By Mary Jane Weiss,  Ph.D., BCBA-D, Professor of Education and Director of Autism and Applied Behavior Analysis Program, Endicott College

Many positive changes in the field of human services have occurred.  There is an increased understanding of the aspects of humane treatment and of the rights of individuals with developmental disabilities to safe, effective and humane care. The emergence of the field of Applied Behavior Analysis has further refined our understanding of the obligations that come with a career in a human service profession.  The ethics codes for many professions emphasize the fundamental rights that clients have and the core obligations that professionals serving those clients must uphold.

The Professional and Ethical Compliance Code for Behavior Analysts discusses many content areas in which the rights of the individual need to be protected. These rights range from effective programming, to the use of evidence-based practices to the maintenance of confidentiality. Some of the most important rights of the individual are the right to a functional assessment of their challenging behaviors and the right to  the least restrictive, most effective treatment.

Decades ago, in the infancy of the field, the focus was on behavior management, on simply reducing the behaviors that cause potential harm or interfere with learning. Now, there is a more nuanced assessment of the function of the behavior.  In other words, behavior analysts seek to understand WHY the individual engages in the behavior and how the behavior  is maintained. At a basic level, the idea is that behavior does not function in a vacuum. Behaviors do not happen out of nowhere, and always are serving a function for the individual.  Communication limitations increase the need for a functional assessment. When communication is a challenge, behaviors sometimes convey what would otherwise be more effectively communicated.  Perhaps the client throws the desk to escape a difficult task.  Maybe they aggressed on a peer to gain teacher attention.  Every situation is different in the way it presents, and there must be an assessment of the unique context of the individual learner.

When a behavior analyst writes a treatment plan, they should first have completed a functional assessment to identify the function of the targeted behavior. This is a best practice, and is outlined as necessary in the BACB Code. Once a function has been identified, the treatment plan should have various components and should be well written, clear, and accurate. Key components of this treatment plan should include modifications to the environment, antecedent management strategies, functional communication training, appropriate replacement behaviors, and appropriate consequence strategies. These should be utilized in a least restrictive, most effective manner. This means that it would not be appropriate to immediately begin punishing a behavior when principles of reinforcement have not been applied first.  It is crucial to remember that the behavior analyst should use the least restrictive, most effective intervention possible to create behavior change.

As an illustration, the student who engages in property destruction to escape a task might have several environmental and curricular changes that are designed to better support them.  Perhaps they can be taught to request a break and/or to raise their hand for assistance from the teacher.  Maybe they can choose several aspects of the task, such as which order to do their work in and whether to write or type their answers.  Perhaps they can be given the difficult and non-preferred tasks in smaller chunks. For difficult tasks, their reinforcement schedule might be changed, so that they can more easily earn preferred items when completing non-preferred tasks compliantly. Their most preferred activities might be made available just after the completion of those tasks.

The ways in which plans are constructed are as variable as the learners we serve. In many ways, the behavior analyst is a detective, seeking to understand why and how these behaviors persist for this individual.  Once this is better understood, an individualized plan can help the person to learn new skills to facilitate coping and to control their behavior. This embodies humane and compassionate care.  Treatment begins with an assessment that helps the behavior analyst to first understand, and then to intervene.

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