Ethical Considerations for Special Education Populations

Catalog description

Recommended Preparations: SPLED 503A Ethical behavior is a key component of any human service enterprise. Before a special education teacher or behavior analyst can effectively work with a client or student, they must first establish an environment of trust. This trust is built through ethical behavior on the part of the practitioner. In this class students will learn about the governmental and professional disciplinary standards that regulate the field of behavior analysis in special education. Beyond the letter of the law, students will work through case studies where ethical dilemmas are presented in an effort to tease out the underpinnings of ethical behavior. In this class students will work through five major content areas that are related to ethics in behavior analysis. As a foundation, Federal, State, and Local statutes that pertain to the practice of behavior analysis will be presented. Additionally, other key legal issues such as informed consent and privacy will be discussed. Next, students will learn about definitions of ethics along with the most common ethical dilemmas in the field. Relatedly, students will learn about the reporting of unethical behavior. After the more general treatment of ethics, the class will move on to more formal codes of ethical conduct, which include those promulgated by the Council for Exceptional Children and the Behavior Analyst Certification Board. The final third of the class is focused on ethics within practice and includes topics such as working and communicating with families in a responsible manner and strategies to support ethical behavior. After successfully completing this course students should will be able to (a) describe ethical behavior, (b) discuss relevant governmental regulations regarding behavior analysis in schools, (c) discuss the disciplinary standards of the Behavior Analyst Certification Board, (d) discuss the ethical standards of the Council for Exceptional Children, and (e) identify effective communication skills with clients and students