Summer Ferreri, assistant professor of special education, said the Graduate Certificate in Applied Behavior Analysis Program, or ABA, began after a legislation was passed in Michigan that allowed families to get insurance companies to reimburse them for services they pay for their children with autism.

“So you can see the great demand in having that certification and having those skill sets to be able to supervise those programs,” Ferreri said.

Joshua Plavnick, assistant professor of special education, will be one of two BCBA members MSU will have instructing its online courses this fall. Plavnick said he will be developing and supervising the ABA program by assisting and training individuals who are looking to become a BCBA member.

“One of the aspects of the MSU program is to provide the academic content training (that) is needed for the BCBA credentials,” Plavnick said. “Individuals who go through the course sequence will also need to get fieldwork experience and MSU will be able to provide that coursework experience.”

Rachel Kommit, who has a master’s degree in special education, said she is excited that they were able to create this program and thinks it will be a great opportunity for people like herself to get the extra experience in the field.

Troy Mariage, coordinator for the special education program, said he is thrilled for the program to get started because early intervention and prevention is critical for the life success for a person with autism.