whatever you're bringing to the conversation, know that it's valued.