Behavioral Analyst Class Specification

ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF CENTRAL MANAGEMENT SERVICES CLASS SPECIFICATION

BEHAVIORAL ANALYST CLASS SERIES

CLASS TITLE

BEHAVIORAL ANALYST ASSOCIATE

BEHAVIORAL ANALYST I

BEHAVIORAL ANALYST II

POSITION CODE

04355

04351

04352

Effective:

06/01/2015

Printer Friendly Version (pdf)

SERIES DISCUSSION:

The Behavioral Analyst series encompasses professional positions engaged in providing behavioral analysis and modification services for recipients/inmates in residential or other settings. Behavioral analysis and modification focuses on exhibited behaviors and applies operant and respondent conditioning procedures for shaping new behaviors and modifying established behaviors. With an emphasis on habilitation, behavioral analysis uses stimulus control and verbal learning principles to analyze and change behaviors of such populations as the developmentally disabled, mentally ill or socially maladjusted (sex offenders, drug abusers, alcoholics, etc.). Accomplishment of these tasks includes, but is not restricted to, conducting behavioral analysis, performing assessments, developing individual behavioral plans, monitoring the application and effectiveness of behavioral interventions, training program delivery staff in behavior analysis and intervention techniques, designing data collection programs and providing pre-release therapy special offender populations or persons with intellectual or developmental disabilities. The illustrative examples of work of each level within this series are descriptive illustrations of the type of work encompassed by the series, but should not be interpreted as the only duties that could be performed by Behavioral Analysts.

This series is designed for positions engaged in work of the general field of behavioral analysis, as opposed to those positions where duties, responsibilities and requirements are characteristic of other series. For example, Behavioral Analysts may function as Qualified Intellectual Disabilities Professionals (QIDPs) at Mental Health and Developmental Centers. The Habilitation Program Coordinator class also encompasses the work of the QIDP. Where the specific skills of a Behavioral Analyst are sought rather than any of the other professional disciplines which might carry out QIDP work, the Behavioral Analyst series is used. Similarly, Psychologists may carry out activities encompassed by this class. However, the field of Clinical Psychology focuses on the pathology of abnormal psychology and diagnostic testing. Positions calling for the specific skills of a Psychologist are encompassed by the Psychologist series. Thus, the Behavioral Analyst series is designed specifically for those engaged in behavioral analysis and modification requiring the unique training of the field. Positions providing services associated with other professional disciplines or not requiring the unique education and experience of the Behavioral Analyst should be allocated to other classes.

BEHAVIORAL ANALYST ASSOCIATE POSITION CODE: 04355

DISTINGUISHING FEATURES OF WORK:

Under direct supervision, for a period not to exceed twelve months, actively participates in in-service and on-the-job training to develop further expertise in the field of behavior analysis and modification consistent with the Behaviorist career discipline, familiarity with department services and a working knowledge of department program policies, rules and procedures; receives controlled work assignments of increasing difficulty, complexity and responsibility; develops and implements behavior analysis programs for institutionalized recipients/inmates; assists in training program delivery staff in behavior analysis techniques.

ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLES OF WORK:

Participates actively in an orientation, in-service and on-the-job training program designed to give a cross section familiarity and intimate knowledge of agency programs, policies, procedures and practices of providing behavioral analysis and modification services; attends and participates in staff meetings, conferences, workshops, institutes, formal training and other activities in order to obtain meaningful learning experiences in the field of behavioral analysis and modification.
Receives instruction in what constitutes proper treatment and intervention procedures, restraints and seclusion; aids more senior staff in implementing same under proper approval and in compliance with regulatory requirements; participates in determining data needs and recommending data collection methods as a means of measuring recipients'/inmates' progress; monitors recipients'/inmates' behavior to ensure that programs effectively encourage and/or support goal behaviors.
Carries out progressively responsible assignments to enhance experience in identifying and recommending goals for review by the treatment team and incorporating goals into the individual program plan to effect positive changes in recipients'/inmates' behavior; engages in developing and implementing individual program plans which enhance recipients' or inmates' adaptive behaviors and diminish their maladaptive behaviors.
Assists in instructing staff responsible for implementing treatment programs, as well as those support or ancillary staff having an impact on treatment programs, on detailed treatment instructions and methodologies to ensure that treatments are implemented correctly; aids in modeling and guiding lower level staff as they interact with recipients/inmates to develop and reinforce adaptive behaviors; provides prerelease therapy for special offender populations or persons with intellectual or developmental disabilities; participates in facility committees as assigned or appropriate.
Performs other duties as required or assigned which are reasonably within the scope of the duties enumerated above.DESIRABLE REQUIREMENTS:

DESIRABLE REQUIREMENTS:

Education and Experience

Requires possession of a master's degree, with major coursework in behavior analysis and modification, from a graduate program accredited by the Association for Behavior Analysis.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

Requires working knowledge of behavior analysis principles.

