The concept of compassionate ABA has moved from the margins of professional conversation to the center of the field's ethical framework. The BACB Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts (2022) explicitly incorporates compassion as a core value, and training programs increasingly emphasize the role of compassion in effective practice.
Provider: BehaviorLive — via LSGurdin Consulting, LLC
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Join Free →Practicing compassionate ABA has recently become a focus of many conversations in the field and is now part of our ethics code and training. But for many behavior analysts who have been working in the field before this shift, incorporating compassion into our daily practice is a new idea and can be confusing. How do we practice with compassion? What does this look like in schools? Do we need to completely change our approach? This presentation will focus on ways in which school-based BCBAs can incorporate understanding, collaboration, and relationship-building into their existing daily practice. We will discuss the Compassionate Care model presented by Taylor, LeBlanc, and Nosik (2018) as well as more recent articles on compassionate ABA. We will talk about shifting our mindset and learning new compassionate-based consultation behaviors that will lead to greater buy-in and improved treatment integrity, thereby enhancing our overall effectiveness as behavior analysts.
| Certification Body | Credits | Type |
|---|---|---|
| BACB® | 1.5 | Ethics |
For over 25 years, Ms. Gurdin has been working with students, families, and school-based professionals with students from preschool to age 22 with a range of special needs and complex profiles. She is founder of LSGurdin Consulting, LLC, where she provides consultation, student evaluations, parent consultation, professional development, and recruitment support to school districts across Massachusetts. She works collaboratively with parents and school professionals to facilitate integrated support across settings and maximize behavior change and skill development. Ms. Gurdin also provides parent coaching to help parents implement behavioral strategies to improve behavior, encourage independence, and build stronger family relationships. In addition, she offers cutting-edge live and on-demand continuing education events to behavior analysts. Ms. Gurdin is a Part-Time Lecturer in the Master's in ABA program and College of Professional Studies at Northeastern University. Ms. Gurdin is also on the board of MassABA. When she is not working, she is spending time with her husband, three children (ages 21, 20, and 15) and two dogs.
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.