Dear NJABA Members,

Summer may be over, but the start of fall brings plenty to look forward to at NJABA. We have some exciting news to share this month, including an announcement we’ve been especially eager to make about our 22nd Annual Conference.

I’m thrilled to announce that Dr. Linda LeBlanc will be our keynote speaker at the 22nd Annual Conference on April 15, 2027, at The Palace at Somerset Park. Dr. LeBlanc has made significant contributions to behavior analysis through her scholarship, clinical work, leadership, and mentorship, and we are very excited to welcome her to New Jersey. We will have much more to share about the conference soon. Our Call for Papers and Posters will open in mid-October, and next month’s newsletter will include the specific submission date, our 2027 conference theme, our workshop presenter, and other conference updates.

I’m also very happy to announce the return of the NJABA Speaker Series this fall. On October 12 from 10:00–11:15 a.m., Dr. Meredith Mates and Mandy Tiech will present Bridging the Gap: A BCBA’s Guide to Ethical and Effective Collaboration in Speech Assessment. This virtual presentation will offer 1.5 Ethics CEs for attendees. I’m excited to see the series return and hope many of you will join us for this opportunity to learn and connect with colleagues across disciplines. We’ll also announce our November Speaker Series presenter in next month’s newsletter.

There are also several important professional and regulatory updates that I want to make sure are on our members’ radar, including new and revised CPT® codes for adaptive behavior services that will take effect January 1, 2027. The ABA Coding Coalition is offering educational webinars later this month to help providers and other stakeholders prepare for these changes. You’ll find additional information about the CPT changes and other important professional updates in the Government Affairs section below.

As the academic year gets underway, I also want to remind those of you who teach, supervise, or mentor students and trainees that NJABA membership remains free for students and behavior technicians. Please encourage the students and behavior technicians you work with to join NJABA and take advantage of all that membership offers.

For members looking for ways to become more involved with NJABA, I encourage you to consider joining one of our workgroups. We’re especially excited to welcome back our ABA in Spanish Workgroup, which will meet on October 13. Our Adult Services Workgroup also has a meeting on October 2, with additional meetings scheduled throughout the year. You can find more information about our workgroups and upcoming meeting dates below.

Finally, I want to once again draw your attention to the upcoming celebration of Dr. Sandra Harris’s life and legacy on Sunday, October 11. It will be a special opportunity for colleagues, former students, and friends to come together to honor someone whose influence on our profession is difficult to overstate. Additional information, including event and RSVP details, is included below, and I hope many of you will be able to join us.

There is a lot to look forward to at NJABA this fall, and I’m excited to share even more with you in the months ahead. Thank you, as always, for your continued involvement and support of NJABA.

Warmly,

Robert Isenhower, PhD, BCBA-D, LBA-NJ
President, NJABA

President, NJABA