On the Uncanny Similarities Between Police Brutality and Client Mistreatment

Direct-care staff are responsible for carrying out behavior-analytic services in a culture that perpetuates systemic racism and other problematic systems that can lead to the mistreatment of clients. Limited data exist on factors that influence the mistreatment of clients, so behavior analysts must look to better-studied comparison contexts as a way to identify risk-factors. Police brutality is one context where problematic systems are apparent. Therefore, examining variables known to affect police brutality offers one way to identify aspects of direct-care staff implementation of behavior-analytic treatment that may harbor similar systems. The purpose of this paper is to examine variables associated with police brutality as risk-factors for the mistreatment of clients in direct-care settings. The primary risk-factors discussed include racial-bias, warrior mentality, lack of transparency and accountability, and ineffective intervention. This paper concludes that the field of behavior analysis needs sensitive data collection methods and systematic evaluation of risk-factors to better protect clients from mistreatment.

Behavior-Analytic Treatment Progression for a Child With Tube Dependence: Reaching Age-Typical Feeding

The current case study outlines a behavior-analytic treatment progression for a child with a pediatric feeding disorder and tube dependence. The child participated in an intensive day-treatment program for 8 weeks where she transitioned from tube feedings to oral feedings. She successfully transitioned to a less intensive, telehealth outpatient model for follow-up care where she continued to progress to age-typical feeding. Following a systematic and gradual reduction in follow-up appointments, she consumed all meals of age-appropriate foods in both home and school environments. Another important contribution of the case study is that it demonstrated the importance of follow-up services that occur in the child’s natural environment while highlighting the utility of rubrics. With rubrics, caregivers effectively and efficiently progressed toward treatment goals independently. This case study also discusses the importance of ongoing interdisciplinary collaboration and the unique contributions of each team member in employing effective interventions while ensuring client safety.

Behavior Analytic Treatment of Behavioral Excesses and Deficits of Autism: The Case of Jorge

Chapter 3 discusses a case of behavioral analytic treatment in relation to behavioral excesses and deficits of autism, including the case history, epidemiological considerations, applied behavior analysis (ABA), early childhood behavior intervention, assessment, case formulation, intervention planning, addressing nonspecifics within the therapy module, potential treatment obstacles, ethical considerations, and common treatment mistakes to avoid.