By Matt Harrington, BCBA · Behaviorist Book Club · April 2026 · 12 min read

Ethical Decision-Making in ABA: Insights from the Dear Don Ethics Panel

Overview & Clinical Significance

The Dear Don Ethics Panel represents an innovative approach to ethics education in behavior analysis, bringing together expert panelists to discuss real-world ethical dilemmas through an interactive, case-based format. Named in honor of Don Baer, one of the founding figures of applied behavior analysis, this panel format creates a unique learning experience that goes beyond reading ethics codes to witness how experienced professionals reason through complex ethical situations in real time.

The clinical significance of ethics education in behavior analysis cannot be separated from the clinical significance of the services behavior analysts provide. Every clinical decision has ethical dimensions, from the initial assessment through goal selection, intervention design, implementation, and discharge. When behavior analysts lack sophisticated ethical reasoning skills, they risk making decisions that harm clients, violate professional standards, damage therapeutic relationships, and undermine public trust in the profession.

The panel format used in the Dear Don series offers particular value because it exposes practitioners to multiple ethical perspectives on the same dilemma. When three experienced professionals analyze the same scenario and reach different conclusions or different reasoning paths to the same conclusion, the audience gains appreciation for the complexity of ethical reasoning and the importance of considering multiple perspectives before making decisions.

The inaugural session of the Dear Don Ethics Panel, moderated by the co-leaders of CASP's Ethics Special Interest Group, focused on foundational ethical theories, the application of basic choice research to ethical decision-making, and structured ethical decision-making models. These topics provide the intellectual infrastructure for ethical practice, moving beyond the common approach of simply memorizing ethics code provisions toward developing the reasoning skills needed to apply ethical principles to novel situations.

The application of choice research to ethical decision-making is a particularly innovative contribution. Behavior analysts are familiar with choice research in the context of client behavior, but applying the same principles to their own professional choices opens new avenues for understanding why practitioners sometimes make poor ethical decisions and how the contingencies of professional practice can be arranged to support ethical behavior.

For practicing behavior analysts, engagement with ethics panel discussions provides ongoing development of the ethical reasoning skills that are essential for competent, responsible practice. The BACB's requirement for ethics CEUs reflects the recognition that ethical competence is not a static achievement but a dynamic capacity that must be continuously developed.

Background & Context

The Dear Don Ethics Panel emerged from CASP's (Council of Autism Service Providers) Ethics Special Interest Group, reflecting the organization's commitment to advancing ethical practice in ABA service delivery. The panel format draws on a rich tradition of ethics case conferences in healthcare and the helping professions, adapted for the specific context of behavior analysis.

The naming of the panel after Don Baer situates the discussion within the history and values of applied behavior analysis. Baer, along with Montrose Wolf and Todd Risley, authored the seminal 1968 paper that defined the dimensions of applied behavior analysis. Their emphasis on the applied dimension, which requires that behavior analysis address socially significant problems, carries inherent ethical implications about whose problems are addressed, how significance is determined, and what constitutes a meaningful outcome.

The foundational ethical theories discussed in the panel provide the philosophical grounding for the BACB Ethics Code and for ethical reasoning more broadly. Consequentialist theories, which evaluate the ethics of an action based on its outcomes, align closely with the behavior analytic emphasis on empiricism and outcome measurement. Deontological theories, which evaluate actions based on duties, rules, and rights regardless of outcomes, provide the basis for absolute ethical principles such as the prohibition against deception and the duty to respect autonomy. Virtue ethics, which focuses on the character of the moral agent rather than specific actions, addresses the professional identity and values that guide behavior analysts in situations not explicitly covered by codes or rules.

The integration of choice research into ethical decision-making represents a distinctly behavior analytic contribution to applied ethics. Research on concurrent schedules of reinforcement, delay discounting, and matching law provides frameworks for understanding why individuals sometimes choose unethical options over ethical ones. For example, delay discounting research demonstrates that immediate reinforcers are disproportionately influential relative to delayed reinforcers, which may explain why practitioners sometimes choose the immediately easier option over the more ethically correct but more effortful one.

The BACB Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts (2022) provides the primary code of professional conduct for the field. However, the code alone is insufficient for ethical practice. Codes are necessarily general and cannot anticipate every specific situation. They may contain ambiguities or apparent conflicts between provisions. And they represent minimum standards rather than aspirational goals. The ethical decision-making models discussed in the panel provide structured approaches for applying code provisions to specific situations, resolving apparent conflicts between codes, and making decisions in situations not explicitly addressed by any code.

