5 Commitments for Effective and Humane Service Delivery

In 1978, Montrose Wolf argued for the importance of incorporating social validity measures within the science of applied behavior analysis. Almost 50 years have passed since the publication of his seminal article in JABA and the field is still grappling with truly attending to the social significance of our interventions, especially as it relates to the autism community. Criticisms abound from autistic self-advocates and fields outside of behavior analysis (e.g., McGill & Robinson, 2020; Sandoval-Norton, & Shkedy, 2019; Wilkenfeld & McCarthy, 2020) that behavior analysis does not center the autistic perspective. In this interactive webinar, Dr. Megan Miller, BCBA-D will review 5 commitments behavior analysts can make for delivering effective and humane interventions and provide 3 key steps behavior analysts can take to center autistic voices within their service provision and facilitate best outcomes for their clients while collaborating as a team with families and stakeholders.

Learning Objectives:

1. Attendees will be able to identify at least 1 concern that exists relating to traditional implementation of behavior analytic practices and the impacts on clients
2. Attendees will be able to explain at least 1 shortcoming that currently exists in the field of behavior analysis relating to social validity as described by Wolf (1978)
3. Attendees will be able to explain the importance of creating a shared agenda and provide 1 example
4. Attendees will be able to explain at least 2 components of developing a connected and trusting relationship
5. Attendees will be able to provide at least 1 example of being flexible within service delivery