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

Ethical, Inclusive, and Values-Driven Practice in Behavior Analysis: The DoBetter Framework

Overview & Clinical Significance

The DoBetter movement in behavior analysis represents an important call for the profession to examine its practices through the lens of social justice, inclusion, and values alignment. This bundle of recorded courses from 2018 addresses topics that remain critically relevant: how behavior analysts can practice in ways that are not only technically competent but also culturally responsive, ethically grounded, and aligned with the values of the communities they serve.

The clinical significance of this content lies in the recognition that technical proficiency alone does not constitute good practice. A behavior analyst who designs an effective intervention but fails to consider the cultural context of the family, the preferences of the individual receiving services, or the broader social implications of their treatment approach is practicing incompletely. The DoBetter framework challenges practitioners to examine not just whether their interventions work but whether they work in ways that respect and affirm the dignity of the people they serve.

This is particularly relevant in the current landscape of behavior analysis, where the profession has faced significant criticism from the autistic community and disability rights advocates. Concerns about the goals selected for intervention, the methods used to achieve those goals, and the power dynamics inherent in the therapeutic relationship have prompted serious reflection within the field. The DoBetter courses address these concerns directly, providing practitioners with frameworks for evaluating their practice against broader ethical and social standards.

For practicing BCBAs, engaging with this material is not merely an academic exercise. The families and individuals who receive behavior analytic services come from diverse backgrounds and hold diverse values. Effective service delivery requires the ability to understand and work within these diverse contexts. When practitioners fail to account for cultural and individual differences, they risk imposing their own values on clients, selecting socially invalid goals, and implementing interventions that are technically sound but contextually inappropriate.

The bundle format allows practitioners to engage with multiple related topics in depth, building a comprehensive understanding of how values-driven practice integrates across different aspects of service delivery. Rather than treating ethics, diversity, and social validity as separate topics to be checked off, the DoBetter framework presents them as interconnected dimensions of competent practice.

The 2018 vintage of these courses does not diminish their relevance. The ethical principles and values they address are enduring, and the conversations they provoke are, if anything, more urgent now than when they were originally presented.

Background & Context

The DoBetter movement emerged from a recognition that the field of behavior analysis needed to engage more actively with questions of social justice, cultural responsiveness, and inclusive practice. While behavior analysis has always had ethical standards, the profession's engagement with broader questions of power, privilege, and systemic inequity was relatively limited prior to the conversations that DoBetter and similar initiatives facilitated.

The historical context is important. Behavior analysis developed as a scientific discipline rooted in the principles of operant conditioning, with a strong emphasis on objective measurement, experimental control, and data-driven decision-making. These scientific commitments are genuine strengths of the field. However, they can also create blind spots when practitioners treat the science as value-free or assume that empirical effectiveness is the only criterion for evaluating an intervention.

All clinical decisions involve values. The choice of what behaviors to target for increase or decrease, the selection of reinforcers, the determination of when to fade services, and the definition of meaningful outcomes all reflect value judgments. When these values are unexamined, they tend to default to the values of the dominant culture, which may not align with the values of the individuals and families being served.

The 2018 period was particularly significant for these conversations in behavior analysis. The autistic self-advocacy movement had been raising concerns about ABA practices for years, and the profession was beginning to engage with these concerns more seriously. Questions about normalization as a treatment goal, the use of compliance-based procedures, and the representation of autistic voices in service design were being asked with increasing urgency.

The DoBetter courses address these questions within a behavior analytic framework, demonstrating that values-driven practice is not opposed to scientific practice but is, in fact, a necessary complement to it. The behavioral principle that the social validity of outcomes matters alongside their empirical reliability is foundational to applied behavior analysis. The DoBetter framework simply asks practitioners to take this principle more seriously and more broadly.

The courses also reflect a growing awareness that the profession's workforce lacks diversity and that this lack of diversity has implications for service delivery. When the majority of practitioners come from similar cultural backgrounds, there is a risk that professional norms and standards will reflect a narrow set of cultural values. Increasing diversity within the profession and developing cultural competence among all practitioners are both necessary steps toward more inclusive practice.

These courses were among the early systematic efforts to address these issues through continuing education, making them historically significant as well as clinically relevant.