Clinical Implications

The clinical implications of the ethical theories, choice research applications, and decision-making models discussed in the Dear Don Ethics Panel are extensive and directly relevant to everyday behavior analytic practice.

Foundational ethical theories provide multiple lenses through which to evaluate clinical decisions. A consequentialist analysis asks what outcomes will result from each possible course of action and which outcomes are most beneficial for the client and other stakeholders. A deontological analysis asks what duties and obligations are relevant and which course of action best fulfills those duties regardless of consequences. A virtue ethics analysis asks what a person of exemplary professional character would do in this situation. Using multiple ethical frameworks to analyze the same situation provides a more comprehensive analysis than relying on any single framework.

The application of choice research to practitioner decision-making has practical clinical implications. Understanding that immediate contingencies can override long-term ethical considerations helps behavior analysts design their practice environments to support ethical behavior. For example, if cutting corners on documentation is immediately reinforced by time savings while the negative consequences of poor documentation are delayed, practitioners can proactively arrange their environment to make ethical documentation behavior easier and more immediately reinforcing.

Structured ethical decision-making models provide practitioners with a reliable process for navigating dilemmas. Without a structured approach, ethical decision-making tends to be dominated by intuition, emotion, and the most immediately salient considerations. A structured model ensures that all relevant factors are considered, that multiple options are generated and evaluated, and that the decision is documented with its rationale.

The clinical implications extend to specific domains of practice. In assessment, ethical considerations include the appropriateness of assessment methods for the individual client, the balance between thorough assessment and timely intervention, and the handling of assessment results that may conflict with referral expectations. In treatment planning, ethical considerations include whose goals are prioritized, how to balance effectiveness with acceptability, and how to handle situations where the most effective intervention is also the most restrictive. In supervision, ethical considerations include the balance between training and gatekeeping, the handling of supervisee impairment, and the management of multiple relationships.

The panel format demonstrates that ethical dilemmas rarely have a single correct answer. Experienced professionals may disagree about the best course of action, and those disagreements often reflect legitimate differences in how ethical principles are weighted. Practitioners should be prepared for the discomfort of ethical ambiguity and should develop tolerance for uncertainty while still taking decisive, well-reasoned action.

The clinical implication of understanding foundational ethical theories is that behavior analysts can articulate the reasoning behind their ethical decisions. When a practitioner can explain not only what they decided but why, referencing relevant ethical principles and the reasoning process they followed, they demonstrate the kind of ethical competence that builds trust with clients, families, colleagues, and oversight bodies.

Ethical Considerations

The Dear Don Ethics Panel's focus on ethical theories and decision-making frameworks provides a meta-ethical perspective that informs how behavior analysts apply the specific provisions of the BACB Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts (2022). Rather than discussing individual code provisions in isolation, this panel addresses the intellectual foundations that support ethical reasoning across all code areas.

Code 1.06 (Maintaining Competence) establishes the obligation for ongoing professional development, which includes development of ethical reasoning skills. Ethics is not a static body of knowledge that can be mastered and then set aside. New ethical challenges emerge as the field expands into new populations and settings, as technology creates new practice modalities, and as social contexts change. Behavior analysts must continuously develop their capacity for ethical reasoning to keep pace with these changes.

Code 2.03 (Consultation) is relevant to the panel's demonstration that ethical dilemmas benefit from multiple perspectives. When practitioners consult with colleagues about ethical concerns, they access different analytical frameworks, different areas of expertise, and different cultural perspectives that can illuminate considerations the individual practitioner may have missed. The panel format itself models this consultative approach, showing how three experts can bring different insights to the same dilemma.

Code 1.10 (Awareness of Personal Biases and Challenges) is connected to the choice research discussion. Understanding how behavioral principles operate on one's own decision-making is a form of self-awareness that supports ethical practice. When a behavior analyst recognizes that their preference for a particular course of action may be driven by the immediate contingencies of their practice environment rather than by careful ethical analysis, they can take steps to correct for this influence.

Code 2.01 (Providing Effective Treatment) has complex ethical dimensions that benefit from multi-theory analysis. What constitutes effective treatment? Effective by whose standards? Over what time frame? A consequentialist analysis focuses on measurable outcomes. A deontological analysis considers whether the treatment process respects the client's rights and dignity regardless of outcomes. A virtue ethics analysis considers what a practitioner of exemplary character would prioritize. Using all three lenses produces a more nuanced and defensible understanding of what it means to provide effective treatment.

