The call for trauma-sensitive, compassionate practice in Applied Behavior Analysis represents a critical evolution in how the field approaches assessment and treatment of problem behavior. This course challenges practitioners to examine whether the procedures commonly used in ABA—particularly those involving intrusive interventions and extinction-based approaches—align with a commitment to compassionate, trauma-informed care.
Provider: BehaviorLive — via BABAT
Take This Course →Including ethics, supervision, and topics like this one. New live CEU every Wednesday.
Join Free →Our field has been designed to address problems of social significance in a socially meaningful way. This emphasis on showing concern for others by alleviating their suffering is embedded within our applied and effective dimensions which define our field (Baer et al., 1968; Wolf, 1978). The practice of our science, however, has not always made the subjective experience and the cultural perception of our procedures a central focus in the assessment and treatment of problem behavior. There is continued reliance on highly intrusive procedures and tactics of implementation that (a) produce bursts of dangerous behavior and emotional responding, (b) risk safety and rapport, and (c) endanger the overall acceptability and effectiveness of our approaches. In this talk, the meaning of compassion in the assessment and treatment of problem behavior will be discussed, followed by specific considerations and recommendations for how to incorporate a more trauma-sensitive, assent-based, compassionate approach in the identification of goals, and the selection and implementation of our procedures.
| Certification Body | Credits | Type |
|---|---|---|
| BACB® | 1 | Ethics |
Dr. Ghaemmaghami’s work over the past 15 years has focused on ways to improve the overall effectiveness, feasibility, and acceptability of behavior analytic procedures in practice. As a board-certified behavior analyst, Dr. Ghaemmaghami has consulted to a range of professional organizations, schools, and families, in various jurisdictions and settings including general and special education classrooms, outpatient clinics, homes, residential, community, and vocational settings, on issues related to severe problem behavior, comprehensive curriculum design, sleep-related problem behavior, and selective eating. Dr. Ghaemmaghami received a Master of Applied Disability Studies with an ABA specialization from Brock University, Canada, and a Ph.D. in Behavior Analysis from Western New England University under the supervision of Dr. Hanley. She subsequently served as an Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Pacific, advising master’s level students in ABA, before joining FTF Behavioral Consulting as the Clinical Director and Senior Consultant. Prior to starting her studies at Western New England, Dr. Ghaemmaghami was the Clinical Supervisor in charge of the implementation and evaluation of the Provincial Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention Program for children with autism in Northern Ontario, Canada. This experience provided her with an appreciation for issues surrounding successful transition of treatment across settings and has inspired her interest in maximizing practicality, social acceptability, safety, and overall effectiveness of treatment procedures and effects. Dr. Ghaemmaghami has published articles in peer-reviewed journals related to assessment and treatment of problem behavior and has presented at various national and international conferences on ways to design and enhance the effectiveness of these procedures. In particular, Dr. Ghaemmaghami’s research has focused on effective ways to build robust repertoires of communication, toleration, and cooperation to prepare learners for inevitable interruptions to reinforcement in typical settings.
Side-by-side comparison with a clinical decision framework
Research-backed educational guide for behavior analysts
Research-backed answers to common clinical questions
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.