A Workbook of Ethical Case Scenarios in Applied Behavior Analysis

Darren J. Sush, PsyD, BCBA-D, is a licensed clinical psychologist and a board certified behavior analyst (doctoral) with more than 15years of experience developing and providing Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) services for children and adults diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and developmental disabilities. Dr. Sush is Head of Autism and Psychology with Evernorth Behavioral Health, a Cigna corporation, and is the coauthor of A Workbook of Ethical Case Scenarios in Applied Behavior Analysis. He is an adjunct faculty member in the ABA program at Pepperdine University, and an associate professor in the ABA and clinical psychology programs at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology, teaching doctoral and master’s courses in ABA and psychology. He has presented at regional and national applied behavior analysis and autism-focused conferences, with media outlets and on podcasts. Within his practice, he specializes in providing therapy for parents of children with ASD and developmental disabilities and writes with Psychology Today online, focusing on resources and mental health for parents of children with ASD and developmental disabilities. Adel C. Najdowski, PhD, BCBA-D (she/her/hers), is an Associate Professor and the Director of the Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) program at Pepperdine University as well as Research Manager at Halo Behavioral Health. Dr. Najdowski has provided ABA-based services to children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and developmental disabilities since 1995. She has more than 45 publications, including her books Flexible and Focused: Teaching Executive Function Skills to Individuals With Autism and Attention Disorders and A Workbook of Ethical Case Scenarios in Applied Behavior Analysis. She currently serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and has previously served for Behavior Analysis in Practice and as Guest Editor for a special issue in Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders. She currently serves on the board of directors for the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) and previously served on the board of directors for the California Association for Behavior Analysis (CalABA). She is also on the disciplinary review committee (DRC) for the BACB. Her current research interests include topics related to social justice teaching higher-order skills to children, teens, and adults diagnosed with ASD. She is a frequent speaker at conferences and on podcasts and web-based shows.

Section I: Background and Preparation for Analysis of Ethical Case Scenarios 1. A Brief Introduction to Ethics in Applied Behavior Analysis 2. Using this Workbook 3. Suggestions for Ethical Decision Making 4. Examples of Completed Case Scenarios

Section II: Ethical Case Scenarios 5. 1.0 - Responsible Conduct of Behavior Analysts 6. 2.0 - Behavior Analysts’ Responsibility to Clients 7. 3.0 - Assessing Behavior 8. 4.0 - Behavior Analysts and the Behavior-Change Program 9. 5.0 - Behavior Analysts as Supervisors 10. 6.0 - Behavior Analysts’ Ethical Responsibility to the Profession of Behavior Analysis 11. 7.0 - Behavior Analysts’ Ethical Responsibility to Colleagues 12. 8.0 - Public Statements 13. 9.0 - Behavior Analysts and Research 14. 10.0 - Behavior Analysts’ Ethical Responsibility to the BACB 15. Complex Scenarios Involving Multiple Codes