The distinction between scope of practice and scope of competence is one of the most critical yet frequently misunderstood concepts in applied behavior analysis. While scope of practice defines the broad range of activities that a credentialed behavior analyst is legally authorized to perform, scope of competence defines the narrower range of activities that a specific individual practitioner is actually qualified to perform based on their training, education, supervised experience, and ongoing professional development.
Provider: BehaviorLive — via BABAT
Take This Course →Including ethics, supervision, and topics like this one. New live CEU every Wednesday.
Join Free →Executive Director, Dr. Stacie Bancroft, will kick-off Thursday's program with a welcoming address. She'll discuss some important considerations for our community around this year's themes as well as important reminders about the conference. Attendees staying for the 9am talk from Dr. Tyra Sellers, can check in either before or following opening remarks and still be eligible for the full CE credit. The concept of scope of competence is critical in the practice of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), serving as a guiding framework for ethical and effective practice. This talk will explore what scope of competence means and its relationship to professional ethics and consumer protection. We will discuss strategies for how to evaluate, maintain, and practice within one's scope of competence, as well as how to support supervisees and trainees with these activities. We will also cover some strategies and resources for taking a proactive approach to expanding one's scope of competence. Participants will be encouraged to reflect on their own practices and consider how to establish healthy boundaries around their scope of competence to foster responsible and effective practice.
| Certification Body | Credits | Type |
|---|---|---|
| BACB® | 1 | Ethics |
Tyra Sellers is the owner of TP Sellers, LLC consulting and Scholar-in-Residence at Pass the Big ABA Exam (PTB). She earned a B.A. in Philosophy and M.A. in Special Education from San Francisco State University, a J.D. from the University of San Francisco, a Ph.D. from Utah State University, and is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst®. Her professional and research interests focus on professional ethics, training and supervision, assessment and treatment of severe problem behavior, and variability. Dr. Sellers has over 30 years of clinical experience working with individuals with disabilities in a wide variety of settings. She has held positions as an Assistant Professor at Utah State University, Director of Ethics at the Behavior Analyst Certification Board®, and CEO of the Association of Professional Behavior Analysts(APBA). She carries out reviews for several joirnals, has published several journal articles, four co-authored book chapters, co-authored books focused on supervision and mentorship and applied ethics for behavior analysis, and a workbook pair for consulting and new supervisors. She's been a vegetarian for 40 years, she loves flowers, she thinks Twizzlers should be uninvented, and she hopes you know how amazing you are!
Dig into the research behind this topic — plain-English summaries written for BCBAs.
279 research articles with practitioner takeaways
239 research articles with practitioner takeaways
236 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.