Interdisciplinary Collaboration

Interdisciplinary Collaboration in Autism Treatment

This chapter discusses the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration for behavior analysts, focusing on improving client outcomes and meeting professional standards. It addresses misconceptions about Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and provides recommendations for effective interactions with professionals from other disciplines.

Importance of Interdisciplinary Collaboration

  • Increasing Interdisciplinary Care: Autism treatment is increasingly interdisciplinary, requiring BCBAs to collaborate with various professionals such as Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs), psychologists, occupational therapists, special educators, and physicians.

  • Improving Client Outcomes: Effective collaboration leads to better client outcomes and helps meet the high standards of the behavior analysis profession.

  • Ethical Considerations: High-quality interdisciplinary collaboration allows behavior analysts to:

    • Operate with integrity.

    • Create and maintain high-quality professional relationships.

    • Minimize harm to clients.

    • Act in the best interest of clients (BACB Standards 1.01, 1.05, 1.10, 2.09, 2.10, 2.12, 2.15, and 3.01).

Addressing Misconceptions About ABA

  • Common Misconceptions:

    • Reinforcement is bribery.

    • BCBAs use aversive techniques to force compliance.

    • BCBAs turn children with autism into robots, teaching only in sterile environments.

    • BCBAs fail to collaborate with other professionals.

  • Refuting Misconceptions:

    • Reinforcement is not bribery (Malott & Shane, 2014).

    • Contemporary ABA focuses on reinforcement-based interventions.

    • Teaching can occur anywhere and involve real-world skills (Dufek & Schreibman, 2014).

    • BACB Code Standard 2.15 outlines safeguards for using aversive procedures when reinforcement-only methods are ineffective.

The Reality of Collaboration

  • Limited Literature: There is limited published research on how BCBAs can effectively collaborate with professionals from different disciplines and ideologies.

  • Definition of Collaboration: Engaging in professional activities with other service providers to improve treatment outcomes.

  • Technical Definition: "Consultation involving voluntary, interpersonal interactions comprising of two or more professionals engaging in communication modalities (face-to- face meetings, e-mail, alternate means of feedback, etc.) for the purpose of shared decision-making and problem solving toward a common goal" (Kelly & Tincani, 2013, p. 124).

  • Outcome of Collaboration: Results in changes to tasks and solutions that would not have been achieved in isolation.

  • Component Behaviors: Successful interdisciplinary collaboration requires interpersonal interactions, professional interactions, and other competencies (Drotar & Sturm, 1996; MacDonald et al., 2010; Cox, 2018).

Professional Interactions and Ethics

  • Importance of Professional Interactions: A fundamental behavior-analytic skill (BACB’s Fifth Edition Task List) addressed in the BACB Code.

  • BACB Standard 2.10: Behavior analysts collaborate with colleagues from their own and other professions in the best interest of clients and stakeholders.

  • Limited Training: Many BCBAs report receiving little to no training in collaboration during their undergraduate and graduate programs (Kelly & Tincani, 2013).

  • Modern Autism Treatment: Increasingly moving towards multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary models of service provision (Cox, 2012).

Recommendations for Professional Interactions

Respect Cultural Differences

  • ABA as a Cultural System: ABA differs from other applied sciences due to its unique philosophical assumptions and approach to research (Cox, 2018; Glenn, 1993).

    • Emphasizes single-subject research versus group-design studies.

    • Values observable and measurable events.

  • Understanding Different Perspectives: Learn about and appreciate the ideologies of colleagues from other fields to understand their recommendations.

    • Example: SLPs may use a cognitive perspective of language development and terms like “mapping,” and may be unfamiliar with Verbal Behavior (Skinner, 1957).

  • Shared Goals: Focus on the shared goal of improving the client's verbal behavior and work towards common objectives (Rogers, Anthony, & Danley, 1989; Lindbald, 2021).

Respect Legal, Regulatory, and Policy Barriers

  • Compliance with Codes of Ethics: Interdisciplinary professionals have their own codes of ethics that may not align with the BACB Code (Cox, 2018).

    • Example: Educators may emphasize “moral education” (AAE, 2013).

  • Understanding Legal Requirements: Understanding the regulations and policies to which other professionals are held accountable is crucial.

  • Example: Individualized Education Plan (IEP) Meeting:

    • Special education teachers have a legal obligation to provide a free and appropriate public education (FAPE).

    • Educators follow case law and legislative policy (e.g., Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District).

    • BCBAs need to understand these constraints and advocate within the system.

    • Effective collaboration involves recognizing resource limitations and working collaboratively within those constraints.

    • BACB Code Standard 2.19 obligates BCBAs to note these barriers.

Limit Technical Jargon

  • Technical Precision: While important, excessive jargon can negatively impact communication and understanding.

  • Potential Issues:

    • Confusion: Colleagues may not understand technical terms like “mand,” “metonymical tact,” or “surrogate-conditioned motivating operation.”

    • Alienation: Nonbehavior analysts may find nontechnical substitutes more socially acceptable (Becirevic, Critchfield, & Reed, 2016).

  • Using Understandable Language: BCBAs should

-Using Understandable Language: BCBAs should
-use common language, be respectful, and focus on client needs to better facilitate communication, understanding, and teamwork.

Demonstrate Humility

-Value Other Opinions: Seek opinions from other professionals and welcome the opportunity to learn from them.
-Benefits of Humility:
-Promotes rapport, trust, and acceptance.
-Helps clients and stakeholders feel heard.
-Improves client outcomes.

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