FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SPANISH TRANSLATION OF POSITIVE BEHAVIOR ASSESSMENT INSTRUMENT TO BE PUBLISHED BY MONACO & ASSOCIATES INCORPORATED
Topeka, Kansas, USA, & Madrid, Spain, March 12, 2010 — Monaco & Associates Incorporated has completed an agreement with Dr. Javier Virues-Ortega of ABA España, the Spanish Affiliated Chapter of the Association for Behavior Analysis International, to publish a Spanish translation of the Motivation Assessment Scale. Dr. Virues-Ortega translated the Motivation Assessment Scale into Spanish and conducted an extensive validation study comparing the Spanish to the original English-language version published by Monaco & Associates. His results, confirming the effectiveness of the translated version, will be published in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.
The Motivation Assessment Scale, developed Drs. V. Mark Durand and Daniel Crimmins, is a behavioral interview tool for use in special education classrooms and agencies serving individuals with autism, intellectual and other developmental disabilities. It is used to train new psychologists and other professionals. Monaco & Associates Incorporated began publishing the Motivation Assessment Scale and MAS Administration Guide in 1992 and also publishes software versions (MASSoftware & iMAS). They are used extensively in the US, Canada, Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. The agreement with Dr. Virues-Ortega extends to translating the MAS Administration Guide, MASSoftware & iMAS into Spanish.
“This is a very exciting opportunity,” said Greg Monaco, CEO of Monaco & Associates and a psychology faculty member at Kansas State University. “The Motivation Assessment Scale was one of the first tools to help transform the way we understand and respond to challenging behavior by children and adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities. Instead of seeing the person as the problem, the MAS helps us to understand what that person is trying to communicate. Now, because of Dr. Virues-Ortega’s scholarship, the MAS will be used wherever Spanish is the principal language. A Spanish translation will also benefit practitioners in areas of the US where family members and para-professionals are more proficient in Spanish than English.” Publication of Motivation Assessment Scale is set for June 1. Publication of the Administration Guide and related software products is scheduled for September 1.
About Monaco & Associates Incorporated
Monaco & Associates Incorporated is in its 25th year of doing business. In addition to the Motivation Assessment Scale and related software, Monaco & Associates publishes medical record software for community-based agencies serving individuals with developmental disabilities, staff training packages, and provides targeted case management to individuals in the Shawnee, Douglas, Riley, Atchison, Jackson, Jefferson, Chase, Lyon, Wabaunsee, Geary, Clay, Pottawatomie, Coffee, Osage, and Franklin counties in northeast Kansas.
Contact: Dr. Greg Monaco
Address: 4125 Gage Center Drive, Topeka, Kansas 66604
Telephone Number: 785-272-5501 x100
Fax Number: 785-272-5152
Email Address: greg@monacoassociates.com
Web site address: http://www.monacoassociates.com