The Role of Compassion and Ethics in Decision Making Regarding Access to Applied Behavior Analysis Services During the C
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COMMENTARY
The Role of Compassion and Ethics in Decision Making Regarding Access to Applied Behavior Analysis Services During the COVID-19 Crisis: A Response to Cox, Plavnick, and Brodhead Linda A. LeBlanc 1
&
Junelyn F. Lazo-Pearson 2 & Joy S. Pollard 3 & Lorri S. Unumb 4
# Association for Behavior Analysis International 2020
Abstract Cox, Plavnick, and Brodhead (2020, “A Proposed Process for Risk Mitigation During the COVID-19 Pandemic”) published a position statement in the emergency section of Behavior Analysis in Practice in response to the COVID-19 crisis. They argued against a blanket interpretation that in-person applied behavior analysis services for all patients should continue during the pandemic. They strongly argued that the risks of continued services are almost always prohibitive and that only in rare cases would the continuation of in-person services be warranted. Colombo, Wallace, and Taylor (2020, “An Essential Service Decisions Model for Applied Behavior Analytic Providers During Crisis”) soon thereafter published a response to the article pointing out the potential dangers associated with the position of the article by Cox et al. They included a detailed decision model to assist providers in making nuanced and informed data-based decisions that provide the opportunity to honor the ethical responsibility for not abandoning patients. We echo the importance of the Colombo et al. response and add points of response centered on balanced ethical decision making informed by compassionate family-centered care. Keywords Compassion . COVID-19 . Decision making . Ethics
Cox, Plavnick, and Brodhead (2020) published a position statement in the emergency section of Behavior Analysis in Practice in response to the COVID-19 crisis. The authors offered a potential framework for practitioners to use when Editor’s Note This manuscript is being published on an expedited basis, as part of a series of emergency publications designed to help practitioners of applied behavior analysis take immediate action to adjust to and mitigate the COVID-19 crisis. This article was submitted on April 25, 2020, and received final acceptance on May 12, 2020. The views and strategies suggested by the articles in this series do not represent the positions of the Association for Behavior Analysis International or Springer Nature. * Linda A. LeBlanc [email protected] 1
LeBlanc Behavioral Consulting, Golden, CO, USA
2
Advanced Behavioral Health, Costa Mesa, CA, USA
3
Behavior Change Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
4
The Council of Autism Service Providers, Wakefield, MA, USA
making clinical decisions based on the premise of reducing the spread of COVID-19. They argued against a blanket interpretation that in-person applied behavior analysis (ABA) services for all clients should continue during the COVID-19 pandemic. We agree with the authors that decisions regarding the nature, scope, and dosage of ABA services should be made on an individual basis for each patient (our preferred term
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