Telehealth Implementation of ABA: 

Optimizing the Patient Experience

Original Webinar Date: May 1, 2020

Webinar Duration: 1 hr 30 min

Short Title:  Telehealth & ABA: Optimizing the Patient Experience

CEU offered: 1.5 Learning CEUs 

CE Instructors: 

  • Dr. Joy Pollard Ph.D., BCBA-D, LBA
  • Lynnette Aguilar M.A., BCBA, LBA


Abstract:  ABA services can help ensure continued access to medically necessary treatment to many individuals who have had their traditional on-site services impacted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The information presented will support an ABA provider’s foundational knowledge as it relates to optimizing the patient and family experience by conducting effective services using remote technology. The presenters will review strategies to increase provider preparedness for rendering services remotely, outline HIPAA and privacy considerations for practitioners when working from home, identify standards that promote positive provider/patient interactions when interfacing remotely, and share quality assurance considerations for organizational assessment of staff’s implementation of telehealth ABA services.

Learning Objectives:
Objective #1: Providers will gain information to support their professional interaction with patients through a telehealth delivery modality by means of provider conduct, professional dress/appearance and maintaining a professional workspace.

Objective #2: Providers will gain information on leveraging their technology and equipment (e.g., minimizing distracting movements, optimal lighting, monitor positioning etc.) to promote positive provider/patient interactions.

Objective #3: Providers will gain information on HIPAA and privacy requirements when working from home or remote work spaces to ensure patient privacy and confidentiality.

Objective #4: Providers will gain information on establishing session preparation procedures for service providers and quality assurance measures to monitor effective delivery of ABA services remotely.

Instructor(s)

Ph.D., BCBA-D Joy Pollard

Joy Pollard is the Co-founder and CEO of Clinical Operations at Behavior Change Institute. She earned her Ph.D. in Disability Disciplines, with a Specialization in Applied Behavior Analysis at Utah State University. Dr. Pollard holds a position as Adjunct Lecturer at Stanford University and currently serves as co-investigator on several research projects investigating telehealth service delivery of applied behavior analysis interventions for individuals with Autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders. She has supervised multi-state telehealth services since 2011 in the home, community, residential, day habilitation, and school settings for individuals across the lifespan. Her research and clinical work have focused on leveraging technology to increase access, build capacity, and improve the standards of behavioral healthcare for families in rural and underserved communities. Dr. Pollard has served on both state and national committees to advise on best practices in telehealth and applied behavior analysis.

M.A., BCBA, LBA Lynnette Aguilar

Lynnette Aguilar earned her M.A. in Experimental Psychology from the University of Texas Pan American, with a specialization in ABA in 2011. She has served as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst since 2012 with over 10 years of experience supporting persons diagnosed with Autism and other related Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD). Mrs. Aguilar has worked internationally supporting rural and underserved populations through ABA consultation in home, school, and community settings. Mrs. Aguilar previously served as the Director of IDD Behavioral Services for a Texas Community Mental Health and IDD Center where she oversaw numerous projects which provided behavioral health services to low income and uninsured persons with IDD residing in rural Texas communities. She joined Behavioral Change Institute (BCI) in 2018 and currently serves as a Senior Clinician at BCI where she works to extend Behavior Analytic services to support distant rural families through BCI’s Telehealth service delivery model.