What Makes ABA Therapy Ethical?

Ethics are central in applied behavior analysis (ABA therapy) in ensuring that the rights and well-being of all individuals are respected. Whether the children who get ABA therapy have autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or some other challenges, they deserve to be respected and well-cared-for at all times.

ABA therapy practitioners and service providers need to always maintain and uphold rigorous ethics. Not only do these serve to protect all clients but also preserve the reputation, scientific validity and integrity of the treatment itself.

Well-respected and reputable ABA therapy practices will ensure that they are upholding these high-quality ethical standards at all times, as it is essential to everything they do.

In this article, we’ll describe some of the main ethical foundations and practices that all ABA therapy providers should adhere to.

Table Of Contents

Client Rights

All clients have basic rights when they get ABA therapy. Since many of the people who receive the treatment are minors, it’s essential that their parents and/or caregivers play a significant role in ensuring this, and they need to be integrated into the process so that their rights are respected as well.

Two of the basic rights that ABA therapy clients need to have are privacy and confidentiality.

Privacy applies in two forms — physical privacy as well as control of any personal information. While therapists need to have certain access to and interaction with their patients, they also need to respect their physical privacy.

They may be tasked with helping a child learn bathroom skills or how to get dressed, for example, but they also need to respect the child’s physical privacy in these cases.

As a provider of medical therapy services, they also need to ensure that all clients’ personal information is protected and kept private. This feeds in perfectly with the ethical consideration of confidentiality.

Clients should have full control over their medical and personal information, and it should not be shared with anyone unless consent is given.

Choice and Informed Consent

Two other related ethical considerations are choice and informed consent.

While ABA therapy teams will have in-depth knowledge and expertise in their field, the ultimate choice regarding the approach to treatment needs to fall with the patient and/or family. All clients should be given autonomy over their care, and it plays an essential role in ensuring the therapy is effective.

Similarly, all clients need to be provided with all relevant information about the therapy so that they can make informed decisions about treatment. Informed consent empowers clients and families, which fosters a good sense of collaboration and leads to a supportive partnership that ultimately improves outcomes.

Respect and Dignity

The final two ethical pillars of ABA therapy are respect and dignity.

Every client needs to be respected in all ways. This includes their autonomy and choice, as mentioned above.

It also includes being treated with dignity at all times, regardless of what their abilities are. ABA therapy practitioners need to focus on the unique strengths and challenges that each individual patient has, and should cater the treatment approach to their individual preferences.

Not only is this the right thing to do, but it results in more effective treatment. When a child is given positive reinforcement based on things that they like — whether it be extra praise or time with a book or toy — they are more likely to respond well, remain engaged and stay motivated to learn more.

By respecting every client and upholding their dignity, therapists can foster an environment that’s supportive and that allows all patients to thrive. When practitioners involve clients in the process, they feel understood and heard, which leads to a more inclusive environment that leads to better outcomes.

Blue Gems ABA Upholds the Highest Ethical Standards

Ethics are essential to the administration of ABA therapy. All clients and their families deserve privacy, confidentiality, choice, informed consent, dignity, respect and much more.

At Blue Gems ABA, we uphold the highest ethical standards of ABA therapy for all our clients and their family members. We are committed to providing high-quality treatment for children with ASD that works and that respects them as individuals.

To learn more, please contact us today.