Code 1.04 (Integrity) establishes the obligation to be honest and to promote an ethical culture in work environments. The panel's discussion of ethical decision-making models supports integrity by providing tools for consistent, principled decision-making rather than ad hoc responses to each ethical situation. When practitioners use structured models, their decisions are more likely to be consistent across similar situations, which is a key dimension of integrity.

The ethical consideration of moral distress deserves attention. Moral distress occurs when a practitioner knows the ethically correct course of action but feels unable to take it due to organizational, financial, or other constraints. Understanding the contingencies that create moral distress, through the lens of choice research, can help practitioners and organizations identify and modify the conditions that impede ethical behavior.

Assessment & Decision-Making

The Dear Don Ethics Panel provides frameworks for structured ethical assessment and decision-making that behavior analysts can apply to the dilemmas they encounter in practice. Developing fluency with these frameworks through practice and application is essential for effective ethical reasoning.

A comprehensive ethical decision-making model includes several phases. The recognition phase involves identifying that a situation has ethical dimensions. This requires ethical sensitivity, which is the ability to perceive when ethical issues are present. Many ethical failures begin not with poor reasoning but with a failure to recognize that an ethical issue exists. Developing ethical sensitivity requires exposure to a wide range of ethical scenarios and practice in identifying their ethical dimensions.

The analysis phase involves gathering relevant information, identifying all stakeholders and their interests, determining which ethical codes and standards are relevant, and considering the situation through multiple ethical frameworks. This is where the foundational ethical theories discussed in the panel become practically useful. Analyzing a dilemma through consequentialist, deontological, and virtue ethics lenses often reveals different considerations and may suggest different courses of action.

The generation phase involves brainstorming multiple possible courses of action. A common error in ethical reasoning is to frame situations as binary choices between two options when other alternatives may exist. Deliberately generating multiple options, including creative alternatives that might not be immediately obvious, increases the likelihood of finding a course of action that best balances competing ethical considerations.

The evaluation phase involves assessing each option against ethical principles, professional codes, legal requirements, organizational policies, and likely consequences. This evaluation should consider short-term and long-term consequences, direct and indirect effects, and impacts on all stakeholders. The choice research discussed in the panel is particularly relevant here, as it highlights the tendency to overweight immediate consequences relative to delayed ones.

The implementation phase involves selecting and carrying out the chosen course of action. This includes planning how to implement the decision, anticipating potential obstacles, and communicating the decision and its rationale to relevant parties.

The reflection phase involves evaluating the outcome of the decision and the decision-making process. Was the outcome consistent with what was anticipated? Were there consequences that were not foreseen? Was the reasoning process thorough? What would the practitioner do differently next time? This reflective practice is essential for ongoing development of ethical reasoning skills.

The choice research application to ethical decision-making deserves additional attention. Variables from basic choice research that may influence ethical decisions include the magnitude of reinforcement associated with each option, the delay to consequences, the effort required for each course of action, and the probability of consequences. Behavior analysts who understand these variables can examine their own decision-making for the influence of immediate versus delayed contingencies and can arrange their professional environments to support ethical choices.

What This Means for Your Practice

The Dear Don Ethics Panel's content translates into several actionable practices for behavior analysts at all career stages.

Develop fluency with multiple ethical frameworks. Understanding consequentialist, deontological, and virtue ethics perspectives gives you multiple analytical tools for approaching ethical dilemmas. When you encounter a difficult situation, practice analyzing it through each lens. Note where the lenses converge, which suggests a strong ethical consensus, and where they diverge, which highlights the genuine complexity of the situation.

Practice using a structured ethical decision-making model. Select a model and use it deliberately when you face ethical questions, even relatively minor ones. The goal is to make structured ethical reasoning habitual so that when high-stakes dilemmas arise, you have a practiced process to follow rather than relying on improvisation under pressure.

Examine your own practice environment through the lens of choice research. Identify situations where the immediate contingencies of your practice may be pulling you toward less ethical options. Are there tasks you tend to cut corners on because the consequences of cutting corners are delayed while the time savings are immediate? Are there ethical obligations you tend to avoid because they are effortful and their benefits are diffuse? Once identified, you can modify your environment to better support ethical behavior.

Seek out ethics consultations proactively. Do not wait until you are in a crisis to consult with colleagues about ethical concerns. Build a network of trusted colleagues with whom you can discuss ethical questions as they arise. The Dear Don panel models this collaborative approach to ethical reasoning.

Stay engaged with ethics education throughout your career. Ethical competence develops over time through continued education, supervised practice, reflective experience, and exposure to diverse perspectives. The BACB's CEU requirements provide a minimum standard, but the most ethically competent practitioners seek out ethics learning opportunities beyond what is required.