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Ethics Case Studies

Applied Behavior Analysis Situation 1 Jamie is a BCBA. For the past year, she has been working with children with autism, ages 5–8 years, in their homes. She enjoys her work, but it is tiring to travel from home to home. She was recently offered a job as a BCBA for a local nursing home, providing behavioral support to senior citizens with dementia. What are the ethical concerns with Jamie accepting this position?

Situation 2 Sam is a BCBA providing parent training to families of children with autism. One of the parents showed Sam a brochure for a new kind of therapy involving dance, horses, and sensory integration. She wants to implement this therapy with her child. What are Sam’s ethical responsibilities?

Situation 3 Adam’s brother is interested in becoming a BCBA. He has completed his coursework but is having a hard time finding a supervisor. What are the ethical implications if Adam supervises his brother for fieldwork hours?

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Capella Compassion Code We recognize the importance of practicing and interacting with compassion across all professional activities. Compassion means taking the time to listen to others, trying to understand them, and doing what we can to help them. This code highlights some, but not all, of the ways in which we can be compassionate professionals.

Compassion in Interacting With Clients • Obtain consent and assent for assessment and intervention with sensitivity to

comprehension level, cultural and linguistic factors, fears and concerns, and other possible sources of pressure.

• Be sensitive to potential past trauma.

• Choose reinforcers thoughtfully and incorporate client choice in reinforcer and treatment selection as much as possible.

• Use caution with any potentially aversive strategies, including physical prompting, crisis interventions, and reinforcer restriction.

• Engage clients in setting their own goals and planning their own strategies.

• Dedicate time to build rapport and establish and maintain trust with clients.

• Assess social validity continuously during and following assessment and intervention.

• Be flexible and fun.

Compassion in Interacting With Stakeholders • Build rapport with and actively listen to stakeholders, and recognize others as

affected by client’s ABA experience, including the client’s parents, family members, friends, teachers, classmates, coworkers, et cetera.

• Practice and interact with humility regarding client’s and family’s cultural background, values, and family dynamics.

• Demonstrate concern for client’s significant others.

Soft Skills for Interactions in all Professional Relationships • Have a sense of humor (with caution and sensitivity to the situation).

• Be tactful in addressing others, including regarding unethical practices, dual relationship requests, and setting boundaries.

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• Provide positive feedback whenever possible.

• Practice humility.

• Actively listen with a curious and open mindset for shared ideas.

Being a Responsible Professional • Know the BACB ethics codes and how context impacts ethical decisions.

• Know and follow federal, state, local, and employer regulations.

• Make all clinical recommendations, decisions, plans, and changes based on data and scientif ically established best practices.

• Practice self-care and self-compassion.