BAS Ethical and Legal Compliance 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A supervisee tells their BAS supervisor they disagree with a client's behavioral intervention plan but has been implementing it anyway. What should the supervisor do?
- Tell the supervisee to keep implementing since the supervisor approved the plan
- Discuss the supervisee's concerns, review the evidence base, and revise the plan if warranted (Correct answer)
- Reassign the supervisee to a different client immediately
- Document that the supervisee is non-compliant
Correct answer: Discuss the supervisee's concerns, review the evidence base, and revise the plan if warranted
Supervisors should create open dialogue about clinical concerns, review the evidence, and update plans when legitimate concerns are raised.
Question 2: Which best describes the principle of 'least restrictive alternative' in behavior analytic ethics?
- Always use the lowest intensity reinforcement schedule
- Select the intervention that achieves the goal with minimal intrusion on client rights and dignity (Correct answer)
- Avoid all punishment procedures in every case
- Use extinction before any other behavioral procedure
Correct answer: Select the intervention that achieves the goal with minimal intrusion on client rights and dignity
Least restrictive alternative means choosing effective interventions that minimize restriction of client autonomy and dignity.
Question 3: A supervisor is asked by an attorney to release a client's behavioral records as part of a custody dispute. What is the MOST appropriate action?
- Release records immediately since attorneys have legal authority
- Consult with legal counsel and only release records with proper authorization or court order (Correct answer)
- Destroy the records to protect client privacy
- Release a summary but not the full records
Correct answer: Consult with legal counsel and only release records with proper authorization or court order
Record release requires either client/guardian authorization or a valid court order; supervisors should consult legal counsel before complying.
Question 4: A BAS supervisor works for an agency that pressures her to increase billable units beyond what is clinically justified. What is the ethical response?
- Increase units to maintain employment
- Refuse to authorize unnecessary services and report the pressure through internal and external channels if needed (Correct answer)
- Gradually increase units to satisfy management while reducing session intensity
- Transfer the clients to another supervisor
Correct answer: Refuse to authorize unnecessary services and report the pressure through internal and external channels if needed
Supervisors must not authorize services that are not clinically justified, and may need to report unethical agency pressure to licensing boards or BACB.
Question 5: What documentation is a BAS supervisor ethically required to maintain for each supervisee?
- Only the supervisee's certification number and start date
- Records of supervision hours, competency assessments, and performance feedback (Correct answer)
- A monthly email summary of performance
- Documentation only when performance problems arise
Correct answer: Records of supervision hours, competency assessments, and performance feedback
BACB requirements mandate systematic records of supervision activities, competency progress, and feedback provided to each supervisee.
Question 6: A BAS supervisor notices that data sheets have been altered after sessions on several occasions. What is the MOST appropriate immediate action?
- Assume it was a clerical error and move on
- Investigate the data integrity issue, secure records, and take corrective action including potential ethics reporting (Correct answer)
- Replace the supervisee with a new hire
- Average the suspicious data points out of the dataset
Correct answer: Investigate the data integrity issue, secure records, and take corrective action including potential ethics reporting
Data falsification is a serious ethics violation requiring investigation, documentation, and potentially reporting to the BACB.
Question 7: Under the BACB ethics code, how should a supervisor handle a situation where a client's cultural practices conflict with a recommended behavioral intervention?
- Override cultural preferences if the intervention is evidence-based
- Adapt the intervention collaboratively with the family to respect cultural values while maintaining effectiveness (Correct answer)
- Refer the client to a culturally matched provider only
- Document the conflict and proceed with the original plan
Correct answer: Adapt the intervention collaboratively with the family to respect cultural values while maintaining effectiveness
Ethical practice requires culturally responsive care by collaborating with families to adapt interventions while maintaining evidence-based effectiveness.
BAS Ethical and Legal Compliance 3
A supervisee tells their BAS supervisor they disagree with a client's behavioral intervention plan but has been implementing it anyway.
What should the supervisor do?