Board Certified Behavior Analysts' Perceptions Regarding Roles in Serving Students with Extensive Support and Complex Communication Needs in Schools

Students with extensive support needs (ESN) and complex communication needs (CCN) require interdisciplinary support for communication. Yet, little research has examined how board certified behavior analysts (BCBAs) perceive their preparation and roles in this area. Using a multiple-methods approach, we explored the training experiences, confidence, and collaboration of school-based BCBAs related to communication instruction for students with ESN and CCN. Survey data from 107 BCBAs and interviews with 9 BCBAs revealed that their preparedness to support this student population varied. They felt most prepared when addressing challenging behavior through communication-based instruction and least prepared to select augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems and conduct communication assessments. Although most BCBAs supported students who used aided AAC, few had received coursework or field-based training specific to AAC. Interview findings highlighted how access to resources, quality relationships, backgrounds, and philosophical differences, including misconceptions about applied behavior analysis, influenced collaboration with educators and related service providers. Findings suggest a need to strengthen AAC-related content in BCBA preparation programs and expand interdisciplinary training that supports collaborative communication programming for students with ESN and CCN.