A Workbook of Ethical Case Scenarios in Applied Behavior Analysis

181 Pages·2019·15.87 MB·English

by  Darren J. Sush, Adel C. Najdowski

A Workbook of Ethical Case Scenarios in Applied Behavior
Analysis
Second Edition
A Workbook of Ethical Case Scenarios in
Applied Behavior Analysis
Second Edition
DARREN J. SUSH
Department of Psychology, Pepperdine University, Los Angeles, CA, United States
ADEL C. NAJDOWSKI
Department of Psychology, Pepperdine University, Los Angeles, CA, United States
AcademicPressisanimprintofElsevier
125LondonWall,LondonEC2Y5AS,UnitedKingdom
525BStreet,Suite1650,SanDiego,CA92101,UnitedStates
50HampshireStreet,5thFloor,Cambridge,MA02139,UnitedStates
TheBoulevard,LangfordLane,Kidlington,OxfordOX51GB,UnitedKingdom
Copyright©2022ElsevierInc.Allrightsreserved.
ThecontentofthisworkbookisinnowayaffiliatedwiththeBehaviorAnalystCertificationBoard®(BACB®).AllmentionsoftheBACB,Board
CertifiedBehaviorAnalyst®(BCBA®),BoardCertifiedBehaviorAnalyst-Doctoral™(BCBA-D®),BoardCertifiedAssistantBehaviorAnalyst®
(BCaBA®),andRegisteredBehaviorTechnician®(RBT®)areownedandclaimedbytheBACB.TheEthicsCodeforBehaviorAnalysts(BACB,2020)is
theintellectualpropertyoftheBACB,andhasbeenincludedwithpermission.
Theopinionswithinthisworkbook,andresponsesprovidedwithinethicalcasescenariosarenotendorsedbytheBACBandaresolelythe
viewpointsoftheauthors.Casescenarioshavebeendevelopedandgeneratedasameansforpromotingdiscussionanddeliberationrelatedtothe
ethicalpracticeofbehavioranalysis.
StatementofApproval
©BehaviorAnalystCertificationBoard®.Allrightsreserved.Reprintedand/ordisplayedbypermissiongrantedin2021.Themostcurrentversionof
thisdocumentisavailableatwww.BACB.com.ContacttheBACBforpermissiontoreprintand/ordisplaythismaterial.
Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproducedortransmittedinanyformorbyanymeans,electronicormechanical,including
photocopying,recording,oranyinformationstorageandretrievalsystem,withoutpermissioninwritingfromthepublisher.Detailsonhow
toseekpermission,furtherinformationaboutthePublisher’spermissionspoliciesandourarrangementswithorganizationssuchasthe
CopyrightClearanceCenterandtheCopyrightLicensingAgency,canbefoundatourwebsite:www.elsevier.com/permissions.
ThisbookandtheindividualcontributionscontainedinitareprotectedundercopyrightbythePublisher(otherthanasmaybenotedherein).
Notices
Knowledgeandbestpracticeinthisfieldareconstantlychanging.Asnewresearchandexperiencebroadenourunderstanding,changesinresearch
methods,professionalpractices,ormedicaltreatmentmaybecomenecessary.
Practitionersandresearchersmustalwaysrelyontheirownexperienceandknowledgeinevaluatingandusinganyinformation,methods,
compounds,orexperimentsdescribedherein.Inusingsuchinformationormethodstheyshouldbemindfuloftheirownsafetyandthesafetyof
others,includingpartiesforwhomtheyhaveaprofessionalresponsibility.
Tothefullestextentofthelaw,neitherthePublishernortheauthors,contributors,oreditors,assumeanyliabilityforanyinjuryand/or
damagetopersonsorpropertyasamatterofproductsliability,negligenceorotherwise,orfromanyuseoroperationofanymethods,products,
instructions,orideascontainedinthematerialherein.
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
AcatalogrecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheLibraryofCongress
BritishLibraryCataloguing-in-PublicationData
AcataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary
ISBN978-0-323-98813-1
ForinformationonallAcademicPresspublications
visitourwebsiteathttps://www.elsevier.com/books-and-journals
Publisher:NikkiLevy
AcquisitionsEditor:JoslynChaiprasert-Paguio
EditorialProjectManager:BarbaraMakinster
ProductionProjectManager:PunithavathyGovindaradjane
CoverDesigner:MatthewLimbert
TypesetbySTRAIVE,India
REFERENCES
American Psychological Association. (2018). Potential ethical violations. http://www.apa.org/topics/ethics/potential-
violations.asp.
