BCABA Ethics and Compliance 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: According to the BACB Ethics Code, a BCABA must practice under the supervision of a:
- BCBA or BCBA-D (Correct answer)
- Licensed psychologist
- Board-certified physician
- Another BCABA with 5 years of experience
Correct answer: BCBA or BCBA-D
BCaBAs are required to practice under the ongoing supervision of a BCBA or BCBA-D, who holds responsibility for the cases overseen.
Question 2: The BACB Ethics Code requires practitioners to only practice within their:
- Boundaries of competence (Correct answer)
- Supervisor's preferred methods
- Licensure state's border
- Approved reimbursement codes
Correct answer: Boundaries of competence
Practitioners must limit services to areas where they have adequate training, education, supervised experience, and demonstrated skills.
Question 3: A BCABA realizes she has a dual relationship with a new client's family. Ethically, she should:
- Disclose the conflict and avoid or manage it to prevent harm (Correct answer)
- Accept the case since personal relationships improve rapport
- Ask the client to sign a waiver allowing the dual relationship
- Immediately terminate services without explanation
Correct answer: Disclose the conflict and avoid or manage it to prevent harm
The Ethics Code requires disclosing potential conflicts of interest and taking steps to avoid or resolve them to protect client welfare.
Question 4: Informed consent in ABA practice means clients or guardians must be given:
- Understandable information about treatment goals, methods, risks, and their right to withdraw (Correct answer)
- A signed contract agreeing to all recommended procedures
- Written permission to use data for research only
- Approval from the insurance company before starting services
Correct answer: Understandable information about treatment goals, methods, risks, and their right to withdraw
Informed consent requires that individuals receive comprehensible information about the intervention and voluntarily agree to participate, with the right to withdraw.
Question 5: Which of the following BEST exemplifies the least restrictive alternative principle in behavior analysis?
- Trying positive reinforcement-based strategies before considering punishment procedures (Correct answer)
- Using brief physical guidance whenever a client is non-compliant
- Implementing time-out as the first intervention for any problem behavior
- Relying on response cost for all skill acquisition programs
Correct answer: Trying positive reinforcement-based strategies before considering punishment procedures
The least restrictive alternative requires selecting interventions that are least intrusive and most positive while still being effective.
Question 6: A BCABA receives a gift from a client's family. Ethically, she should:
- Evaluate the gift's value, decline if substantial, and use professional judgment to avoid conflicts (Correct answer)
- Accept all gifts to maintain rapport with the family
- Accept the gift and document it in the session notes
- Immediately report the family to the BACB
Correct answer: Evaluate the gift's value, decline if substantial, and use professional judgment to avoid conflicts
The Ethics Code cautions against gifts that could create conflicts of interest; practitioners should use professional judgment and decline substantial gifts.
BCABA Ethics and Compliance 1
According to the BACB Ethics Code, a BCABA must practice under the supervision of a: