January 2012 Dear ABA Student, Welcome to the Applied Behavior Analysis Department at The Chicago School of Professional

Psychology! The faculty and I have chosen to teach and do research here, and we are very happy that you have chosen to join us and study here. Speaking to one of his classes over 50 years ago, B.F. Skinner said The most important thing in life is to pick your reinforcers. Studying ABA here defines such a choice of reinforcersThe Chicago School means strong skills in ABA as well as an appreciation of its underlying philosophy of science and its application to a wide range of the issues faced by all people. If the ABA science is correct, ABA technologies can be developed for any behavioral issues. Thus one of our aims is to give you the tools to define and successfully address problems that the field of ABA has not yet even met. ABA is not only applicable to autism, education, organizations, or clinical behavior therapy. I want you to carry it to even more applications, as well as improve it for the ones it does address now; your clients deserve no less, and you are the future of the field and humanity. Of course the choice to come here will reward you in direct proportion to the energy and time that you put into study and learning. We want you to plan for success and take exactly the load that you can master. Therefore, if you plan to work, also plan to cut your hours or your academic load so that you are able to achieve mastery. What you learn here can make the practice of ABA very rewarding to you and even more rewarding to your clients, but learning is work, too. We would like for you to finish your program as fast as possible, but its far more important that you really master the program, no matter if it takes longer. Plan for excellence, and if you find the going difficult, reach out for help. ABA principles can be applied to build behavior in graduate school no less than teaching colors in our elementary school or to a child with autism. This is a very traditional graduate program in that we expect you to approach your studies as an apprenticeto be devoted to your classes, to study what we have to teach, to practice it in your field placements, to attend professional conferences, and to always collect and use data to improve your impact on the clients/students in your care. Having said that, we attempt to use the same principles of data-based efforts in working with you and adjusting things here to support and facilitate your efforts. To this end, we rely upon communication from you and always want to know how you see your studies progressing. In particular, as Department Chair my door is always open to you to listen or problem-solve with you, and I take email at all times. Speaking for the faculty too, I can say with confidence that we hope that your studies here are exhilarating and transformational. You might choose to work with people with autism or developmental disabilities, in Special Education or in our neighborhood school for just regular children, with neurotypical adults or people with mental illness or acquired brain injuries. Wherever you go, you will carry The Chicago School with you, and that will be good. Welcome to your first semester in the Doctorate ABA program at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology!

Sincerely,

Diana J. Walker, PhD., BCBA-D Chair & Associate Professor Department of Applied Behavior Analysis dwalker@thechicagoschool.edu

For the Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD.) degree program in Applied Behavior Analysis, the program code prefix for your course numbers is PA. You must always register for PA courses ONLY.
For financial aid purposes you must be registered for at least 9 credits to qualify for full time financial aid. However, the ABA program has a lock-step curriculum, which means that taking anything less than the full time schedule sequence shown below can make timely program completion difficult. Should you ever consider taking less than the required full-time credit load you must seek academic advisement through your academic program. Course Title Professional Development Group Foundations of Behavioral Acquisition Advanced Behavioral Research Experimental Analysis of Behavior TOTAL CREDIT HOURS = 9 PART TIME STUDENTS must register for at least 5 credit hours in order to maintain eligibility for part time financial aid. Although a minimum of 5 credit hours are required to qualify for part time financial aid, the part time curriculum for the ABA program is a lock-step curriculum, which means that taking anything less than the required part time schedule sequence can make timely program completion difficult. Should you ever consider taking less than the required part time credit load you must seek academic advisement through your academic program. TRANSFER OR WAIVER OF CLASS Graduate classes that duplicate ABA classes are eligible for consideration for transfer or waiver. For Fall semester, potential transfer/waiver classes must be submitted by June 15; Spring classes must be submitted by September 30, and Summer classes by February 15. Please consult the ABA Program Guidebook for details of how to submit a packet for transfer/waiver consideration. PLEASE NOTE THAT THE PROGRAM CURRICULUM MAY UNDERGO CHANGES AND REVISIONS DURING YOUR COURSE OF STUDY. Changes will be announced by your academic program and you will be informed of any new or different requirements for degree completion. Course Number PA600 PA621 PA651 PA711 Credit Hours 1 3 3 2