Baer,D.D.,Wolf,M.M.,&Risley,T.R.(1968).Somecurrentdimensionsofappliedbehavioranalysis.JournalofApplied
BehaviorAnalysis,1,91–97.https://doi.org/10.1901/jaba.1968.1-91.
Bailey, J., & Burch, M. (2016). Ethics for behavior analysts (3rd ed.). Taylor & Francis. https://doi.org/10.4324/
9781315669212.
BehaviorAnalystCertificationBoard.(n.d.).BACBcertificantdata.https://www.bacb.com/BACB-certificant-data.
BehaviorAnalystCertificationBoard.(2014).Behavioranalystcertificationboardprofessionalandethicalcompliancecode
forbehavioranalysts.https://www.bacb.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/170706-compliance-code-english.pdf.
BehaviorAnalystCertificationBoard.(2017).BCBAtasklist(5thed.).https://www.bacb.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/
08/BCBA-task-list-5th-ed-210202.pdf.
BehaviorAnalystCertificationBoard.(2018).Asummaryofethicsviolationsandcode-enforcementactivities:2016–2017.
https://www.bacb.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/180606_CodeEnforcementSummary.pdf.
BehaviorAnalystCertificationBoard.(2020a).BCaBAtasklist(5thed.).https://www.bacb.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/
08/BCaBA-task-list-5th-ed-210202.pdf.
Behavior Analyst Certification Board. (2020b). Ethics code for behavior analysts. https://www.bacb.com/wp-content/
uploads/2020/11/Ethics-Code-for-Behavior-Analysts-2102010.pdf.
BehaviorAnalystCertificationBoard.(2021).RBTethicscode(2.0).https://www.bacb.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/
RBT-Ethics-Code_190227.pdf.
Britton,L.N.,Crye,A.A.,&Haymes,L.K.(2021).Cultivatingtheethicalrepertoiresofbehavioranalysts:Preventionof
commonviolations.BehaviorAnalysisinPractice,14,534–548.https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-020-00540-w.
Brodhead, M. T. (2015). Maintaining professional relationships in an interdisciplinary setting: Strategies for navigating
nonbehavioral treatment recommendations for individuals with autism. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 8,
70–78.https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-015-0042-7.
Brodhead,M.T.(2019).Culturealwaysmatters:SomethoughtsonRosenbergandSchwartz.BehaviorAnalysisinPractice,
12,826–830.https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-019-00351-8.
Brodhead,M.T.,Cox,D.J.,&Quigley,S.P.(2018a).Practicalethicsforeffectivetreatmentofautismspectrumdisorder.
Elsevier.https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-814098-7.00009-2.
Brodhead,M.T.,&Higbee,T.S.(2012).Teachingandmaintainingethicalbehaviorinaprofessionalorganization.Behav-
iorAnalysisinPractice,5,82–88.https://doi.org/10.1007/bf03391827.
Brodhead,M.T.,Quigley,S.P.,&Wilczynski,S.M.(2018b).Acallfordiscussionaboutscopeofcompetenceinbehavior
analysis.BehaviorAnalysisinPractice,11,424–435.https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-018-00303-8.
Cooper,J.O.,Heron,T.E.,&Heward,W.L.(2020).Appliedbehavioranalysis(3rded.).Pearson/Merrill-PrenticeHall.
Cox,D.J.(2020).Aguidetoestablishingethicscommitteesinbehavioralhealthsettings.BehaviorAnalysisinPractice,13,
939–949.https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/br67g.
Dawson,M.(2004).Themisbehaviourofbehaviourists:Ethicalchallengestotheautism-ABAindustry.http://www.sentex.
net/(cid:1)nexus23/naa_aba.html.
Dorsey,M.F.,Weinberg,M.,Zane,T.,&Guidi,M.M.(2007).Thecaseforlicensureofappliedbehavioranalysts.Behav-
iorAnalysisinPractice,2,53–58.https://doi.org/10.1007/bf03391738.
Finn,P.,Bothe,A.K.,&Bramlett,R.E.(2005).Scienceandpseudoscienceincommunicationdisorders:Criteriaandappli-
cations.AmericanJournalofSpeech-LanguagePathology,14,172–186.https://doi.org/10.1044/1058-0360(2005/018).
Fong,E.H.,Catagnus,R.M.,Brodhead,M.T.,Quigley,S.,&Field,S.(2016).Developingtheculturalawarenessskillsof
behavioranalysts.BehaviorAnalysisinPractice,9,84–94.https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-016-0111-6.
Fong,E.H.,&Tanaka,S.(2013).Multiculturalallianceofbehavioranalysisstandardsforculturalcompetenceinbehavior
analysis. International Journal of Behavioral Consultation and Therapy, 8(2), 17–19. https://doi.org/10.1037/
h0100970.
