Profile: "Best" Behavior
Raymond G. Miltenberger
Professor, Child and Family Studies
Director, Masters Program in Applied Behavior Analysis
College of Behavioral & Community Sciences
What captivated Ray Miltenberger about the field of applied behavior analysis when he was first exposed to the discipline years ago as a graduate student fascinates him still today.
“Applied behavior analysis is so pragmatic. It makes so much sense. And it can be used to help people change their lives for the better,” says the director of USF’s master’s program in applied behavior analysis.
It’s also the reason why Miltenberger finds satisfaction in teaching the subject to university students. “I love teaching students, seeing them get good at what they do, and then go out and become effective practitioners or researchers.”
Based on the scientific principles of behavior, applied behavior analysis (ABA) employs practical strategies and methods that are designed to help individuals change behavior patterns. “Behavior analysts observe a behavior of interest, analyze why it occurs within a specific context or environment, and then create an appropriate intervention targeted at producing a change in that behavior,” he says.
According to Miltenberger, applied behavior analysts, who must be certified by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board to practice, are in ever-increasing demand in Florida and the nation. Part of the reason why is that ABA can be applied to every field imaginable – developmental disabilities, education, health care, athletics, business. While behavior analysis is widely used in classroom learning, it is a common treatment for behavior problems associated with mental retardation, autism-spectrum disorders, brain injury and other disorders. It is used to treat any number of harmful behaviors from binge eating to smoking, as well as to enhance positive behavior in areas such as sports, assisting athletes who want to take their performance to higher levels.
Using applied behavior analysis to save the lives of children – specifically to teach safety skills including abduction and firearms injury prevention – has been the focus of Miltenberger’s research for years. “My research is all about identifying safety threats and teaching children to respond appropriately to those threats. And research shows, in a compelling way, that education alone doesn’t work. Children have to practice the behaviors that will keep them safe – how to respond when approached by a stranger or upon finding a gun – and practice them a lot.”
As a result of his research, Miltenberger has earned a number of awards including the American Psychological Association’s Distinguished Contributions to Applied Behavioral Research Award. A member of numerous editorial boards and a prolific author of journal articles and book chapters, Miltenberger has written a behavior modification textbook that is now in its fourth edition. He recently was installed as president of the Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI), an organization with nearly 5,000 members from 42 countries and 13,000 affiliated members worldwide.
At the organization’s 2009 annual convention in his presidential address, he focused on the specific behaviors behavior analysts should target in future research and practice – behaviors surrounding a host of safety issues that could save lives.
“Let’s face it,” he says, “many people regularly fail to engage in safe behaviors and instead, willingly engage in unsafe behaviors that can, and often do, end up killing them. Changing these behaviors has the potential not only to better people’s lives but to save lives.”
In addition to formally stepping into ABAI’s top leadership position during the convention, Miltenberger also received some unexpected recognition, the ABAI Outstanding Mentorship Award. It’s the type of recognition that means the most to an educator since it was based on nominations by his USF students.
“Students are attracted to the USF program because of Dr. Miltenberger’s outstanding ability to really listen to his students, to focus on the strengths of his students, to encourage students to pursue their areas of interest, and to deliver constructive feedback without criticizing” they wrote in their nomination letter.
“He sets an amazing example of what one should aspire to be in this field.”
-- Mary Beth Erskine, University Communications & Marketing