Spreading the News: History, Successes, Challenges and the Ethics of Effective Dissemination
Ethical dissemination means telling the full truth about ABA while still spreading the word.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Whalon et al. (2019) wrote a position paper, not an experiment.
They asked: how can behavior analysts share our science without hype or harm?
The team mapped ethical traps in talking to parents, teachers, insurers, and lawmakers.
What they found
The authors found no rule book for ethical outreach.
They list common mistakes: overselling results, using jargon, or hiding uncertainties.
A checklist is offered: tell the truth, show data, admit limits, and invite questions.
How this fits with other research
Walton (2016) gave earlier branding tips: use warm words and simple stories. Kelly et al. keep the warm tone but add an ethical guardrail, so the two papers build on each other.
de la Cruz et al. (2025) show real policy wins after analysts lobbied lawmakers. Their success stories turn Kelly’s ethical checklist into proof that honest outreach can still move legislatures.
Pennypacker (1986) urged analysts to "sell without selling out." Kelly et al. answer the "how" by spelling out what selling out looks like and how to avoid it.
Why it matters
Next time you post on social media, write a report, or testify at a school meeting, run the Kelly checklist first. One honest sentence about what ABA can and cannot do protects your reputation and our field.
Want CEUs on This Topic?
The ABA Clubhouse has 60+ free CEUs — live every Wednesday. Ethics, supervision & clinical topics.
Join Free →Add a one-line limitation statement to every flyer or slide deck you use this week.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
Behavior analysts are responsible for disseminating behavior analysis by making information about the science available to the public, professional peers, and government officials. The purposes of the current paper are to outline the dissemination efforts of professional associations in the field of behavior analysis; to highlight the parallel efforts to disseminate and establish behavior analysis as a profession, including the evolution and growth of certification; to share examples of dissemination successes; to describe some challenges that have been faced when disseminating behavior analysis internationally; and to suggest some strategies for ethical and effective dissemination of behavior analysis.
Behavior Analysis in Practice, 2019 · doi:10.1007/s40617-018-0238-8