SPY 608 FINAL RECORDING

The history and context of ethical standards in behavior analysis are discussed, highlighting the need for professional ethics codes. Various incidents of unjust treatment led to the establishment of ethical guidelines, such as the Sunland Training Center scandal and the untreated syphilis study. The adoption of ethics codes by organizations like the American Psychological Association and the Florida Association for Behavior Analysis is mentioned. The core principles of behavior analysis ethics are outlined, including protecting client welfare, identifying conflicts of interest, treating others with compassion and respect, respecting privacy and confidentiality, behaving with integrity, and ensuring competence. The implications of unethical behavior, such as harm to clients and compromised patient care, are also discussed. Ethics for Behavior Analysts, The History and Context of Ethical Standards. There has been an abundance of unjust and brutal treatment of individuals on the hands of service providers. The professions where some of these incidents took place range from education and medical health care to research, mental health, and behavior analysis. All of these violations brought forth the need to have standards of practice and ethical conduct guidelines and the eventual establishment of professional ethics codes. Professional violations that led to the adoption of ethics codes, applied behavior analysis, the Sunland Training Center scandal, and the lack of qualification requirements to become what was then called the behavior modifier. The United States Department of Health and Human Services, the untreated syphilis study conducted by the United States Health and Human Services and the Tuskegee Institute on 600 black males did not collect informed consent from the subject and provided no treatment when treatment became available, resulting in the death of many of the study participants. The American Psychological Association, the increased demand for psychologists to perform war-related tasks during and post World War II and the ethical dilemmas they were facing at the time. The establishment of ethical guidelines and codes across professions, the adoption of the Ethics Code for Behavior Analysis, the Florida Association for Behavior Analysis adopted the Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts in 1988, the adoption of the Ethics Code for the American Psychological Association, the final draft of the APA Ethics Code was adopted in 1952 and published in 1953, the adoption of the Belmont Report for the United States Department of Health and Human Services. The Belmont Report, also termed the Ethical Principles and Guidelines for the Protection of Human Research Subjects, was published in the Federal Registry in 1979. Four principle number one, behavior analysts should not practice client maltreatment, but rather support their clients at all times. Number one, protecting the welfare and rights of clients above all others. An example, while working with a client with developmental disabilities in a residential facility, the child's parents requested an intervention that is not backed by science and goes against the ethical guidelines of applied behavior analysis. In a respectful and professional manner, I will decline their request, explain that not only is the requested intervention not backed by science, but it's not also in the law. Four principle number one, benefit others. Behavior analysts should not practice client maltreatment, but rather support their clients at all times. Principle number one, protecting the welfare and rights of clients above all others. An example, while working with a child with developmental disabilities in a residential facility, the client's parents requested an intervention that is not backed by science and goes against the ethical guidelines of applied behavior analysis. In a respectful and professional manner, I decline their request, explain that the requested intervention is not backed by science and is not in the child's best interest, and offer information on evidence-based ABA interventions that are appropriate for their child. Subprinciple number two, actively identifying potential or actual conflicts of interest and working to resolve them in a way that avoids or minimizes harm. An example, while working in a school setting, I realized I was assigned a student who turns out to be my friend's nephew. I will act promptly to disclose that conflict of interest to my supervisor and request to be recused from working with the child. Core principle number two, treating others with compassion, dignity, and respect. Behavior analysts treat people with respect, decency, and compassion by subprinciple number one, treating others equitably regardless of factors such as age, disability, ethnicity, gender expression or identity, immigration status, marital relationship status, national origins, race, religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, or any other basis prescribed by law. An example, I'm working with a diverse group of clients in a clinical setting. One of my clients comes from a low socioeconomic background. I offer him a sliding scale fee to ensure he has access to services regardless of his income. For another client with physical disabilities, I modify interventions to meet his unique needs and abilities while promoting his independence and quality of life. Core principle number two, respecting others' privacy and confidentiality. An example, I'm working as a behavior analyst in a team setting. A colleague who is not part of the client's treatment team asks me what we're doing to address the client's needs. I will respectfully and professionally decline to comment, reminding my colleague that client information can only be available to the treatment team. Core principle number three, behave with integrity. Behavior analysts carry out their obligations to the communities they serve, society at large, and their respective scientific and professional communities by, subprinciple number one, behaving in an honest and trustworthy manner. An example, working as a behavior analyst in an educational setting during an assessment review session with my client's parents. I will provide honest and detailed feedback about the child's improvement in communication skills and behavior management. I will also discuss areas that need further attention and collaborate with the parents to set new treatment goals for the child. Subprinciple number two, be knowledgeable about and upholding BACB and other regulatory requirements. An example, while working with a child with developmental disabilities, a colleague on the client's treatment team suggests trying an untested intervention. I will express my concerns about the intervention and refuse to administer treatment interventions that are not evidence-based and align with the BACB guidelines. Core principle number four, ensuring confidence. Behavior analysts work to attain mastery and expertise in their services. Subprinciple number one, working to continually increase their knowledge and skills related to cultural responsiveness and service delivery to diverse groups. An example, working in a school setting, I'm assigned a client from an indigenous community in South America. The child has a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. However, the staff has expressed another challenging behavior they have encountered when working with the child who is constantly initiating physical contact. Upon researching the child's community norms and traditions, I learned that they use their hands to establish connections and hugging is a show of appreciation and gratitude. During my initial meeting with the family, I expressed interest in learning about the cultural norms and communication style. The outcome of the meeting confirmed my research findings that clients' touching and hugging is a direct influence of their cultural communication practices. Subprinciple number two, remaining within the profession's scope of practice. An example, I'm working with children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. I overhear a colleague talking about a new intervention that psychologists are using nowadays which is easy to implement and gaining a lot of attention in the field. I will not entertain the idea of implementing such intervention as it is not an ABA approved intervention and the implementation of other professions' treatment modality is outside of my scope of practice. Implications of unethical behavior. Harm to clients. Immoral behavior can have a negative impact on clients. An example, to save the school some money, a behavior analyst cuts corners in the assessment and intervention process leading to inadequate client support and significant regression in the client's behavior and communication skills. The actions of the behavior analyst are unethical, harmful to the client, damaging to the reputation of the behavior analyst and the profession. Compromised patient care. Unethical professionals put their own interests ahead of their clients leading to compromised patient care, inadequate treatment and potential harm to the client. For example, a behavior analyst overwhelmed by a high caseload starts neglecting his responsibilities towards his clients and eventually abandons them altogether. As a result, one of his clients who is diagnosed with autism and was showing great progress with the appropriate support starts to regress. Unethical behavior can cause great distress to the family and the client and shed a negative light on the profession as a whole.