A Call for Discussion About Scope of Competence in Behavior Analysis
Behavior analysts need a shared checklist to judge and grow their own competence before entering new practice areas.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Brodhead et al. (2018) wrote a position paper. They asked: how should each behavior analyst decide what they are qualified to do?
The authors reviewed ethics codes and found no clear steps for judging or growing personal competence.
They urged the field to build shared tools so practitioners can check their own limits and learn new areas safely.
What they found
The paper found a gap. Current rules tell us to stay within our scope, but give no map for figuring out where that scope starts or ends.
Without a map, people guess. Guessing can lead to taking cases we are not ready for or turning away clients we could help.
How this fits with other research
Storch et al. (2012) had already urged BCBAs to move into dementia and brain-injury services as autism slots fill up. Brodhead et al. answer: only if you first prove you can do it well.
Saunders et al. (2005) pushed behavior analysis toward large public-health projects. The 2018 paper warns that bigger ponds need stronger life jackets—clear self-checks for every clinician.
Quigley et al. (2025) propose a standing ethics section in journals so practitioners can talk through tough calls. That idea is one practical child of the competence conversation started in 2018.
Kirby et al. (2022) give a tool—cultural reciprocity—for crossing cultural lines. Brodhead et al. would place that tool inside a wider competence checklist used before any new practice.
Why it matters
You may soon face a referral outside your usual age group or diagnosis. This paper says: stop, list the skills needed, compare them to your own, then make a training plan or refer on. Build that habit and you protect clients, your license, and the field’s reputation.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The field of behavior analysis has defined its scope of practice through credentialing and licensure efforts. However, scope of competence in behavior analysis has received little discussion. Scope of competence refers to activities that the individual practitioner can perform at a certain criterion level (e.g., the functional analysis is conducted accurately and safely, a skill acquisition program includes critical program components and establishes accurate stimulus control). Given the successful efforts of behavior analysts in growth and recognition of the field, it is time for a robust conversation about scope of competence for the field of behavior analysis. This discussion can clarify how behavior analysts self-evaluate their own scope of competence and how they might expand their scope of competence if the needs of consumers require practitioners to expand into new areas.
Behavior Analysis in Practice, 2018 · doi:10.1007/s40617-018-00303-8