Interdisciplinary Training in Special Education and Behavior Analysis to Meet the Needs of Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder

This chapter describes the value of providing interdisciplinary graduate training in special education and behavior analysis to prepare professionals to meet the high intensity needs of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Within the chapter, we provide a detailed description of the development, goals, and implementation of a master's-level interdisciplinary training program. The program was developed by special education and behavior analysis faculty at Western Michigan University (WMU). Scholars admitted into the program obtained a master's degree in special education or behavior analysis and met the requirements to become a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). Special education scholars also met the requirements for a teaching endorsement in ASD. The program was supported by a personnel preparation grant funded by the Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP; Ehrhardt et al., 2017) and directed by Kristal Ehrhardt.