Forester-Miller,H.,&Davis,T.E.(2016).Practitioner’sguidetoethicaldecisionmaking(rev.ed.).https://www.counseling.
org/docs/default-source/ethics/practioner-39-s-guide-to-ethical-decision-making.pdf.
GershfeldLitvak,S.,&Sush,D.J.(inpress).Ethics&legalissues.InJ.L.Matson(Ed.),Appliedbehavioranalysis:Acom-
prehensivehandbook.Springer.
Ghezzi,P.,&Rehfeldt,R.(1994).Competence.InL.J.Hayes,S.C.Hayes,G.J.Moore,&P.M.Ghezzi(Eds.),Ethical
issuesindevelopmentaldisabilities(pp.81–88).ContextPress.
179
Handelsman,M.M.(1986).Problemswithethicstrainingby“osmosis”.ProfessionalPsychology:ResearchandPractice,
17,371–372.https://doi.org/10.1037/0735-7028.17.4.371.
Kelly,M.P.,Martin,N.,Dillenburger,K.,Kelly,A.N.,&Miller,M.M.(2019).Spreadingthenews:History,successes,
challenges and the ethics of effective dissemination. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 12(2), 440–451. https://doi.org/
10.1007/s40617-018-0238-8.
Leaf,J.B.,Cihon,J.H.,Leaf,R.,McEachin,J.,Liu,N.,Russell,N.,etal.(2021).ConcernsaboutABA-basedintervention:
Anevaluationandrecommendations.JournalofAutismandDevelopmentalDisorders,1–16.https://doi.org/10.1007/
s10803-021-05200-8.
LeBlanc,L.A.,Onofrio,O.M.,Valentino,A.L.,&Sleeper,J.D.(2020a).Promotingethicaldiscussionsanddecisionmaking
inahumanserviceagency.BehaviorAnalysisinPractice,13,905–913.https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-020-00454-7.
LeBlanc,L.A.,Sellers,T.P.,&Ala’i,S.(2020b).Buildingandsustainingmeaningfulandeffectiverelationshipsasasuper-
visorandmentor.SloanPublishing.
Luiselli,J.K.(2015).Inresponse:Maintainingprofessionalrelationshipsinaninterdisciplinarysetting:Strategiesfornavi-
gating nonbehavioral treatment recommendations for individuals with autism. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 8, 79.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-015-0043-6.
National Autism Center. (2009, 2015). National standards project. http://www.nationalautismcenter.org/national-
standards-project/.
Newhouse-Oisten,M.K.,Peck,K.M.,Conway,A.A.,&Frieder,J.E.(2017).Ethicalconsiderationsforinterdisciplinary
collaboration with prescribing professionals. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 10, 145–153. https://doi.org/10.1007/
s40617-017-0184-x.
O’Leary,P.N.,Miller,M.M.,Olive,M.L.,&Kelly,A.N.(2017).Blurredlines:Ethicalimplicationsofsocialmediafor
behavioranalysts.BehaviorAnalysisinPractice,10(1),45–51.https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-014-0033-0.
Phu,W.,&Byrne,T.(2018).Testimonialsontheweb:Evidenceforviolationsoftheprofessionalandethicalcompliance
code for behavior analysts. Behavior Analysis: Research and Practice, 18, 419–424. https://doi.org/10.1037/
bar0000135.
Rosenberg,N.E.,&Schwartz,I.S.(2019).Guidanceorcompliance:Whatmakesanethicalbehavioranalyst?Behavior
AnalysisinPractice,12,473–482.https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-018-00287-5.
Schlinger,H.D.(2015).Traininggraduatestudentstoeffectivelydisseminatebehavioranalysisandtocountermisrepre-
sentations.BehaviorAnalysisinPractice,8,110–112.https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-014-0028-x.
Sellers,T.P.,Alai-Rosales,S.,&MacDonald,R.P.(2016a).Takingfullresponsibility:Theethicsofsupervisioninbehavior
analyticpractice.BehaviorAnalysisinPractice,9,299–308.https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-016-0144-x.
Sellers,T.P.,Carr,J.E.,&Nosik,M.R.(2020).OntheBACB’sethicsrequirements:AresponsetoRosenbergandSchwartz
(2019).BehaviorAnalysisinPractice,13,714–717.https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-020-00463-6.
Sellers,T.P.,LeBlanc,L.A.,&Valentino,A.L.(2016b).Recommendationsfordetectingandaddressingbarrierstosuc-
cessfulsupervision.BehaviorAnalysisinPractice,9,309–319.https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-016-0142-z.
