01/30/2026 09:27:48 AMHannah Van Sickle

For Shannon M. Arthur, PhD, BCBA-D, LABA, a dislike of rodents proved the unlikely impetus for her current area of expertise. While studying traditional child psychology as an undergrad, Arthur encountered a course that required the use of operant conditioning (B.F. Skinner’s theory that consequences shape behavior) to teach a rat to traverse a maze. Given the option to learn the same principles in the child behavior lab, Arthur took it—paving the way for a career rooted in Applied Behavior Analysis. At its core, ABA targets “socially significant” behaviors—those that are meaningful to change for the individual—by reinforcing appropriate behaviors to reduce unwanted ones. A relatively young science that has found its success in treating autism, ABA can be used anywhere a change in behavior is sought. As to what fuels Arthur’s passion for the field?

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