Assent, the ongoing agreement of a client to participate in treatment activities, has moved from an aspirational concept at the periphery of behavior analytic practice to a central ethical and clinical concern. Unlike consent, which involves legal authorization typically provided by a guardian, assent reflects the client's real-time communication of willingness or unwillingness to engage in the activities that constitute their treatment.
Provider: BehaviorLive — via The Speech Pathology Applied Behavior Analysis (SPABA)
Take This Course →Including ethics, supervision, and topics like this one. New live CEU every Wednesday.
Join Free →Actively programming for client assent is essential to foster self-advocacy, enhance rapport between clinician and client, reduce risk of victimization, and uphold client dignity. All clients communicate assent and withdraw assent, although the way this is expressed differs greatly across individuals. Balancing the ethical goals of ensuring client assent to treatment and teaching socially meaningful skills can be a challenge for clinicians. Equally important is teaching clients how to communicate assent and dissent in ways that will be reinforced by their community, empowering them to advocate for themselves. This presentation will share a model for embedding assent into treatment planning, offering strategies to prioritize assent while addressing treatment goals. Real-world examples will illustrate how these strategies can be adapted for individuals with diverse communication abilities and support needs. Participants will also learn to apply a structured risk–benefit analysis tool to guide decisions when assent is withdrawn. Please note that BACB CEs are available for synchronous AND asynchronous viewing, while ASHA CEs are available for synchronous viewing only.
| Certification Body | Credits | Type |
|---|---|---|
| BACB® | 1 | Ethics |
| ASHA | 0.1 | — |
| COA | 1 | — |
| PDH | 1 | — |
Karen Nohelty is the Director of Research and Development at 360 Behavioral Health and has been in the field of ABA since 2003. A BCBA since 2007, she specializes in compassionate care and caregiver support, helping ensure treatment is meaningful, client-centered, and values-aligned. Karen has co-authored multiple research publications and book chapters. Her work bridges research and practice to empower clinicians, clients, and caregivers to achieve outcomes that truly make a difference.
Dig into the research behind this topic — plain-English summaries written for BCBAs.
280 research articles with practitioner takeaways
279 research articles with practitioner takeaways
233 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.