Clinical Implications

Values-driven practice has concrete clinical implications that affect every stage of service delivery, from initial assessment through discharge planning. Practitioners who engage with the DoBetter framework find that it changes not just their thinking but their actual clinical behavior.

Goal selection is perhaps the most immediately affected area. Values-driven practice requires practitioners to critically examine whose values are reflected in treatment goals. Is the goal to make the individual more convenient for the people around them, or is it to improve the individual's quality of life as they define it? These are not always the same thing. For example, reducing stimming behavior may make a classroom environment more typical, but if the stimming serves a regulatory function for the individual and does not cause harm, eliminating it may not be in the individual's interest. Values-driven goal selection involves the individual and their family in identifying what matters most to them and prioritizing goals accordingly.

Intervention selection is similarly affected. The DoBetter framework encourages practitioners to consider not just whether an intervention is effective but whether it is respectful, minimally intrusive, and consistent with the individual's preferences and dignity. Code 2.15 in the BACB Ethics Code addresses the selection of least restrictive procedures, but values-driven practice goes further by considering the subjective experience of the individual receiving the intervention.

Cultural responsiveness in service delivery requires practitioners to adapt their approaches to fit the cultural context of the families they serve. This includes understanding how different cultures conceptualize disability, what role family members play in decision-making, how authority and expertise are viewed, and what communication styles are preferred. A culturally responsive practitioner adjusts their approach to work effectively within each family's cultural framework rather than expecting all families to conform to the practitioner's norms.

The therapeutic relationship itself is affected by values-driven practice. When practitioners approach families with genuine humility, acknowledging that the family's expertise about their own experience is as valuable as the practitioner's technical expertise, the resulting partnership is more collaborative and more effective. This is not merely a relational nicety; it has measurable effects on treatment engagement, implementation fidelity, and family satisfaction.

Assessment practices should incorporate measures of social validity, not just at the end of treatment but throughout the process. Regular checks on whether the goals remain meaningful to the individual and family, whether the intervention approach is acceptable, and whether the outcomes are making a genuine difference in quality of life provide important data that should inform ongoing treatment decisions.

Discharge planning and transition support are also affected by a values-driven approach. Rather than defining success solely in terms of behavioral criteria, practitioners should consider whether the individual is better equipped to live the life they want to live, with the supports they need, in the settings that matter to them.

Ethical Considerations

The BACB Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts (2022) provides a strong foundation for values-driven practice, though realizing its full potential requires practitioners to engage with the code thoughtfully rather than superficially.

The core principle of benefiting others is central to the DoBetter framework. Code 2.01 requires practitioners to practice within their competence, which in this context means developing competence in cultural responsiveness, social validity assessment, and inclusive practice. A practitioner who is technically skilled but culturally unaware is not practicing within their full scope of competence.

Code 1.07 addresses cultural responsiveness and diversity explicitly, requiring behavior analysts to actively engage in professional development regarding cultural responsiveness. This is not a passive requirement to avoid discrimination but an active obligation to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to serve diverse populations effectively. The DoBetter courses provide one avenue for fulfilling this ongoing professional development obligation.

Code 1.05 requires treating others with compassion, dignity, and respect. In the context of values-driven practice, this principle extends beyond interpersonal courtesy to encompass the entire treatment approach. Selecting goals that reflect the individual's values rather than the practitioner's convenience, using procedures that respect the individual's autonomy and preferences, and creating therapeutic environments that affirm the individual's identity are all expressions of this ethical principle.

Code 2.09 requires the meaningful involvement of clients and stakeholders in treatment decisions. Values-driven practice takes this requirement seriously by creating genuine opportunities for participation rather than obtaining rubber-stamp consent for practitioner-determined plans. This means presenting options, discussing trade-offs, respecting disagreement, and modifying plans based on client and family input.

Code 3.04 prohibits discrimination based on protected characteristics. While this establishes a minimum standard, values-driven practice goes further by actively working to create inclusive environments and to counter the effects of systemic bias in service delivery. This might include examining whether assessment tools are culturally appropriate, whether treatment goals reflect cultural values, and whether access to services is equitable across different populations.

