About Me
Hello, welcome, and thank you for being here!
I’m Jennifer Haddock. I have a Ph.D. in Psychology, with a concentration in Behavior Analysis, and I am a Board Certified Behavior Analyst-Doctoral level (BCBA-D). My friends call me Jennifer or Jfer.
Who am I, and why did I start this blog, you ask? Great questions that I'll answer in time, in my posts. For now, here is some background:
I began working with people with autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disabilities as an undergraduate student at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. After graduating, I was eager to continue working with these populations. I was introduced to Applied Behavior Analysis in 2005, when I began working at a school for children with autism, in Cary, NC. I quickly learned that the application of behavior analysis could produce huge, socially significant changes in the lives of my clients and their families. I taught children and young adults communication, play, social, self-care, safety, and so many important life skills. And that was just the start!
I loved behavior analysis so much that I went on to obtain a M.S. and Ph.D. in psychology, with a concentration in behavior analysis, from California State University, Los Angeles, and the University of Florida, respectively. In those settings, I continued clinical work while attending school, teaching college courses, and conducting research. During this time, I also established a yoga and meditation practice and became a certified yoga and meditation instructor. My practice and teaching ebbed and flowed over the years, but I never lost the desire to integrate it with behavior analysis.
I then completed a 2-year Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Kennedy Krieger Institute, at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where I assisted with and conducted grant-funded research projects on the Neurobehavioral Inpatient Unit. Subsequently, I was an Assistant Professor at McNeese State University for two years, where I taught graduate classes in behavior analysis, supervised student projects, and oversaw internship and practicum experiences. I planned to begin a new, similar position when my father became very ill.
As an only child of parents who’ve been on the outs since I was two, it was on me to save him—or not. (Luckily, I ended up having a lot more help than expected, and I'm incredibly grateful for it.) So, I took a leap of faith and moved back home to do whatever I could to make my dad’s last days or months the best they could be. Admittedly, I failed at that last part in some ways, but, with a lot of hard work, he overcame the odds and is doing much better now.
In May of 2021, while my father was still very ill, I was given the opportunity to teach part-time, online, for the University of Kansas. I’m still doing that and enjoying every second of non-tenure-track life. I also assist with performance management interventions at a local ABA companies, teach yoga, garden, and otherwise enjoy my life.
I have so much to be grateful for—so many opportunities and people that have supported me, in all areas of my life.
Despite all the good, like all of us, I face seemingly endless adversity. Suffering is inevitable, and I did my share of wallowing in mine. Ultimately, though, my behavior analytic worldview has helped to reduce the pain and given me hope of change.
In trying to “live behavior analysis” and apply it to all facets of my life, I’ve discovered a few things that I think are worth sharing with the public. The application of our science is hugely limited by our inability to model complex behavior in the laboratory. We offer behavioral interpretations—“if X is true, then…” type explanations— for complex behavior, but we cannot prove them in a laboratory (yet). And, even if we could, our methods and conclusions just aren’t that sexy—they’re kind of common sense. We can demonstrate the validity of behavioral interpretations with our own behavior, though, and be a model for others willing to do the same.
I try to use behavior analytic interpretations to address everything I do. I use them to help or improve myself (mental and physical health), my domestic partnership, pets, students, friends, etc., and I will eventually use behavior analysis with my kids. It’s not magic—it’s work.
I’m still a work in progress, but maybe my work and progress can help others to do, say, think, and feel more of what they want and less of what they don’t. Most people haven’t spent years studying and applying behavior analysis—and most of those who have haven’t spent years applying it to themselves. Perhaps it’d help to have a model—someone who beats to a different, more radical drum. Then, maybe others, no matter their background, will find some inspiration and appreciation for behavior analysis. I want to be one of those models, flaws and all. I don’t plan to do it all at once. I will try a variety of tactics. I imagine it’ll be a gradual, shaping process—of my and my audience’s behavior.
I want to show people that there’s a way of conceptualizing our human experience that doesn’t require explanations rooted in a search for “normal.” I want to help clear up misconceptions about our science—to show people how it applies to everyone and everything we do, say, think, and feel.
On an everyday basis, we can do, say, think, and feel more of what we want and less of what we don’t. We don’t need a thousand apps or quick fixes, and we don’t need to look to unobservable, unmanipulable explanations. Behavioral interpretations have so much to offer. I can’t wait to show you what I mean!
What’s my point, in a nutshell? I’m an educated person who has some things to tell you. Whether and how you listen isn’t up to me, but I have faith that, if you do, our lives will be all the better for it. Thank you for being a part of the shaping process for my behavior and for letting me be a part of yours.
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If you read this far expecting me to say something about my hand, I am sorry to disappoint. You can read about my journey with Amniotic Band Syndrome in the "Self-Love" series of my blog.
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