- Applied Behavior Analysis Ethics and Professional Conduct Questions and Answers Flashcards

A BCBA supervises a BCaBA who is also the biological sibling of a client. The BCaBA has been working with this client for two years with documented positive outcomes. According to the Ethics Code, what is the MOST appropriate course of action?

Answer: Recognize the multiple relationship, consult with a supervisor or ethics board, and develop a plan to transition the case while minimizing disruption to the client

The Ethics Code requires practitioners to avoid multiple relationships that could impair objectivity or exploit clients. A familial relationship constitutes a prohibited multiple relationship regardless of outcomes. The correct response involves recognizing the violation, seeking consultation, and planning a transition that minimizes harm to the client — not abrupt termination or continuation without action.

During a functional analysis, a BCBA discovers that a client's self-injurious behavior is maintained by automatic reinforcement. The parents insist the behavior is attention-seeking and demand the BCBA implement an extinction-based attention protocol. The BCBA believes this will be ineffective and potentially harmful. What is the ethically correct response?

Answer: Present the functional analysis data to the parents, explain the scientific rationale, document their refusal, and offer to refer to another provider if they cannot reach agreement

BCBAs must recommend interventions based on scientific evidence and functional assessment data. When caregivers reject evidence-based recommendations, the practitioner must clearly communicate the rationale using data, respect the family's right to make decisions, document the disagreement, and offer referral if the clinical relationship is untenable. Implementing a protocol believed to be harmful or ineffective — or doing so covertly — violates multiple ethical standards.

A BCBA working in a school setting is asked by the special education director to share raw data from a student's behavioral assessments with the school psychologist, who is not part of the student's treatment team but is conducting a district-wide research study. The student's parents have signed a general school records release. What should the BCBA do?

Answer: Decline to share and obtain specific informed consent from the parents for this particular use of their child's behavioral data

A general school records release does not constitute informed consent for participation in research or for disclosure of behavioral data for purposes outside the client's treatment. The Ethics Code requires practitioners to obtain specific informed consent that describes the nature, purpose, and use of any data sharing. The BCBA must obtain explicit authorization for this specific secondary use.

A BCBA is providing telehealth services to a client in another state where the BCBA is not licensed. The client's family relocated unexpectedly, and sessions have continued for six weeks. The BCBA is actively pursuing licensure in the new state. What is the primary ethical violation that has occurred?

Answer: Practicing outside the boundaries of authorized jurisdiction without the required credentials

Practicing ABA in a jurisdiction where one is not licensed or authorized constitutes practicing outside one's authorized scope — a serious ethics and legal violation. The Ethics Code requires that practitioners only provide services in jurisdictions where they hold appropriate credentials. Actively pursuing licensure does not retroactively authorize the six weeks of unlicensed practice that have already occurred.

A BCBA's supervisee submits session notes that are nearly identical across three consecutive sessions, with only the date changed. When asked, the supervisee claims the client's behavior 'didn't change much' so the notes were accurate. What is the MOST serious ethical concern, and what should the BCBA do?

Answer: Report potential insurance fraud to the appropriate regulatory and funding bodies, after consulting with a supervisor or legal counsel, while addressing the documentation issue with the supervisee

Copy-paste session notes misrepresent services provided and constitute fraudulent documentation, particularly when billing is tied to those records. This rises above a supervision quality issue — it is a potential ethics violation and legal matter involving fraudulent billing. The BCBA has an obligation under the Ethics Code to address fraud and must consult with appropriate parties (legal counsel, ethics board) before deciding whether to report externally. Simply correcting the notes internally is insufficient.

A BCBA has been working with a client for three years and develops a close friendship with the client's mother, including regular social outings unrelated to treatment. The BCBA believes objectivity is maintained and the client's outcomes support this. A colleague raises an ethics concern. Which of the following BEST describes the BCBA's ethical obligation?

Answer: The BCBA must recognize that the multiple relationship exists regardless of perceived objectivity, take steps to transition the case or end the social relationship, and consult with the ethics board

The Ethics Code prohibits multiple relationships that create a risk of impaired objectivity or exploitation — the standard is not whether impairment has been demonstrated, but whether the relationship type creates that risk. Social friendships with clients' family members are a recognized multiple relationship. Good outcomes do not validate the relationship. The BCBA must either transition the case or discontinue the social relationship, and should seek ethics consultation.