ABA Finding Its Heart During a Pandemic: An Exploration in Social Validity
Run the one-page parent interview before you change treatment during a crisis.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The authors wrote a position paper in 2020. They wanted to keep ABA ethical during COVID-19. They built a short parent interview. The interview asks families what matters most to them. It fits on one page. You can use it before you change or continue treatment.
What they found
The paper does not give numbers. It gives a tool. The tool lets you write down parent goals, worries, and likes. You keep the note in the chart. This shows you thought about social validity before acting.
How this fits with other research
Vollmer et al. (2025) pick up this idea and push it further. They say social validity is not a one-time box. You should audit yourself every quarter. AC et al. gave you the first step; Vollmer et al. give you the life-long habit.
Huntington et al. (2024) show most studies leave out the very people they serve. Their data back up why you need the parent interview. If you skip it, you repeat the same exclusion.
Kornack et al. (2020) extend the COVID theme. They give a reopening checklist for centers. AC et al. tell you what to ask families; Kornack et al. tell you how to reopen safely after you hear the answers.
Why it matters
You can print the interview today. Use it before any big change: telehealth switch, staff turnover, or new goal plan. It takes five minutes. You get parent voice on paper. That single sheet protects you ethically and keeps treatment socially valid.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has presented practitioners of applied behavior analysis (ABA) with new and uncharted challenges. Upholding ethical responsibilities while navigating an international public health crisis has opened areas of uncertainty that have no precedent. Although there is general guidance on how to respond ethically from the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) in their publication specific to the COVID-19 crisis (BACB, 2020, March 29, <i>Ethics Guidance for ABA Providers During COVID-19 Pandemic</i>, retrieved from https://www.bacb.com/ethics-guidance-for-aba-providers-during-covid-19-pandemic-2/), there remains a huge responsibility on the individual practitioner to make potentially life-changing decisions. In that regard, practitioners are urged to ensure that they rely on socially significant and valid decision-making processes. The goal of this article is to provide an exercise in accounting for stakeholder feedback and connecting with patients and families regarding their input on the acceptability of treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic. The exercise is in the form of a structured parent interview to help practitioners account for the setting variables and social validity of treatment during a crisis. It is our ethical responsibility to remember this critical dimension of our science and practice.
, 2020 · doi:10.1007/s40617-020-00517-9