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By her senior year of high school in Rhode Island Jane Carlson had had it with the required one-piece gym uniform that only female students were required to wear. She was athletic and excelled at sports, but she was done with gym class. A friend pointed out that an internship at a local school for individuals with autism would satisfy their physical education requirement. Jane ended up working with autistic students at the school, where interns were trained and treated like faculty. 

“It was a great experience,” she said. “At the time, we didn’t know a lot about autism, and the field of applied behavior analysis was really just getting traction as far as a treatment modality.”

Carlson’s ticket out of gym class ended up paving the way for her 40-year career as a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA®) and professor of applied behavior analysis. In August, Carlson joined Northeastern University as associate clinical professor for the Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis and also program director of the Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) program in Charlotte. Here’s a glimpse about what she has to say about her career and Northeastern’s ABA graduate programs.

Northeastern University: Why Northeastern University? What attracted you?

Jane Carlson: I was looking to move back to the East Coast after seven years at Utah Valley University, and Northeastern piqued my interest because of its commitment to pairing coursework with hands-on experience. In our program it’s really required. In order to become a BCBA, students must get a minimum of 1,500 hours of direct experience. Northeastern is committed to having students go out and actually work. It’s just how we do education. Most of our students are working at community organizations that serve autistic individuals. We also have students working in school and in hospital settings. I was attracted to the position in Charlotte because it was just getting going. I love working to grow programs and to ensure that academic programs are connected to the local community. 

NU: What is your role, what do you do?

JC: Associate clinical professor for the Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis and also program director for the Charlotte program. It’s kind of a little bit of everything — answering questions and being a resource for prospective students, helping students who have been accepted get ready to enter the program, supporting all students in the program and, of course, teaching the program.

NU: What strengths do you bring to your roles?

JC: I have 40+ years of experience in the field, serving autistic individuals and their families and caregivers. I have worked in many different settings, across ages and the autism spectrum. My specialty is working with individuals with significant challenging behavior. My range of experience allows me to help students tackle the rigorous coursework by sharing examples and stories to help them connect technical knowledge with real-world application.

NU: What kind of jobs do BCBAs get after graduation?

JC: Applied behavior analysis is the study of the science of how we learn and behave. It’s how we all operate. And the application is when you use that science to help solve socially significant problems for the patient or client. 

Many BCBAs work with individual clients. The field that has the highest need is autism, which is my specialty. But BCBAs work in hospitals, helping patients learn how to engage in ongoing medical routines if they have a chronic illness. They work in education, designing effective strategies for teaching various skills. They work in industry, helping organizations develop programs to train their employees to do their jobs better, more efficiently and safely.

NU: From a student perspective, what do you think is most appealing about the ABA programs?

JC: The faculty’s commitment to helping students become the best behavior analysts they can be. This is connected to the ethics code in my profession, which directs us to always act in the best interest of the client. For me, that means teaching my students to be excellent practitioners, so they can provide top-notch services to the individuals they serve. We all teach; everyone is super committed to the outcome.