Contributions of university lab schools to behavior analysis

ABSTRACT Lab schools provide a means to expand state-of-the-science advances in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). As an example, Walden School is showcased as a comprehensive intervention program, which aims to promote optimal language and social growth by children with autism at the youngest ages possible. Building upon earlier contributions by pioneers in the field of ABA, Walden is based on incidental teaching as a planned protocol of instruction that takes place in environments that have been engineered to engage children with autism among typically developing peers. Programmatic research conducted in development of an ABA treatment model is highlighted, along with illustration of the potential benefits of a lab school. In sum, lab schools such as Walden offer: (a) training sites for preparation of behavior analysts, (b) controlled settings in which research can expedite the evolution of an ever-improving science of human behavior, and (c) demonstrations that may promote dissemination of ABA findings from research to practice.