The right to effective behavioral treatment.

Saunders et al. (1988) wrote a position paper. They listed six rights every client should have when receiving ABA services.

The paper is not a lab study. It is a call to action for the whole field.

The authors say clients have a right to the most effective treatment. They also have a right to a humane setting, competent staff, and a written plan.

If any right is missing, the treatment should stop until it is fixed.

Murphy (1993) zooms in on one right: consent. She warns that proxy consent for aversive tools is rarely truly informed. Her note extends the 1988 list by giving a clear red flag.

Glicksman et al. (2017) build a dialectical model. They show how to balance these same rights with person-centered planning for adults with ID. The 1988 rights stay intact; the 2017 paper just shows how to use them in team meetings.

Brown et al. (2025) give step-by-step rules for safe functional analyses. Their safety checks echo the 1988 right to a therapeutic environment, but focus on one procedure.

You can tape the six rights inside your clipboard. Each time you write a behavior plan, check every box: most effective, humane, competent staff, written program, dignity, and consent. If one is missing, fix it before next session.