Azaba Ethics Scenario Archive

Systemic Supervision Concern – Clients & RBTs

Ethics Scenario Archive
1. Approaching Former Adult Client
2. Medical Marijuana
3. Pro Bono Work
4. Supervision Has Multiple Relationships with Family Receiving Services
5. Parent Training Concerns
6. Parents Not Implementing Procedures
7. Soliciting Parent Testimonials
8. Retaliation Towards Mandated Reporting
9. Family Rejecting Safety Measures
10. Parental Collaboration
11. Hostile Work Enviornment
12. Creating Protocol to Prevent and Treat Trauma with Limited Functional Language
13. Parent ABA Practice Questions in OT & Speech
14. Potential Gifts From Clients on Social Media
15. Helping Close Relationships With ABA Tips
16. Parent Utilizing CBD & THC
17. Client Pre-Authorization Denied For Much Needed Services
18. Supervisee Slaps Child in School Setting
19. Changing Direction of Treatment from Previous BCBA
20. BCBA Subpoenaed in Family Court
21. Terminate Services Due To Parent Behavior
22. Parents Offering Token Items During Check Out/Transition
23. Family Doesn’t Want Details Released To Funding Source Without Permission
24. Resources for IRB Approval for Independent Researchers
25. Speech Therapist Refusing To Do PECS
26. BCBA Receives Cease & Desist
27. Unlicensed, Certified BCBA Provide Supervision
28. Rapid Prompting Method (RPM)
29. Parent as Witness to Accident
30. Website Testimonials
31. Student Using Social Media Inappropriately
32. Hiring Behavior Analyst Trainees at a School District
33. College Recommendation Letter for Client
34. Connecting Families That Are Clients
35. Employer Requiring Same Number of ABA Hours for All New Clients from New BCaBA
36. Do we have any ethical guidelines regarding shared work spaces among two companies that provide similar ABA services in a private property?
37. Client Assessment & Discontinuation
38. Caseload Concerns
39. Naptime
40. Systemic Supervision Concern – Clients & RBTs
41. BCBA’s Performing Diagnostics
42. Self-Reporting DUI to BACB
43. Multiple Relationship with RBT
44. Refusal to Provide Documentation
45. Telehealth Supervision
46. Role of a Lead RBT
47. Urgent – Unsupervised RBT
48. Clinic Owner Requesting Services
49. Inadequate Case Supervision
50. Language Barrier to Services
51. Withholding Fieldwork Hours
52. Reportable Trainee Behavior
53. Treating Others with Compassion, Dignity, and Respect

Scenario

“We have been getting numerous ABA Technician applicants who have left a local ABA provider (non BCBA owned). All of them tell similar stories about the lack of supervision and training. All of them report there is only 1 BCBA who works remotely and the clinic goes without a BCBA for 2 weeks at a time. One BT said she was assigned a new client with severe SIB and she wrote programming with the help of the scheduler. She reported the scheduler (not an ABA practitioner) often wrote programming. She also reported that any requests to the owner for ethical supervision were met with hostility and some were fired for bringing up BACB ethical guidelines. All of the BT’s reported that the company will not certify anyone as an RBT because they don’t want to have to adhere to supervision requirements.”

Committee Input (e.g., considerations for pathways forward, potential barriers, potential solutions):

In accordance with Ethics Codes 1.02, 1.03, 2.01, 3.01, 4.01, 4.03, 4.04, and 4.06, the committee recommends that the author reach out to the overseeing BCBA in question to advocate for the level of supervision of technicians and clients that is commensurate with ethical standards. The committee would encourage the author to explore the following steps as options; this should not be considered legal employment advice:

  1. Write a formal letter to the supervising BCBA and to the executive administration, educating them on and outlining our ethical codes of conduct surrounding supervision, client goal selection, etc.  Consider providing suggestions or resources on ways in which they can support BCBAs in their agency in alignment with best practices in supervision and quality care for clients.
    1. Documentation of concerns can provide a clear statement for follow-up.
  2. If meaningful change is not made to satisfy the ethical code of conduct, the BCBA should consider sending their letter to the Arizona Board of Psychologist Examiners, the BACB and to state funders for auditing purposes, if appropriate.
    1. Since it is reported that owners/operators are not behavior analysts, the correction process can still be sent to our licensing board to ensure that services labeled as Applied Behavior Analysis are being examined.

Ethics Codes (specific standards that could apply to support/oppose):

  • 1.02 Conforming with Legal and Professional Requirements
  • 1.03 Accountability
  • 2.01 Providing Effective Treatment
  • 3.01 Responsibility to Clients
  • 4.01 Compliance with Supervision Requirements
  • 4.03 Supervisory Volume
  • 4.04 Accountability in Supervision
  • 4.06 Providing Supervision and Training
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