Two NECC staff were prominently featured at the 2023 Women in Behavior Analysis (WIBA) Conference, held in Nashville, TN, on July 20-21. According to WIBA, the conference is an opportunity to “come together to celebrate and empower the remarkable accomplishments of women in the field or behavior analysis.”
Becky MacDonald, PhD, BCBA-D, LABA, senior program director at NECC, was an invited speaker and presented her work with the Infant Sibling Research Project. Her talk, “Early Markers of Autism in Infant Siblings,” provided an overview of the group’s current work documenting the early emergence of autism symptoms in high-risk infant siblings less than 6 months old. She also demonstrated the Early Markers of Autism (EMA) assessment tool for young infants, developed by her researcher group at NECC and used in the study.
MacDonald also participated in the WIBA Hall of Fame Induction event, honoring her graduate mentor, Judith LeBlanc, PhD, who was a professor at the University of Kansas.
Chata Dickson, PhD, BCBA-D, LABA, a principal researcher at NECC, delivered a brief address honoring one of the WIBA Hall of Fame inductees, Maria Ruiz, PhD, BCBA, former professor at Rollins College in Winter Park, FL.
“Maria is the person who introduced me to behavior analysis and was my mentor during my undergraduate training,” shared Dickson. “I was delighted to share a glimpse into her work and the impact she had on the field and on the people who were lucky enough to know her.”
Dickson has been on WIBA’s Hall of Fame Committee since 2020 and has played an important part in the project since its inception. She is involved in the process of selecting inductees and conducting research and interviews about these pioneers and showcasing their contributions during the induction ceremony at the annual WIBA conference. This year marked the third class of inductees to the WIBA Hall of Fame. She and her colleagues recently wrote an article about the first class of inductees that outlines their contributions to the field.
Dickson believes the work of the Hall of Fame Committee is important in recognizing the contributions of women in the field of behavior analysis. Historically, women have often been underrepresented and undervalued in academic and scientific fields. By acknowledging the contributions and accomplishments of women, we honor their legacies and inspire future generations of researchers and educators.
“This project allows us to shed light on the contributions of those women who were instrumental in laying the foundation for the work we do today that makes such a positive impact on the lives of people with disabilities and their families,” Dickson said.