Few articles in the behavior-analytic literature have posed a more provocative and enduring question than the one raised by Bannerman, Sheldon, Sherman, and Harchik (1990) in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis: do people with developmental disabilities have the right to eat too many doughnuts and take a nap. Behind this deliberately arresting title lies a serious and clinically significant examination of the tension between two fundamental rights that behavior analysts must navigate in their daily practice, the right to effective habilitation and the right to personal liberty.
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Join Free →Read the following article and pass a 7-question quiz on it: Bannerman, D. J., Sheldon, J. B., Sherman, J. A., & Harchik, A. E. (1990). Balancing the right to habilitation with the right to personal liberties: The rights of people with developmental disabilities to eat too many doughnuts and take a nap.Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 23, 79-89. To earn credit, you will be required to read the article and pass a 7-question quiz about it. You can retake the quiz as many times as needed, but you will not receive exactly the same questions each time. In the pursuit of efficient habilitation, many service providers exercise a great deal of control over the lives of clients with developmental disabilities. For example, service providers often choose the client's habilitative goals, determine the daily schedule, and regulate access to preferred activities. This paper examines the advantages and disadvantages of allowing clients to exercise personal liberties, such as the right to choose and refuse daily activities. On one hand, poor choices on the part of the client could hinder habilitation. On the other hand, moral and legal issues arise when the client's right to choice is abridged. Recommendations are offered to protect both the right to habilitation and the freedom to choose. Only logged in customers who have purchased this product may leave a review.
| Certification Body | Credits | Type |
|---|---|---|
| BACB | 1 | Ethics |
Dig into the research behind this topic — plain-English summaries written for BCBAs.
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258 research articles with practitioner takeaways
256 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.