E-U2D

In this unit, you have examined the four Core Principles that guide your practice and inform ethical decision-making as a behavior analyst. These four principles are: (1) Benefiting Others, (2) Treating Others with Compassion, Dignity, and Respect, (3) Behaving with Integrity, and (4) Ensuring Competence. For this week’s discussion, imagine yourself as a new Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst (BCaBA). Consider the scenarios below and discuss the relevant Core Principles. Scenario You are working on a home case with a 6-year-old client with autism who engages in mild problem behaviors and struggles with activities of daily living. During mealtimes, this client eats with his hands and does not seem to know how to eat with utensils. In the functional life skills assessment that you are using, there is a goal that states, “Client will use utensils to eat with during mealtimes independently.” You thought about adding this as a program goal, so you decided to discuss it with the parents first. The parents informed you that culturally, they ate all meals with their hands and did not need him to spend valuable therapy time learning how to use utensils. Instead, they would much rather you spend limited therapy hours teaching him communication skills and other life skills like hand washing and toilet training. You decided to discuss this with your supervisor who tells you, “That’s a bad habit. Everyone else eats with utensils, go ahead and include this in the program list anyway.” Discussion Using specific information from the scenario, explain your rationale for choosing the relevant core principles, and how the situation adheres to or violates them.