Sellers,T.P.,Valentino,A.L.,&LeBlanc,L.A.(2016c).Recommendedpracticesforindividualsupervisionofaspiring
behavioranalysts.BehaviorAnalysisinPractice,9,247–286.https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-016-0110-7.
Smith,D.(2003).10wayspractitionerscanavoidfrequentethicalpitfalls.Monitor,34(1),50.http://www.apa.org/monitor/
jan03/10ways.aspx.
Smith,T.,&Wick,J.(2008).Controversialtreatments.InK.Chawarska,A.Klin,&F.R.Volkmar(Eds.),Autismspectrum
disordersininfantsandtoeddlers(pp.251–267).TheGuilfordPress.
Tarbox, J., Najdowski, A. C., & Lanagan, T. M. (2011). Behavioral observation and measurement. In J. Luiselli (Ed.),
Teaching and behavior support for children and adults with autism spectrum disorder: A practitioner’s guide
(pp.5–12).OxfordUniversityPress,Inc.
Taylor,B.A.,LeBlanc,L.A.,&Nosik,M.R.(2019).Compassionatecareinbehavioranalytictreatment:Canoutcomesbe
enhanced by attending to relationships with caregivers? Behavior Analysis in Practice, 12, 654–666. https://doi.org/
10.1007/s40617-018-00289-3.
Zane,T.,Davis,C.,&Rosswurm,M.(2008).Thecostoffadtreatmentsinautism.JournalofEarlyandIntensiveBehavior
Intervention,5(2),44–51.https://doi.org/10.1037/h0100418.
180
References
DISCLAIMER
® ®
ThecontentofthisworkbookisinnowayaffiliatedwiththeBehaviorAnalystCertificationBoard (BACB ).
® ®
All mentions of the BACB, Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA ), Board Certified Behavior Analyst-
Doctoral™ (BCBA-D®), Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst® (BCaBA®), and Registered Behavior
Technician® (RBT®) are owned and claimed by the BACB. The Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts (BACB,
2020) is theintellectualproperty of the BACB,and has been included with permission.
Theopinionswithinthisworkbook,andresponsesprovidedwithinethicalcasescenariosarenotendorsed
bytheBACBandaresolelytheviewpointsoftheauthors.Casescenarioshavebeendevelopedandgeneratedas
a means forpromoting discussion and deliberation relatedto the ethicalpractice of behavior analysis.
xi
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
DarrenJ.Sush,PsyD,BCBA-D(he/him/his),isalicensedclinicalpsychologistandaboardcertifiedbehavior
analyst(doctoral)withmorethan15yearsofexperiencedevelopingandprovidingservicesbasedinApplied
Behavior Analysis (ABA) for children and adults diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and
developmental disabilities. Dr. Sush is Head of Autism and Psychology with Evernorth Behavioral Health,
a Cigna corporation, and is the coauthor of A Workbook of Ethical Case Scenarios in Applied Behavior
Analysis.HeisanAdjunctFacultymemberintheAppliedBehaviorAnalysisprogramatPepperdineUniversity,
andanAssociateProfessorintheAppliedBehaviorAnalysisandClinicalPsychologyprogramsatTheChicago
SchoolofProfessionalPsychology,teachingdoctoralandmaster’scoursesinABAandpsychology.Withinhis
practice,hehasspecializedinprovidingtherapyforparentsofchildrenwithASDanddevelopmentaldisabil-
ities.Hehasalsopresentedatregionalandnationalconferences,hasmadeappearancesonseveralmediaoutlets
andpodcasts,andhaswrittenforPsychologyTodayonline,focusingonresourcesandmentalhealthforparents
of children with ASD and developmental disabilities.
AdelC.Najdowski,PhD,BCBA-D(she/her/hers),isanAssociateProfessorandtheDirectoroftheMasterof
ScienceinAppliedBehaviorAnalysis(ABA)programatPepperdineUniversityaswellasResearchManagerat
Halo Behavioral Health. Dr. Najdowski has provided ABA-based services to children with autism spectrum
disorder (ASD) and developmental disabilities since 1995. She has more than 45 publications, including her
booksFlexibleandFocused:TeachingExecutiveFunctionSkillstoIndividualsWithAutismandAttentionDis-
ordersandAWorkbookofEthicalCaseScenariosinAppliedBehaviorAnalysis.Shecurrentlyservesonthe
editorialboardoftheJournalofAppliedBehaviorAnalysisandhaspreviouslyservedforBehaviorAnalysisin
PracticeandasGuestEditorforaspecialissueinResearchinAutismSpectrumDisorders.Shecurrentlyserves
on the board of directors for the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) and previously served on the
boardofdirectorsfortheCaliforniaAssociationforBehaviorAnalysis(CalABA).Sheisalsoonthedisciplinary
review committee (DRC) for the BACB. Her current research interests include topics related to social justice
teachinghigher-orderskillstochildren,teens,andadultsdiagnosedwithASD.Sheisafrequentspeakeratcon-
ferences and on podcasts and web-based shows.