Requires working knowledge of professional and ethical guidelines, federal and state laws governing the practice of behavior analysis.

Requires working knowledge of assessment instruments and measurement principles.

Requires working knowledge of basic health and safety principles.

Requires working knowledge of medications, medication control procedures and behavior problems related to medications.

Requires ability to plan and design individual treatment/habilitation programs for assigned recipients.

Requires ability to work cooperatively and effectively with staff members, service recipients and their families.

Requires ability to ensure that the design of treatment plans is implemented correctly.

Requires ability to ensure that program delivery staff learn and understand the purpose and methods of implementing individual program plans.

Requires ability to develop valid, reliable measures of client needs and progress.

Requires ability to assess effectiveness of treatment program and make corrections to effect desired results.

Requires ability to ensure that the safety needs of recipients are met.

In addition to having a written and spoken knowledge of the English language, candidates may be required to speak and write a foreign language at a colloquial skill level in carrying out position duties in conjunction with non-English speaking individuals.

May require the ability to communicate with the visually impaired by Braille and other recognized methods and with the hearing impaired by sign language and other recognized methods.

BEHAVIORAL ANALYST I POSITION CODE: 04351

DISTINGUISHING FEATURES OF WORK:

Under general supervision, performs professional behavioral analysis and modification services for recipients/inmates in residential or other settings. Develops and implements behavior analysis programs; trains program delivery staff in behavior analysis techniques; develops program recommendations for inter-disciplinary or multi-disciplinary team review. May function as a Qualified Intellectual Disabilities Professional (QIDP); providing habilitation programming for persons with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities.

ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLES OF WORK:

Identifies and recommends goals for review by the inter-disciplinary or multidisciplinary team and incorporates goals into the individual program plan to effect positive changes in recipients'/inmates' behavior, develops individual program plans which enhance recipients'/inmates' adaptive behaviors and diminish their maladaptive behaviors.
Instructs staff responsible for implementing treatment programs on detailed treatment instructions and methodologies to ensure that treatments are implemented correctly, models and guides lower level staff as they interact with recipients/inmates to develop and reinforce proper adaptive behaviors; determines data needs and recommends data collection methods as a means of measuring recipients'/inmates' progress; monitors recipients'/inmates' behavior to ensure that programs only effectively change and/or support goal behaviors.
Participates in interdisciplinary or multi-disciplinary team meetings to develop, review and update individual recipient habilitation plans; ensures all required information is addressed and conflicts resolved by team members; ensures the program plan and all other associated information is accurately completed and entered in each recipient's record within required time frames.
Integrates various facility and community based services identified as necessary to meet each recipient's needs; participates in the writing of functional recipient programs and schedules prescribed by standards and regulations, and as determined by assessments and evaluations; conducts in-service training and workshops which enhance staff understanding of and ability to provide active habilitation; serves on facility Human Rights Committees and Behavior Intervention Committees.
Ensures that treatment procedures, restraints and seclusion are implemented only under proper approval and in compliance with regulatory requirements and best practice; provides pre-release therapy for special offender populations or persons with intellectual or developmental disabilities.
Performs other duties as required or assigned which are reasonably within the scope of the duties enumerated above.BEHAVIORAL ANALYST I (Continued)

DESIRABLE REQUIREMENTS:

Education and Experience

Requires possession of a master's degree, with major coursework in behavior analysis and modification, from a graduate program accredited by the Association for Behavior Analysis.

Requires one year of professional experience in behavioral analysis and modification, or completion of the agency-sponsored Behavioral Analyst Associate program. For those positions serving as Qualified Intellectual Disabilities Professionals, such experience must be working directly with intellectually or developmentally disabled persons and appointees must successfully complete a department training program designed specifically for the QIDP before the completion of his/her probationary period.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

Requires extensive knowledge of behavior analysis principles.

Requires extensive knowledge of professional and ethical guidelines, federal and state laws and departmental rules governing the practice of behavior modification.

Requires working knowledge of training methods.

Requires extensive knowledge of assessment instruments and measurement principles.

Requires extensive knowledge of basic health and safety principles.

Requires extensive knowledge of medications, medication control procedures and behavior problems related to medications.

Requires ability to plan and design individual treatment/habilitation programs for assigned recipients.

Requires ability to work cooperatively and effectively with staff members, service recipients and their families.

Requires ability to ensure that the design of treatment plans are implemented correctly.

Requires ability to ensure that program delivery staff learn and understand the purpose and methods of implementing individual program plans.

Requires ability to develop valid, reliable measures of client needs and progress.

Requires ability to assess effectiveness of treatment program and make corrections to effect desired results.

Requires ability to ensure that the safety needs of recipients are met.

May require the ability to communicate with the visually impaired by Braille and other recognized methods and with the hearing impaired by sign language and other recognized methods.

