Olympia, WA - Washington Autism Alliance & Advocacy is pleased to announce the appointment of Ms. Andrea Elderkin, WAAA Family Services Manager, to the Washington State Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Advisory Committee. The secretary of the Department of Health relies heavily on the professional and technical expertise of advisory committee members. Their advice is always a major factor in the decision-making process.

The secretary with the advice of advisory committees operates under legislative mandate to protect the health and safety of the public and to promote the welfare of the state by regulating the competency and quality of professional healthcare providers under its jurisdiction by:

• establishing, monitoring and enforcing qualifications for licensure, certification or registration
• insuring consistent standards of practice
• developing continuing competency mechanisms
• applying consistent application of disciplinary sanctions for all health professions
• developing rules, policies and procedures to promote the delivery of quality healthcare to the residents of the state.

Committee Information

The Applied Behavior Analysis Advisory Committee consists of five members appointed by the secretary of health. Each member of the committee must be a Washington State resident.

The members include:

• three licensed behavior analysts
• one licensed assistant behavior analyst
• one member of the public who is not a member of any other healthcare licensing board or commission and does not have a material or financial interest in the rendering of services regulated and as defined in chapter 18.380 RCW. Ms. Elderkin is a parent of a recipient of behavior analysis services.