Assent-based practice has moved from the margins to the center of contemporary behavior analytic discourse, and for good reason: the ethical requirement to honor a child's willingness to participate is not simply a humanitarian preference — it reflects a deepening empirical understanding that coerced participation produces treatment that is less effective, less generalizable, and more likely to damage the therapeutic relationship that makes sustained behavior change possible. Ariana Boutain's course approaches assent from a dimension that receives less attention than the clinical rationale: the supervisory and organizational infrastructure required to translate assent principles from individual clinician values into consistent team practice.
Provider: BehaviorLive — via Brellium
Take This Course →Including ethics, supervision, and topics like this one. New live CEU every Wednesday.
Join Free →Honoring a child's willingness to participate isn't just ethical—it's foundational to effective, compassionate care. This CEU equips supervisors with the tools to train and support staff in recognizing assent and dissent cues, integrating assent-based practices into BST, fidelity checks, and feedback systems. We'll also address the real-world barriers—like staff resistance, skill gaps, and productivity pressures—that can lead to unintentional coercion. Attendees will leave with practical strategies to build a culture where assent is consistently prioritized and respected.
| Certification Body | Credits | Type |
|---|---|---|
| BACB® | 1 | Supervision |
| COA | 1 | — |
Dr. Ariana Boutain received her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Master’s Degree in Applied Behavioral Science from the University of Kansas, and Ph.D. in Behavioral Psychology from the University of Kansas. Ariana is a Doctoral-Level Board Certified Behavior Analyst and has been working with children with autism, intellectual and developmental disabilities, and related disorders since 2006. Dr. Ariana has presented at regional and national conferences on topics including the effectiveness of different prompting procedures on skill acquisition and the use of telehealth technology within parent training programs. Dr. Ariana has published in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and the Behavior Analyst and has served as a reviewer for the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and the International Journal of Developmental Disabilities
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
256 research articles with practitioner takeaways
You earn CEUs from a dozen different places. Upload any certificate — from here, your employer, conferences, wherever — and always know exactly where you stand. Learning, Ethics, Supervision, all handled.
No credit card required. Cancel anytime.
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.