Bridging the Gap Between Science and Real-World Practice

At the 2025 annual Georgia Association for Behavior Analysis (GABA) conference, a powerful theme emerged: the future of behavior analysis depends not only on the strength of our science but on how effectively we share and apply it across disciplines. Dr. Dorothea Lerman’s  session on Dissemination and Implementation (D&I) Science and Its Relevance to Behavior Analysis highlighted a challenge familiar to many practitioners—translating evidence-based behavioral principles into the realities of diverse professional environments through intentional collaboration and adaptation.

Dissemination & Implementation (D&I) Science, originally conceptualized by Everett Rogers, provides a framework for actively promoting, teaching, and embedding evidence-based practices into systems and cultures beyond the behavior-analytic community. It emphasizes that evidence alone doesn’t change behavior—reinforcement, collaboration, and contextual fit do.

The Shared Mission: D&I Science and Safety-Care

At its core, Safety-Care by QBS embodies the principles of D&I Science. Safety-Care is more than just a training model—it’s a vehicle for disseminating behavior analysis in a way that is accessible, adaptable, and sustainable across disciplines.

While D&I Science calls for balancing fidelity to evidence-based practices with contextual realities, Safety-Care operationalizes this balance every day. The program equips organizations—schools, hospitals, residential facilities, and more—with behaviorally sound, practically feasible tools for crisis prevention and de-escalation. The goal isn’t to teach behavior analysis, but to embed its principles within the fabric of everyday professional practice.

Meeting Professionals Where They Are

A key takeaway from the GABA presentation was the importance of learning about the partner profession, such as its culture, values, and constraints, before proposing solutions. Safety-Care has long modeled this collaborative spirit.

Each training is designed to meet professionals where they are, adapting methods to fit their environment while maintaining behavioral integrity. For example:

• Educators learn how to use reinforcement, shaping, and environmental modifications to prevent crises in classrooms.
• Healthcare providers gain practical strategies for responding safely and compassionately to behavioral escalations in medical settings.
• Human services staff are taught to apply behavioral principles to support clients with complex needs in a way that preserves dignity and promotes skill acquisition.

By doing so, Safety-Care aligns with D&I’s emphasis on feasibility, acceptability, and sustainability and prioritizing what will work consistently in real-world conditions.

Behavior Analysis in Action: Reinforcement, Sustainability, and Systems Change

The GABA session emphasized that passive awareness doesn’t change practice; change occurs when organizations are supported by systems that reinforce new behaviors. Safety-Care’s implementation model addresses this directly:

• Ongoing reinforcement: QBS Master Trainers provide implementation consultation and ongoing supports, including skill maintenance programs, ensure staff not only learn new strategies but continue using them with fidelity.
• Systemic alignment: Policies and procedures are built around prevention, reinforcement, and respect, mirroring D&I’s call for systemic embedding.
• Sustainability: QBS emphasizes continuous evaluation and refinement, ensuring that Safety-Care practices maintain effectiveness over time and adapt as organizations evolve.

The Power of Adaptation Without Compromise

One of the central insights from D&I Science is that adaptation does not mean dilution. Rather, effective dissemination requires flexibility without sacrificing core principles. Safety-Care reflects this philosophy by translating behavior analysis into clear, teachable, and contextually relevant practices and ensuring that staff across disciplines can implement them confidently.

This approach has allowed Safety-Care to become a bridge between the science of behavior and the everyday realities of human service, education, and healthcare work.

Advancing the Mission of Behavior Analysis

The field of behavior analysis has always been about improving the human condition through evidence-based change. Safety-Care extends that mission by making behavioral principles understandable, usable, and sustainable across professions and helping ensure that people supported in diverse settings benefit from behavioral science, even when a BCBA isn’t in the room.

As D&I Science reminds us, the future of behavior analysis depends on our ability to adapt, collaborate, and maintain a focus on long-term, contextual impact. Safety-Care by QBS is proud to stand at the forefront of that movement—translating behavioral science into compassionate, practical, and effective crisis prevention practices that make a measurable difference in people’s lives.

References

Lerman, D. (2025, October 17-18).  Dissemination and Implementation (D&I) Science and Its Relevance to Behavior Analysis [Symposium]. Georgia Association for Behavior Analysis Annual Conference, Atlanta, Georgia.