In this episode of the EarliPoint Exchange, hosts Dr. Cheryl Tierney and Kirsten Yurich, BCBA, sit down with Dr. Gina Green, PhD, BCBA-D — a legendary behavior analyst whose career spans basic research, applied assessment and intervention, and decades of leadership in the profession and its standards.

The conversation traces the empirical roots of comprehensive, intensive ABA intervention for young children autism: where the widely cited recommendation of roughly 40 hours per week originated, what the best available scientific evidence does and does not tell us about the intensity of comprehensive and focused ABA interventions, and professional standards for individualizing intensity and all other aspects of ABA interventions to the circumstances of each client and their family. From there, the discussion turns to the realities of delivering ABA interventions in today’s environment of funding and workforce pressures and some strategies agencies can use to see that each client receives the level and quality of intervention that is most likely to maximize improvements.

Finally, Dr. Green explores the growing payer emphasis on client outcomes and audits of billing claims. She offers suggestions for agencies to build credibility with funders by using well-researched, valid, reliable outcome measures and sound documentation practices while also advocating for payer policies that support high-quality, data-based care. This session emphasizes behavior-analytic decision-making and measurement throughout, connecting scientific evidence to the accountability the current funding environment demands.