The concept of assent in behavior analysis extends far beyond a simple yes or no. As Stephanie Bendush articulates in this course, assent is a human rights issue relevant to any practice where one person has power and influence over another.
Provider: BehaviorLive — via Women in Behavior Analysis
Take This Course →Including ethics, supervision, and topics like this one. New live CEU every Wednesday.
Join Free →Assent is a human rights issue that is relevant to all practices where one individual has covert or overt power and influence over another person. This is present in, but not limited to the Autism-ABA service provision model. This presentation will start with a general overview of assent by describing the importance of available choices and willing participation from a client. This will include a deeper description of what constitutes a fair and reasonable choice. The next component will be the influence of coercion and skill levels in decision-making. We will review potential ethical implications and the inevitable violations to assent withdrawal. The presentation will wrap up with a discussion of the ethical boundaries around assent.
| Certification Body | Credits | Type |
|---|---|---|
| BACB® | 1 | Ethics |
Stephanie Bendush (pronouns are she/her/hers) is a BCBA and a doctoral student at the Institute for Applied Behavioral Science program at Endicott College. She is originally from New Jersey but currently lives near Denver, Colorado with her family. Her research interests involve exploring assent-based clinical practice with a focus on staff training. She has worked with clients ages 18 months to 24 years old with a variety of diagnoses in addition to autism in home, school, and clinic settings.
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
188 research articles with practitioner takeaways
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.