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Psychology · Studypool

client services and advocacy for change

Post ID: 3477491

Practicing behavior analysts can be confronted with existing laws or institutional policies that need to change. There may be federal or state regulations that do not adequately protect certain individuals, or there could be institution policies and procedures that violate ethical codes of the profession.

In order to get these laws or policies updated, behavior analysts must become active and advocate for these changes. Taking on these additional tasks requires developing a strong understanding of the current policy and its existing impact as well as careful navigation through the groups and organizations that develop and update these laws and policies.

For this Module 3 Assignment, you will explore advocacy for change. You will examine a local district’s/school’s disciplinary policy and consider whether the policy includes zero tolerance for certain behaviors (e.g., aggression, weapons). You will also analyze the impact of zero-tolerance policies on students with disabilities and explain how you could act as an agent of positive social change to influence the school district/school to update its policies.

To Prepare

  • Consider the following scenario:

You are a behavior analyst in an elementary school and one of your students has brought a butter knife to school from home in his lunchbox. During the lunch period, your student is reported to the office and called in to see the assistant principal. The assistant principal has notified you that the student has been put on notice and the school will be contacting the student’s parents regarding suspension from school.

  • Search your local community for a local district’s/school’s disciplinary policy and whether the policy includes zero tolerance for certain behaviors (e.g., aggression, weapons). When a zero-tolerance policy exists, as in the scenario, consider the impact of this policy on your future clients (i.e., students with disabilities), similar to the case in the scenario.

Assignment (2–3 pages)

  • Explain the impact of zero-tolerance policies on students with disabilities (whether your local district/school has such a policy or not).
  • How would you, as a positive social change agent, influence district/school disciplinary policies to better serve your clients?

Be sure to support your Assignment with specific references to behavior-analytic theory and research. In addition to the Learning Resources, search the Walden Library and/or the the internet for peer-reviewed articles to support your Assignment. Use proper APA format and citations, including those in the Learning Resources.

Resources

  • Bailey, J. S., & Burch, M. R. (2022). Ethics for behavior analysts (4th ed.). Routledge.
    • Chapter 5, “Ethical Decision Making: Simple Ethical Questions Versus Complex Ethical Dilemmas” (pp. 40-51)
    • Chapter 14, “Finding an Ethical Place to Work” (pp. 335–348)