FSU-ECAP's mission is to provide effective behavioral treatment for children with developmental disabilities using only evidence-based, proven effective methods.

The program is a non-profit early intervention and community outreach program based at Florida State University's Panama City Campus. It is coordinated by Dr. Al Murphy, Ph.D., BCBA; Amy Polick, M.S., BCBA; and Rachel Riddleberger, M.S., BCBA to meet the needs of the community and provide students supervised experiences in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis and autism/developmental disabilities.

ABA and Autism

Applied Behavior Analysis is the science of understanding and improving socially significant behavior. Observable behaviors are objectively defined and analyzed within the context of the environment to determine what factors influence the behavior.

Over thirty years of research support the use of behavioral techniques to teach children with developmental disabilities. ABA is the only treatment endorsed by New York State Department of Mental Health as having sufficient research to be recommended as a treatment for children diagnosed with autism under the age of three.

At FSU-ECAP we draw from empirically validated techniques within the field of ABA when developing treatment plans for your child. We recognize that each child is unique and as such different techniques work for different children. We pride ourselves in developing individualized, research based programs for your child.

If you would like more information about the field of Applied Behavior Analysis or the application of this field to teaching developmentally disabled children, please contact:

If you would like more information please contact:

Rachel Riddleberger, M.S., BCBA
Clinical Coordinator
850-770-2241
rriddleberger@pc.fsu.edu