Assent-affirming care represents one of the most significant ethical and clinical advances in applied behavior analysis over the past decade. The concept moves beyond simple compliance-based models of service delivery to center the preferences, autonomy, and dignity of clients receiving ABA-based autism services.
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Join Free →Pediatric healthcare offers an evolving framework for the definition and implementation of assent in the treatment of children, especially related to delivery of medically necessary care; this framework is built upon policy statements refined across decades and conceptual literature published by pediatric ethicists, but detailed protocols are nascent. Following the addition of explicit language related to assent in the most recent Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts (Behavior Analyst Certification Board®, BACB®, 2020), assent-affirming practice has received focused attention in recent publications in ABA. In a systematic literature review, Morris & Peterson (2021) identified only 28 studies, out of 23,447 reviewed, included detailed assent protocols. While publications have very recently emerged which include practical definitions and job aides to implement assent in ABA sessions (e.g., Breaux & Smith, 2023), these manuscripts do not include empirical evaluation of assent-based interventions, and detailed protocols are needed. This symposium will offer a model for assent-affirming practice in behavior analysis, modeled after policy and ethical guidance from pediatric healthcare literature, including decision guidance for goal selection and detailed protocols for measuring provider responsiveness to client assent and assent withdrawal. Results of a pilot study designed to develop responsiveness repertoires in Behavior Technicians, including the ability to accurately identify continuous client assent and assent withdrawal and to respond in prescribed ways, will be presented. Additionally, the present study measured the collateral effects of the intervention, including the number of learning opportunities provided, the rate of harmful behavior, and the overall level of client engagement during sessions.
| Certification Body | Credits | Type |
|---|---|---|
| BACB® | 1 | Ethics |
| COA | 1 | — |
Kristine leads the clinical development, training, research, and client outcomes initiatives at Autism Learning Partners, as Chief Clinical Officer. She is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) with over 15 years of experience in autism services, holds a master’s degree in exceptional student education from the University of West Florida, and is currently a doctoral student and adjunct professor at Endicott College. She presents at regional and national conferences, focusing on such topics as cultural responsiveness, compassion-focused care, innovations in service delivery, and scaling clinical quality. She has authored peer reviewed articles and book chapters on the topics of compassion-focused care, cultural responsiveness, Acceptance and Commitment Training, and ABA-based services for adults. Kristine has served as an industry collaborator in the work to measure and evaluate quality outcomes in autism services, serving on working groups with Behavioral Health Center of Excellence (BHCOE), International Consortium of Health Outcomes Measurement (ICHOM), Autism Commission on Quality (ACQ), and co-chairing the client outcomes SIG through Council of Autism Service Providers (CASP). She is passionate about improving access to compassionate, responsive ABA-based services for underserved populations.
Dig into the research behind this topic — plain-English summaries written for BCBAs.
279 research articles with practitioner takeaways
258 research articles with practitioner takeaways
252 research articles with practitioner takeaways
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All behavior-analytic intervention is individualized. The information on this page is for educational purposes and does not constitute clinical advice. Treatment decisions should be informed by the best available published research, individualized assessment, and obtained with the informed consent of the client or their legal guardian. Behavior analysts are responsible for practicing within the boundaries of their competence and adhering to the BACB Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts.