Ethical Decision Making in Applied Behavior Analysis

Ilene S. Schwartz, Elizabeth M. Kelly

• Publisher: Brookes Publishing
• Year: 2025
• eBook ISBN: 9781681253244
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Medicine
• Subtopic: Ethics in Medicine

Prepare students in applied behavior analysis (ABA) programs to navigate the complex ethical issues they’ll face in their professional practice. Aligned with the Behavior Analysis Certification Board’s most recent ethics code, this is the most student-friendly, accessible, and up-to-date ABA ethics text available.

Comprehensive and expertly organized, this core text addresses the successes and controversies of ABA head-on, highlights current best practices, and prepares professionals to apply the BACB Ethics Code across clinical, school, community, and home-based settings. Readers will receive foundational knowledge on the diverse factors and considerations influencing ethical behavior in ABA, plus opportunities to interact with real case studies to help them practice decision-making that centers their clients’ well-being. Packed with engaging, interactive features, this book is also an invaluable professional reference to help behavior specialists address ethical issues in their everyday practice with clients of all ages.

Student-friendly features include:

• Learning objectives: Start each chapter with a clear outline of goals.
• Pause and Reflect prompts: Use these reflection exercises individually, in small groups, in class, or in online discussion forums.
• Talk the Talk scenarios: Practice how to approach difficult conversations from an ethical standpoint.
• Ethical Workouts: Use sample scenarios to practice step-by-step application of an ethical decision-making process.
• Downloadable worksheet: Get a six-step Ethical Decision-Making Worksheet, perfect for practice scenarios or use in the field.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• About the Online Materials
• About the Authors
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• 1 Introduction to Ethics in Applied Behavior Analysis
• 2 Applying Ethics in Your Everyday Practice
• 3 Introduction to the Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts
• 4 The Ethical Decision-Making Process
• 5 Responsibility as a Professional
• 6 Responsibility in Practice
• 7 Responsibility to Clients and Stakeholders
• 8 Responsibility to Supervisees and Trainees
• 9 Responsibility in Public Statements
• 10 Responsibility in Research
• 11 Putting It All Together
• Appendix A: Historical Missteps
• Appendix B: Ethical Decision-Making Worksheet
• Appendix C: Implicit Association Test (IAT) for Disability and Race: Outcomes and Reflections
• Appendix D: BACB® Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts
• References
• Index
• Back Cover