Navigating your child’s journey with a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) can be a collaborative and rewarding experience. However, you might wonder why a BCBA isn’t immediately tackling a specific goal you have in mind. It’s a valid question, and understanding the reasons behind their clinical decisions can help you feel more confident in the process.
A BCBA’s approach is guided by a strong ethical code and a focus on what’s truly best for your child’s long-term well-being and success. This means they must consider several factors before diving into a new goal, and sometimes, those factors require a different focus first.
Safety and Well-being Come First
The top priority for any BCBA is your child’s safety. BCBAs will prioritize safety-related goals before addressing others to ensure a secure foundation for your child. For instance, if a child struggles with elopement (running away), the BCBA will focus on safety skills and strategies to prevent this dangerous behavior before teaching other skills. Similarly, if your child is dealing with a medical issue or is ill, the BCBA may need to pause certain interventions until their health stabilizes.
The Ethical Compass: A BCBA’s Guiding Principles
BCBAs operate under a strict ethical code to ensure they are always acting in your child’s best interest. This means:
- Social Significance: The goals they set must have a meaningful and positive impact on your child’s life. While a parent might want to focus on a specific skill, the BCBA may see a more critical need that will lead to greater independence and quality of life.
- Scope of Practice: BCBAs can only provide services within their areas of competence. If a parent’s goal falls outside of their training, such as a specialized medical intervention, they must ethically decline and refer you to the appropriate professional.
- Evidence-Based Practice: BCBAs are obligated to use interventions supported by scientific research. If a parent’s desired method isn’t evidence-based, the BCBA cannot ethically implement it.
Building a Strong Foundation: Prerequisite Skills
Think of learning like building a house. You can’t put the roof on before the walls are up. A child must have prerequisite skills—foundational abilities—before they can master more complex ones.
If a child struggles with basic imitation, the BCBA will focus on that skill before attempting to teach more complex social interactions. Pushing a child to learn skills they aren’t developmentally ready for can lead to frustration and a lack of progress. The BCBA’s role is to ensure your child has a strong foundation, which is crucial for effective and efficient learning. This strategy prevents “learning gaps,” reduces frustration, and builds the child’s confidence, setting them up for long-term success.
Prioritizing for the Greatest Impact
Therapy time and resources are often limited, so a BCBA must prioritize goals that will provide the most significant benefit. This is why a functional behavior assessment (FBA) is so important. It helps the BCBA identify the underlying reason for challenging behaviors, like aggression or self-injury, and address them first. Ensuring your child’s safety and reducing severe challenging behaviors will always take precedence over teaching new academic or social skills.
Practical and Environmental Factors
The success of any intervention depends on consistency. A BCBA will consider practical factors and environmental limitations, such as:
- Limited Resources: Do they have the necessary time, staff, or materials to work on a particular goal?
- Consistency: Can the goals be consistently applied across all environments, including the home?
- Parent Capacity: Are parents overwhelmed or need training on specific techniques to support the goal? In this case, the BCBA may focus on parent training first to build capacity.
Ultimately, your BCBA is using data and their professional judgment to create a plan that sets your child up for the best possible outcome. Clear communication is key, so don’t hesitate to ask questions. Understanding their rationale helps you become an even stronger partner in your child’s progress.
About the Author
This blog was written by Nicole Browe, MA, BCBA, LBA. Nicole Browe is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) licensed in Texas and currently serves as one of the Director of Clinical Services in the Dallas/Fort Worth In Home Market at Centria Autism. In this role, she is responsible for ensuring the quality and progress of clinical services within the DFW, Texas Market.
