Ontario Association for Behaviour Analysis

🏆 2026 ONTABA Award Nominations Are Now Open!

Know someone making an incredible impact in behaviour analysis? Now's your time to recognize them! 🌟

🔗 Submit your nomination here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdvx7_nVKUL5Xjs-2GdB63PBIFUneFC0fGQLVNMFj3iXwKVkg/viewform

ONTABA is seeking nominations for our annual awards celebrating excellence and contribution to the field:

🎓 Student Award
📚 Teaching Award
🔬 Research Award
⭐ Excellence in Application of ABA Award
🤝 Behaviour Analytic Ally Award
🌍 Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Award

Here's what you need to know:

✅ Any ONTABA member or non-member can submit a nomination
✅ Nominees must be ONTABA members
✅ A significant portion of the nominee's contributions should have been made within Ontario
✅ Use one nomination form per nominee/award category
✅ Include a brief bio outlining why the nominee should win (supporting documentation welcome!)

🚫 Self-nominations are not accepted. Nominations involving a perceived conflict of interest (e.g., nominating a spouse, direct employer, supervisor, or manager) will not be considered.

Nominators must state their relationship to the nominee.

Let's celebrate the people who are elevating our field! 💙

New episode alert on The Analyst Podcast: Dr. Shane T. Spiker🎙️

Shane Spiker is a BCBA in Ormond Beach, Florida. Shane received his MS of Psychology in 2012 from the University of Phoenix. In May 2019, he graduated with his PhD in Clinical Psychology with a concentration on instructional design from Walden University. He has been providing services in the field of ABA since 2010, with the majority of his experience with adults with autism and other disabilities. Shane specializes working with teens and adults with dangerous problem behavior, sexual behavior as well as medically complex individuals. Primarily, Shane serves as the Clinical Training and Safety Director at PBS, Corp. Currently, Shane previously served as the Vice President of the Sexual Behavior: Research and Practice SIG through ABAI. He has written and published several articles related to behavior analysis and practice. Additionally, he serves as a co-instructor at Florida Institute of Technology, Arizona State University and Regis College, where he teaches graduate level coursework. He honestly just wants a good cup of coffee right now.

Thank you for joining us on the podcast!

Listen now on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4eF1zZpAJps93uhaHTPdps?si=iyavC8m3SOWXm_tVZrMtOw

📋 Calling All Reviewers for ONTABACon 2026!

Want to help shape this year's conference program? ONTABA is looking for qualified reviewers to evaluate submissions for ONTABACon 2026! 🎯

This is your chance to play a key role in curating the content that will be presented at our annual conference on October 15–16, 2026.

🗓️ Application deadline: August 7th, 2026
📝 Review period: August 17 – September 4th, 2026

To qualify, you must meet the following:
✅ RBA(Ont.) or BCBA in good standing
✅ Completed a minimum of 1 year of a Ph.D. program related to Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) OR demonstrate research and/or clinical experience with a minimum of 5 years

We're counting on experienced professionals like you to help us deliver a top-tier program. Don't miss your chance to contribute! 💡

👉 Apply now: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc_W-vxp8hzTkvGmV5xoa-NL8rNEytQoSMLQsbSis3IGiO5UA/viewform?fbzx=6437826962957127187

🌍 Fun Fact : Beyond the Clinic

Did you know? Behaviour analysts don't just work in therapy rooms. ABA is all about real-world skills for real-world life. When we teach new skills, we practice them in lots of different settings—home, school, community, sports, work—so they actually stick and transfer to everyday situations. That's called generalization, and it's where the real magic happens.

Great behaviour analysis means skills that last and skills that matter.

Want to learn more about how ABA works across different settings? Check out our resources or drop a question in the comments.

📢 CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS IS NOW OPEN!

Got clinical expertise, research, or a big idea to share? ONTABACON 2026 wants YOU on our stage! 🎤

We're thrilled to announce a NEW submission option this year: Rapid Clinical Talks! If you're a clinician who wants to share your clinical work or expertise in an ignite style format, this one's for you.

🗓️ Submission Deadline: August 16, 2026, at 11:59 PM

Ready to submit? Click the "Proposal Application" button on the submission portal to get started. Submitting a poster instead? Use the link below 👇

🔗 Poster Submissions: https://site.pheedloop.com/portal/event/EVEQATJRGUDTL/submission/CALWQK46XDSTXOJ/info

Questions? Reach out to us at [email protected]

We can't wait to see what you bring to ONTABACON 2026! ✨

🎯 ABA IN REAL LIFE: The Case of the Missing Deadlines

Team keeps avoiding a task and blowing past the due date? 👀

Here's what's likely happening: avoiding the task (dodging discomfort, escaping a hard first step) is more reinforcing than whatever reward exists for finishing it. In ABA terms, the motivating operations are making avoidance more valuable than completion.

The fix isn't more pressure. It's changing the value equation:

✨ Make reinforcement immediate, not distant
✨ Increase the salience of the reward (shoutouts, small wins celebrated in real time)
✨ Shrink the response effort (break it into a tiny first step)
✨ Make starting the task feel less aversive

Shift the motivating operations, and you shift the behaviour. 🔁

What's one reinforcement shift you've tried with your team? Drop it below 👇

🎟️ 10 Days Left to Save on ONTABACON 2026!

Early bird pricing disappears on July 31, 2026 don't miss your chance to lock in the best rate for Ontario's premier behaviour analysis conference! 🙌

📅 October 15-16, 2026
💰 NOTE: ONTABA members: use your ONTABA email at checkout for member pricing
⏰ Early bird ends in 10 days

Whether you're a BCBA, RBT, student, or allied professional, ONTABACON2026 is where the behaviour analysis community comes together to learn, connect, and grow. Register today and save.

👉 Register now: https://site.pheedloop.com/event/Ontabacon2026/register

🌦️ Have You Ever Checked the Weather App Before Picking Your Outfit?

We've all done it! ☕ You wake up, grab your phone, and check the forecast before deciding between shorts or a sweater. That small habit is actually a great everyday example of discriminative stimulus control in action!

In behaviour analysis terms, the weather forecast acts as a discriminative stimulus (SD) that signals which behaviour (your outfit choice) is likely to be reinforced (staying comfortable all day) versus punished (freezing or overheating) 🥶☀️

It's a simple reminder that behaviour analysis isn't just in clinics and classrooms.

It's happening in our daily routines all the time!

✨ What a Night in Oshawa!

We wanted to recap such a great event.

ICYMI, The Evening for Behaviour Analysis brought the ONTABA community together in the most incredible way 🙌 — and we are still feeling the energy.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who joined us at the Oshawa Convention Centre for a night of connection, conversation, and community 💙. Seeing so many passionate behaviour analysts and advocates in one room is exactly what this field is all about.

And to our incredible speaker — Dr. Andrew Bonner, PhD, BCBA-D, RBA(Ont.) — thank you 🎙️.

Your talk on the behaviour science of social justice challenged us, moved us, and gave us new ways to think about how our science can build a more equitable world. We are deeply grateful for your time, your scholarship, and your heart.

Until next time 💛

💙 Today, we celebrate an incredible milestone for ONTABA and the ABA community.

To the leaders, volunteers, board members, and advocates, thank you for laying the foundation for a stronger, safer, and more respected profession.

Here’s to everything we’ve built in the first two years and everything to come.

We also wanted to thank the College of Psychologists and Behaviour Analysts of Ontario (CPBAO) for all of their help and support.