Bridget A. Taylor is an American psychologist and behavior analyst, specializing in autism. She is the co-founder and CEO of Alpine Learning Group, a private school for children and adults with autism. Taylor is recognized for her research on children with autism in an applied practice setting, which has led to the development of research programs in other applied settings.
Career
Taylor earned a master’s in early childhood special education and teaching from Teachers College at Columbia University and a PsyD from the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology from Rutgers University.
Taylor gained recognition in 1994 from her work teaching skills to autistic children, described in Catherine Maurice's book, Let Me Hear Your Voice: A Family's Triumph Over Autism. In her book, Maurice highlights how Taylor taught her autistic daughter Anne Marie new skills and prosocial behaviors. Maurice’s book significantly influenced the autism and applied behavior analysis (ABA) movement.
In 1998, Taylor co-founded Alpine Learning Group. She has spent her entire career in clinical practice and leadership, while also conducting applied research on observational learning, social skills, and other areas. Her research on compassionate care and the importance of having empathy as an ABA practitioner spurred additional research and discussion within the ABA community.
Taylor has served as an associate editor at Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, and on the editorial boards of Behavior Analysis in Practice, and Behavioral Interventions. She is the former president of the Behavior Analyst Certification Board and current senior clinical advisor for Rethink. Taylor has influenced the development of autism centers in Italy, India, Canada, France, Australia, and Kosovo.
Awards and honors
- Association for Behavior Analysis International: Fellow
- Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies: Advisor
- Behavior Analysis Certification Board: Past President
- Association for Science in Autism Treatment: Advisory Member
Selected works
- Taylor, B. A., LeBlanc, L. A., & Nosik, M. R. (2018). Compassionate care in behavior analytic treatment: Can outcomes be enhanced by attending to relationships with caregivers? Behavior Analysis in Practice, 12(3), 654–666. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-018-00289-3 PMID 31976276
- Taylor B. A. (2015). Stereo knobs and swing sets: Falling in love with the science of behavior. The Behavior Analyst, 38(2), 283–292. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40614-015-0041-6 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27606180 PMID 27606180
- Taylor, B. A., & DeQuinzio, J. A. (2012). Observational learning and children with autism. Behavior Modification, 36(3), 341–360. https://doi.org/10.1177/0145445512443981 PMID 22569578
- Taylor, B. A., & Fisher, J. (2010). Three important things to consider when starting intervention for a child diagnosed with autism. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 3(2), 52–53. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03391765 PMID 22532894
References
- Daou, Nidal (2014-08-30). "Conducting Behavioral Research with Children Attending Nonbehavioral Intervention Programs for Autism: the Case of Lebanon". Behavior Analysis in Practice. 7 (2): 78–90. doi:10.1007/s40617-014-0017-0. ISSN 1998-1929. PMC 4711753. PMID 27574580.
- "BridgetTaylor - Association for Behavior Analysis International". www.abainternational.org. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
- Maurice, Catherine (1994-07-19). Let Me Hear Your Voice: A Family's Triumph over Autism (Reprint ed.). Ballantine Books. ISBN 978-0-449-90664-4.
- Walsh, Mary Beth (2011). "The Top 10 Reasons Children With Autism Deserve ABA". Behavior Analysis in Practice. 4 (1): 72–79. doi:10.1007/BF03391777. ISSN 1998-1929. PMC 3196209. PMID 22532906.
- Soleiman, Pegah; Moradi, Hadi; Mehralizadeh, Bijan; Ameri, Hamed; Arriaga, Rosa I.; Pouretemad, Hamid Reza; Baghbanzadeh, Negin; Vahid, Leila Kashani (2023-05-03). "Fully robotic social environment for teaching and practicing affective interaction: Case of teaching emotion recognition skills to children with autism spectrum disorder, a pilot study". Frontiers in Robotics and AI. 10: 1088582. doi:10.3389/frobt.2023.1088582. ISSN 2296-9144. PMC 10190599. PMID 37207048.
- Daou, Nidal (2014-08-30). "Conducting Behavioral Research with Children Attending Nonbehavioral Intervention Programs for Autism: the Case of Lebanon". Behavior Analysis in Practice. 7 (2): 78–90. doi:10.1007/s40617-014-0017-0. ISSN 1998-1929. PMC 4711753. PMID 27574580.
- Gatzunis, Ksenia S.; Weiss, Mary Jane; Ala’i-Rosales, Shahla; Fahmie, Tara A.; Syed, Noor Y. (2023-04-26). "Using Behavioral Skills Training to Teach Functional Assessment Interviewing, Cultural Responsiveness, and Empathic and Compassionate Care to Students of Applied Behavior Analysis". Behavior Analysis in Practice: 1–27. doi:10.1007/s40617-023-00794-0. ISSN 1998-1929. PMC 10132407. PMID 37363650.
- Rodriguez, Kristine A.; Tarbox, Jonathan; Tarbox, Courtney (2023-12-01). "Compassion in Autism Services: A Preliminary Framework for Applied Behavior Analysis". Behavior Analysis in Practice. 16 (4): 1034–1046. doi:10.1007/s40617-023-00816-x. ISSN 2196-8934. PMC 10700259. PMID 38076740.
- "Dr. Bridget Taylor, PsyD, BCBA-D - Meet the Author". Rethink. Retrieved 2024-02-18.
- "Bridget Taylor, Psy.D. BCBA-D". Epic School. Retrieved 2024-02-18.
- "Fellows of ABAI - Association for Behavior Analysis International". www.abainternational.org. Retrieved 2024-02-18.
- "Who We Are | Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies". Retrieved 2024-02-18.
- NEWS, BACB (2020-01-10). "Episode 3: Refocusing BACB Support of Global Certification". Behavior Analyst Certification Board. Retrieved 2024-02-18.
- "Professional Advisory Board". Association for Science in Autism Treatment. Retrieved 2024-02-18.