Question

Mae is a BCBA working with a family who just attended a Celebrity Conference for Autism. This family has just heard about the newest "cure" for autism. This "cure" states that if you give your child this vitamin, it will "guarantee" that your child will begin to talk. This "cure" has very little literature or evidence supporting its claims. What should you do

Answer 1

Answer:

b. Explain that in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis, the only treatments that are implemented are backed by empirical evidence. It appears that the newest "cure" has little research backing it and the BCBA would need to find more literature on this treatment before consideration.

Explanation:

According to a different source, these are the options that come with this question:

a. Tell the family that you will allow for this new treatment, "Just this once" given that this celebrity seems knowledgeable on the topic.

b. Explain that in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis, the only treatments that are implemented are backed by empirical evidence. It appears that the newest "cure" has little research backing it and the BCBA would need to find more literature on this treatment before consideration.

c. Tell the family, "This sounds awesome! Can you share more information with me?"

d. Ignore the family's request and continue with current treatment.

The best thing that Mae can do in this situation is remind the parents of the importance of empirical evidence when dealing with new medical treatments. In the field of Applied Behavior Analysis, as well as in most medical and physical sciences, only treatments backed by evidence can be implemented. This is because the evidence is the way in which professionals can be sure that the treatment has the intended effect. It is also the way in which they can avoid causing harm to a patient.