ix
Appendix A: Ethics Code
for Behavior Analysts
The Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts (Code) replaces the Professional and Ethical Compliance Code for
BehaviorAnalysts(2014).AllBCBAandBCaBAapplicantsandcertifiantsarerequiredtoadheretotheCode
effectiveJanuary 1, 2022.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION 157
Scope of the Code 157
Core Principles 158
Application of the Code 159
Enforcement of the Code 160
GLOSSARY 160
ETHICS STANDARDS 162
SECTION 1—RESPONSIBILITY AS A PROFESSIONAL 162
1.01 Being Truthful 162
1.02 Conforming with Legal and Professional Requirements 163
1.03 Accountability 163
1.04 Practicingwithin aDefined Role 163
1.05 Practicingwithin Scope of Competence 163
1.06 Maintaining Competence 163
1.07 Cultural Responsivenessand Diversity 163
1.08 Nondiscrimination 163
1.09 Nonharassment 163
1.10 Awarenessof Personal Biases and Challenges 163
1.11 MultipleRelationships 163
1.12 Givingand Receiving Gifts 164
1.13 Coercive and ExploitativeRelationships 164
1.14 Romantic andSexualRelationships 164
1.15 Responding to Requests 164
1.16 Self-Reporting CriticalInformation 164
Thisdocumentshouldbereferencedas:BehaviorAnalystCertificationBoard.(2020).Ethicscodeforbehavioranalysts.Littleton,CO:
Author.Copyright©2020,BACB®,Allrightsreserved.
155
SECTION 2—RESPONSIBILITY IN PRACTICE 164
2.01 Providing EffectiveTreatment 164
2.02 Timeliness 164
2.03 Protecting Confidential Information 164
2.04 Disclosing Confidential Information 165
2.05 Documentation Protection and Retention 165
2.06 Accuracy inService Billing and Reporting 165
2.07 Fees 165
2.08 Communicating About Services 165
2.09 Involving Clients and Stakeholders 165
2.10 Collaborating with Colleagues 165
2.11 Obtaining InformedConsent 165
2.12 Considering Medical Needs 166
2.13 Selecting, Designing, and ImplementingAssessments 166
2.14 Selecting, Designing, and ImplementingBehavior-Change Interventions 166
2.15 Minimizing Risk of Behavior-Change Interventions 166
2.16 Describing Behavior-Change Interventions Before Implementation 166
2.17 Collecting and Using Data 166
2.18 ContinualEvaluationof the Behavior-Change Intervention 166
2.19 Addressing Conditions Interfering with ServiceDelivery 166
SECTION 3—RESPONSIBILITY TO CLIENTS AND STAKEHOLDERS 167
3.01 Responsibility toClients 167
3.02 IdentifyingStakeholders 167
3.03 Accepting Clients 167
3.04 Service Agreement 167
3.05 Financial Agreements 167
3.06 Consulting with Other Providers 167
3.07 Third-Party Contracts for Services 167
3.08 Responsibility tothe Client with Third-Party Contracts for Services 167
3.09 Communicating withStakeholdersAboutThird-Party Contracted Services 168
3.10 Limitationsof Confidentiality 168
3.11 Documenting Professional Activity 168
3.12 Advocating forAppropriate Services 168
3.13 Referrals 168
3.14 Facilitating Continuity of Services 168
3.15 Appropriately Discontinuing Services 168
3.16 Appropriately Transitioning Services 169
SECTION 4—RESPONSIBILITY TO SUPERVISEES AND TRAINEES 169
4.01 Compliancewith SupervisionRequirements 169
4.02 Supervisory Competence 169
4.03 Supervisory Volume 169
4.04 Accountability in Supervision 169
4.05 Maintaining SupervisionDocumentation 169
4.06 Providing Supervision and Training 169
4.07 Incorporating and Addressing Diversity 169
4.08 Performance Monitoring and Feedback 169
4.09 Delegation of Tasks 170
4.10 Evaluating Effects ofSupervision and Training 170
4.11 Facilitating Continuity of Supervision 170
4.12 Appropriately Terminating Supervision 170
156
AppendixA:EthicsCodeforBehaviorAnalysts