Code 1.02 addresses the responsibility to maximize benefit and minimize risk of harm. The DoBetter framework expands the concept of harm to include not just physical or behavioral harm but also the harm that can result from invalidating an individual's identity, imposing normative standards that do not serve the individual's well-being, or perpetuating systemic inequities through clinical practice.

Engaging with these ethical dimensions is not about adding complexity to practice for its own sake. It is about ensuring that the services we provide actually serve the people we intend to help, in ways that they find meaningful and respectful.

Assessment & Decision-Making

Integrating values-driven considerations into clinical assessment and decision-making requires practitioners to expand their assessment frameworks beyond traditional behavioral measures.

At the outset of services, a comprehensive values assessment should complement the standard behavioral assessment. This involves exploring the individual's and family's priorities, cultural values, preferred communication styles, and definitions of meaningful outcomes. These conversations should be ongoing throughout the service relationship, not conducted once and then filed away. People's values and priorities evolve, and treatment should evolve with them.

When selecting treatment goals, apply a values filter in addition to the standard clinical criteria. For each potential goal, ask: Who benefits from this change? Does the individual want this change? Is this goal culturally appropriate? Does achieving this goal improve the individual's quality of life as they define it? Would a reasonable person from the individual's own community view this goal as meaningful? If the answers to these questions are not clearly affirmative, the goal should be reconsidered.

When choosing intervention procedures, consider not just effectiveness but also the individual's experience of the intervention. Two procedures may produce equivalent behavioral outcomes, but one may be experienced as more respectful, more engaging, or more aligned with the individual's preferences. When effectiveness is comparable, the procedure that is most consistent with the individual's dignity and autonomy should be preferred.

Decision-making about when to continue, modify, or terminate interventions should incorporate social validity data alongside behavioral data. If behavioral data show progress but the family reports that the intervention is creating stress, disrupting family routines, or pursuing goals that no longer feel meaningful, these concerns must be addressed. Conversely, if behavioral data are modest but the family reports meaningful improvement in quality of life, this information should inform the evaluation of treatment effectiveness.

Self-assessment is a critical component of values-driven decision-making. Practitioners should regularly examine their own cultural assumptions, biases, and value judgments. Questions to ask yourself include: Am I imposing my values on this family? Am I uncomfortable with something about this client's behavior because it is genuinely problematic or because it violates my cultural norms? Am I providing the same quality and intensity of service to all my clients regardless of their background?

Seek diverse perspectives when making complex decisions. Consulting with colleagues from different cultural backgrounds, seeking input from individuals with lived experience of the conditions you are treating, and reading broadly beyond the behavior analytic literature all help to counter the blind spots that inevitably develop when decision-making is confined to a narrow perspective.

Document your values-driven reasoning just as you document your behavioral reasoning. When you select a goal, note why it is meaningful to the individual and family. When you choose a procedure, note how you considered the individual's preferences and dignity. This documentation strengthens your clinical record and demonstrates thoughtful, ethical practice.

What This Means for Your Practice

The DoBetter framework is not a separate skill to add to your repertoire; it is a lens through which to view everything you already do. Every assessment, every goal, every intervention, and every interaction with a client or family involves values, whether you examine them or not. The choice is between examining those values deliberately and allowing them to operate unchecked.

Start with honest self-reflection. Examine your own cultural background, assumptions, and biases. Consider how your experiences have shaped your ideas about what constitutes appropriate behavior, successful outcomes, and good parenting. Recognize that these ideas are culturally specific rather than universal.

In your clinical work, make social validity a genuine priority rather than a procedural afterthought. Ask families what matters to them. Listen to their answers. Adjust your plans accordingly. Revisit these conversations regularly throughout the service relationship.

Seek out the perspectives of individuals who have received ABA services, particularly those who have been critical of the field. Their feedback, even when it is uncomfortable to hear, contains valuable information about how our practices are experienced by the people they are meant to help. Engaging with this feedback is a sign of professional maturity, not weakness.

Advocate for inclusive practices within your organization. This might mean pushing for more diverse hiring, developing culturally responsive assessment protocols, or creating opportunities for staff to engage in ongoing professional development around cultural competence and values-driven practice.

Finally, approach this work with humility and a willingness to be wrong. Values-driven practice is not about having the right answers; it is about asking the right questions and being genuinely open to what you learn.