About APBS

Description

The Association for Positive Behavior Support is a multidisciplinary organization made up of professionals (teachers, researchers, university professors, and administrators), family members, and consumers who are committed to the application of positive behavior support within the context of the school, family, and community including across systems (e.g., entire schools, organizations), for small groups, and for individuals with complex needs for support.

Organizational Infrastructure

APBS Organizational Structure as of April 2023: Top: Board of Directors, Second Tier: Executive Committee and General Operating Committee (Comprised of Leadership from the Third Tier Committees, Third Tier Committees: CANDO, T&E, PAD, IDD, Memberhship, Mental Health Engagement, Family, Equity, Nominations, and Advisory Committee to the Board of Directors

At the top of Figure 1, notice the Full Board and Executive Committee (Definitions of APBS Infrastructure). A Chairperson from each of the three main committees, Public Awareness and Dissemination, Training and Education, and Network Development reports on progress that is being made on the APBS action plan during the GOC meetings. As spring approaches each year, members of the GOC begin to summarize and report evaluation data during meetings. These data will be used to write the APBS Annual Report and to inform the APBS membership of the progress being made both fiscally and from the items related to the APBS action plan. The Association for Positive Behavior Support (APBS) is a membership organization that engages in varied activities and endeavors related to Positive Behavior Support. Positive behavior support refers to a set of processes, tools, and strategies that are used to increase the quality of life and decrease problem behaviors for children, and for adults with disabilities in a wide variety of situations and settings. APBS places greatest emphasis on activities associated with expanding the emerging science of Positive Behavior Support. Beyond expanding the science of Positive Behavior Support through research and outreach endeavors, APBS invests its resources in supporting networking of Positive Behavior Support implementation at local, regional, state, national, and international levels related in various contexts. APBS is primarily a scientifically-oriented organization that is also heavily invested in supporting the effective practice of Positive Behavior Support. When APBS has completed the development of its basic infrastructure, the board will become more active (albeit on a more limited basis) in the development of policy related endeavors associated with Positive Behavior Support. APBS members have access to all association materials through various sources including the organization’s website (apbs.org). Further, members of the organization elect members to its governing board on an annual basis and may access those elected board members through a variety of methods including the website. Review the APBS By-Laws.
The Board of Directors (elected by the membership) is directly accountable for all activities of the association. This includes conducting fiscal operations in a manner consistent with its By-laws as an incorporated non-profit entity. A variety of means are used by the association to operate in a fiscally responsible manner including: 1) use of an external bookkeeper (through consultant contract) to both monitor all fiscal matters in tandem with generating financial reports throughout the year, 2) periodic external overviews (through contract with ParenteBeard) of fiscal operations of the organization, 3) various communication structures between the Executive Director of APBS and the elected Treasurer of APBS, 4) documented financial updates and reports provided within the context of both meetings of the Executive Committee and the Full Board of Directors of APBS and 5) externally provided fraud protection services on all APBS accounts with M & T Bank.

APBS members vote for the Board of Directors who each serve a three-year term. Fourteen Board of Directors meet quarterly by conference call. The Board votes each year for a President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer who meet monthly as the Executive Committee. The President sets the agenda for the Full Board meetings while the Executive Director, with feedback from the President, sets the agenda for the Executive Committee Agendas. Once a year, the Full board meets on-site for an entire day before the conference begins to complete the business of the Association. Additional full day meetings are scheduled, often in the summer or fall, however, this only occurs when the Board has outstanding business to be addressed. The President appoints Ex-officios to serve as non-voting members of the board when additional information from stakeholders is necessary. The Editors of the Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions are appointed Ex-officios during their term in office. Another three to four Ex-officios are appointed to represent stakeholder groups that currently are not reflected within the APBS Board of Directors.

Mission, Vision, and Equity

Mission Statement

The mission of APBS is to enhance the quality of life of people, across the life-span, by promoting evidence-based and effective positive behavior support to realize socially valid and equitable outcomes for people, families, schools, agencies, and communities.

Vision Statement

Members of APBS across the world will interact with the Association as their primary reliable resource on positive behavior support and view their engagement as personally and professionally beneficial.

Equity Statement

APBS is committed to equity, human rights, and social justice for historically marginalized and oppressed communities, families, practitioners, and students. Our work informs individuals, institutions, and organizations through systems development and strategies to disrupt interpersonal and structural forms of inequity, discrimination, and racism in order to promote equitable and meaningful outcomes for all.

More About APBS

APBS is a membership organization that engages in varied activities and endeavors related to Positive Behavior Support. APBS places greatest emphasis on activities associated with expanding the emerging science of Positive Behavior Support. Beyond expanding the science of Positive Behavior Support through research and outreach endeavors APBS further invests its resources in supporting networking related to the design and implementation on Positive Behavior Support across various contexts. As such, APBS is primarily a scientifically oriented organization that is also heavily invested in networking. APBS also supports (on a more limited basis) policy-related endeavors associated with Positive Behavior Support. APBS members have access to all association materials through various sources including the organization’s website (www.apbs.org). Further, members of the organization elect members to its governing board on an annual basis and may access those elected board members through a variety of methods including the website.

Positive Behavior Support is a set of processes that combine information from social, behavioral, and biomedical science and applies this information at the individual and/or systems level to reduce behavioral challenges and improve quality of life. Both systems-wide and individualized interventions used in positive behavior support are empirically documented and can be used by a wide range of support providers.

The Association for Positive Behavior Support is currently supported by the activities of several working committees and a 12 member board. Nominations for board membership are solicited from our members. If you are interested in participating in a committee or exploring leadership opportunities, please e-mail Executive Director Cheretta Clerkley.

The Association for Positive Behavior Support is an active body, focusing its attention on dissemination, education, and public policy efforts. It:

  • Serves as an international forum for individuals interested in positive behavior support
  • Hosts a conference every year
  • Supports and promotes the Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions
  • Publishes a quarterly newsletter
  • Manages and links websites on positive behavior support practices, systems and examples
  • Engages in policy development around the provision of behavior support
  • Establishes a directory of members to facilitate interaction among individuals interested in positive behavior support practices
  • Works to establish national standards that define competency in the application of positive behavior support
  • Encourages the training of professionals skilled in positive behavior support practices through the development of training materials, and the embedding of positive behavior support content in relevant professional certificate and degree programs
  • Promotes access to state-of-the-art books and literature pertaining to positive behavior support

Organization Policies

Organization Documents

Scroll to Top