BEHAVIORAL ANALYST II POSITION CODE: 04352

DISTINGUISHING FEATURES OF WORK:

Under direction, serves as a senior clinician providing highly advanced technical and consultative behavioral analysis and modification services for recipients/inmates in residential or other settings by carrying out one or more of the following responsibilities:

as a facility-wide trainer, designs the curriculum and training materials for Behavior Analysts and Associates; trains, evaluates and monitors the progress of Behavioral Analyst Associates during their training period;
serves as chair of the facility-wide Behavior Intervention Committee and/or Human Rights Committee or engages in advanced research oriented projects where ethical considerations of client rights are substantial;
provides clinical services for the most complex cases where identification of dually diagnosed individuals is a regularly exercised responsibility; or
as a designated lead worker of professional care staff or clinical supervisor of lower level Behavioral Analysts, provides guidance, training and direction and provides input to the supervisor to evaluate the performance of assigned professionals.

ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLES OF WORK:

Designs the facility's behavior analysis curriculum and training program; conducts inservice training and workshops which enhance staff understanding of and ability to provide habilitation; provides clinical supervision and methodology and treatment instructions to lower level Analysts and Associates to ensure that treatments are implemented correctly; models and guides lower level staff as they interact with recipients/inmates; evaluates the progress of Associates as they design and deliver services to develop and reinforce adaptive behaviors; serves as the senior clinician in peer reviews and evaluates the performance of other Behavior Analysts, assessing their command of the full range of skills.
Serves at an advanced level in matters requiring the recognition and identification of client rights violations. Chairs facility Human Rights and/or Behavior Intervention Committees; performs highly responsible and technical work which may include applied research in the field of behavioral analysis; develops theoretical and conceptual models to be used in treatment of recipients/inmates with substantive behavioral problems; determines data needs and recommends data collection methods as a means of measuring recipients'/inmates' progress; monitors their behavior to ensure that programs effectively change and/or support goal behaviors.
As an advanced specialist, diagnoses individuals with dual disorders; performs the most complex functional analysis to identify those persons with combined disorders, e.g., mental illness and developmental disabilities or substance abuse and intellectual disabilities. Provides guidance and training to less experienced analysts in their identification and recommendation of goals for review by the inter-disciplinary or multidisciplinary team, their incorporation of goals into the individual program plan to effect positive changes in recipients'/inmates' behavior and development of individual program plans which enhance recipients'/inmates' adaptive behaviors and diminish their maladaptive behaviors.
As the professional treatment team leader, chairs inter-disciplinary or multi-disciplinary team meetings to develop, review and update individual recipient habilitation plans; ensures all required information is addressed and conflicts resolved by team members; ensures the program plan and all other associated information is accurately completed and entered in each recipient's record within required time frames.
As the designated lead worker of a unit, reviews new cases assigned to the unit to determine the issues involved; prioritizes cases according to necessary follow-up services; assigns cases to subordinate professional care staff or officially recommends case assignments; directs and guides lower level staff in various areas of their work; provides input to the supervisor concerning performance evaluations of subordinate staff.
Integrates various facility and community based services identified as necessary to meet each recipient's needs; participates in the writing of functional recipient programs and schedules prescribed by standards and regulations and as determined by assessments and evaluations; ensures that treatment procedures, restraints and seclusion are only implemented under proper approval and in compliance with regulatory requirements and best practice; provides pre-release therapy for special offender populations or persons with intellectual or developmental disabilities.
Performs other duties as required or assigned which are reasonably within the scope of the duties enumerated above.

DESIRABLE REQUIREMENTS:

Education and Experience

Requires possession of a master's degree, with major coursework in behavior analysis and modification, from a graduate program accredited by the Association for Behavior Analysis.

Requires five years of professional experience in behavioral analysis and modification.

Requires successful completion of the agency sponsored Advanced Behavioral Analysis training program before probationary period completion.

For those positions serving Qualified Intellectual Disabilities Professionals, one year of experience must be working directly with intellectually or developmentally disabled persons and appointees must successfully complete a department training program designed specifically for the QIDP before the completion of his/her probationary period.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

Requires thorough knowledge of behavior analysis principles.

Requires thorough knowledge of professional and ethical guidelines, federal and state laws and departmental rules governing the practice of behavior modification.

Requires extensive knowledge of training methods.

Requires thorough knowledge of assessment instruments and measurement principles.

Requires thorough knowledge of basic health and safety principles.

Requires thorough knowledge of medications, medication control procedures and behavior problems related to medications.

Requires ability to plan and design individual treatment/habilitation programs for assigned recipients.

Requires ability to work cooperatively and effectively with staff members, service recipients and their families.

Requires ability to ensure that the design of treatment plans are implemented correctly.

Requires ability to ensure that program delivery staff learn and understand the purpose and methods of implementing individual program plans.

Requires ability to develop valid, reliable measures of client needs and progress.

Requires ability to ensure that the safety needs of recipients are met.

May require the ability to communicate with the visually impaired by Braille and other recognized methods and with the hearing impaired by sign language and other recognized methods.