Section 3 explains your professional responsibilities to your profession. You are expected to be honest and reliable, to practice integrity and trustworthiness, attributes that protect your clients, your profession, and you. You are required only to use behavior intervention approaches supported by behavior analytic research and only accept clients whose target behaviors are commensurate with your training and experience. Maintaining and adding to your expertise by keeping up with the latest research in your field is required to provide your clients with the care they deserve. Additionally, you are always to treat your clients and their families with dignity and respect.
Section 3 also outlines your responsibility to your clients to provide individualized, research-based, effective behavior analytic treatment. If a third party requests your services, you must identify the primary beneficiary of your services.
Scenario
Alita is a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) working for a large company that contracts with multiple school districts to provide behavior analytic services for their students. Prior to leaving the office to work with one of her young clients, the manager assigned her another student at the same school. Alita was directed to conduct a functional behavior assessment (FBA) and design a function-based behavior intervention plan (BIP) for the new client. Alita was happy to schedule the FBA as soon as possible but stated that she would first meet with the parents and explain the process and obtain informed consent to begin. Her manager told her that it was unnecessary since the school district is paying her for her services, and the principal requested behavior services.
Discussion
Discuss the relevant ethical issues in this scenario. Identify all of the applicable codes by number and explain why each is relevant in the case. Utilize only the codes covered in Section 3. What must Alita do to remain in compliance with the Behavior Analyst Certification Board’s (BACB’s) ethical codes?