by Samantha Russo, 3rd year doctoral student in ABA at Endicott College
The BACB has an extensive code of ethics that all behavior analysts must abide by. The code is broken up into various different sections and covers multiple content areas. Most behavior analysts will encounter some degree of ethical dilemma throughout the course of their career. This could include anything from a parent who tries to give a clinician a gift to a company who tries to mandate the clinician to bill insurance companies for hours that do not meet the services delivered. It is the responsibility of the behavior analyst to know the sections of the ethics code and to engage in appropriate, professional, ethical behavior. However, ethical behavior goes beyond your own practices. It is also the obligation of the behavior analyst to monitor the practices of others and help guide them toward ethical practices. There are many different ways in which violations could occur across all sections of the code. Some real life examples of ethical violations are included below.
Failing to gain consent prior to evaluation
A behavior analyst works in a school setting, and consults to various classrooms throughout the school district. The special education teacher calls the behavior analyst to observe a student who is engaging in property destruction so the behavior analyst goes to the classroom to observe. Before the behavior analyst goes to the classroom to do the observation they must obtain consent from the student’s guardian for assessment of the student. If the behavior analyst fails to obtain consent first, they have violated Section 3 of the ethical code.
The behavior analyst and the testimonial
A behavior analyst owns their own consulting agency and has a website that potential clients can use to look at services offered and the professionals employed by the organization. The behavior analyst wants parents to know about the success stories from their organization, so they add a testimonials section in which parents can share success stories from their experience with the behavior analyst. This is a violation of Section 8 of the ethical code, testimonials are prohibited from use by a behavior analyst.
The behavior analyst and the right to effective treatment
A behavior analyst works at a clinic serving individuals with autism. At the clinic, her case load has grown beyond what she can handle so she begins creating general behavior support plans to be used for multiple different clients. This is a violation of Section 4 of the ethical code, each client has the right to a function based individualized behavior support plan. It is also the obligation of the behavior analyst to ensure that their caseload does not exceed their abilities.
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