A Participatory Action Research Collaborative (PARC) Approach to Building Research Infrastructure Across ABA Agencies

Abstract Applied behavior analysis (ABA) continues to face a research-to-practice gap that limits uptake of evidence-based procedures in routine service settings. This article introduces a participatory action research collaborative (PARC) model that formalizes university–agency partnerships to build research infrastructure. PARC establishes shared governance through MOUs, ethical infrastructure, and co-production with practitioners and client/family advisors. We describe governance, workflow, and training procedures that effectively embed research into routine care by building capacity in research ethics, context assessment, and treatment integrity. We identify common barriers, such as time pressures, turnover, skill gaps, and ethical oversight, and outline feasible mitigation strategies, including protected time, incentives, role clarity, and standardized protocols. The PARC model proposes that ABA agencies are learning health systems that iteratively generate practice-based evidence, enhance social validity and cultural responsiveness, and sustain durable improvements in service delivery.