BCAT Ethical and Legal Considerations 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A BCaT is offered a part-time job by the parents of a current client to provide babysitting services unrelated to ABA. The BCaT should:
- Accept since babysitting is outside the professional relationship
- Decline because it creates a dual relationship that compromises professional boundaries (Correct answer)
- Accept only if the BCBA is informed after the fact
- Ask the client's insurance if it is permitted
Correct answer: Decline because it creates a dual relationship that compromises professional boundaries
Taking on secondary roles with a client's family creates a dual relationship that can compromise professional objectivity and ethical standards.
Question 2: The ethical principle of 'autonomy' in the context of ABA services for clients with autism primarily means:
- Allowing clients to refuse all recommended interventions without question
- Respecting clients' right to participate in decisions about their treatment to the greatest extent possible (Correct answer)
- Clients must independently select their own behavior goals
- BCaTs should operate independently without BCBA supervision
Correct answer: Respecting clients' right to participate in decisions about their treatment to the greatest extent possible
Autonomy means supporting clients' meaningful participation in treatment decisions while accommodating individual capacity to make informed choices.
Question 3: A BCaT who is experiencing personal emotional difficulties that are affecting job performance should:
- Hide the difficulties to avoid appearing unprofessional
- Continue working normally since personal and professional lives should be separate
- Disclose the situation to the supervising BCBA and seek appropriate support (Correct answer)
- Take an unannounced break from work until feeling better
Correct answer: Disclose the situation to the supervising BCBA and seek appropriate support
Ethical practice requires BCaTs to recognize when personal issues affect professional performance and to seek support and communicate with supervisors proactively.
Question 4: Which of the following best describes 'scope of practice' for a BCaT?
- BCaTs may design and modify behavior intervention plans independently
- BCaTs implement behavior plans designed and supervised by a BCBA (Correct answer)
- BCaTs may conduct functional behavior assessments without supervision
- BCaTs are permitted to diagnose autism spectrum disorder
Correct answer: BCaTs implement behavior plans designed and supervised by a BCBA
BCaTs are trained to implement behavior plans under BCBA supervision and may not independently design programs, conduct FBAs, or diagnose.
Question 5: A client's legal guardian revokes consent for a specific behavioral intervention during a session. The BCaT should:
- Continue the intervention since sessions cannot be halted mid-session
- Stop the intervention immediately and notify the supervising BCBA (Correct answer)
- Explain to the guardian why the intervention is necessary and continue
- Document the refusal but complete the session as planned
Correct answer: Stop the intervention immediately and notify the supervising BCBA
Consent can be withdrawn at any time; the BCaT must honor the revocation immediately and communicate it to the supervising BCBA.
Question 6: Under which circumstance is a BCaT ethically permitted to break client confidentiality without the client's consent?
- When a colleague asks about the client out of professional curiosity
- When the client poses an imminent danger to themselves or others (Correct answer)
- When a parent requests information about the client's session
- When an insurance auditor requests session notes for review
Correct answer: When the client poses an imminent danger to themselves or others
Duty to warn or protect overrides confidentiality when there is an imminent risk of serious harm to the client or identifiable third parties.
Question 7: A BCaT is working with a client whose behavior plan includes a procedure the BCaT believes is ineffective but not harmful. The BCaT should:
- Stop implementing the procedure and tell the parents it was discontinued
- Implement the procedure as written and share concerns with the BCBA during supervision (Correct answer)
- Substitute a different procedure they believe is more effective
- Document concerns in session notes and take no further action
Correct answer: Implement the procedure as written and share concerns with the BCBA during supervision
BCaTs must implement approved behavior plans as written while raising clinical concerns through the appropriate supervisory channel.
BCAT Ethical and Legal Considerations 5
A BCaT is offered a part-time job by the parents of a current client to provide babysitting services unrelated to ABA.
The BCaT should: