Interdisciplinary Collaboration Brodhead, Cox, and Quigley (2018)

Chapter Overview Recommendations for professional interactions Respect cultural differences Respect legal, regulatory, and policy barriers Limit technical jargon whenever possible Non-behavioral treatment recommendations

Interdisciplinary Collaboration There are numerous (mis)conceptions circulating regarding the practice of behavior analysis We describe them as (mis)conceptions based upon the old adage “there might be a kernel of truth” within the story That is, the (mis)conceptions likely arose from poor or misunderstood applications of the science.

Interdisciplinary Collaboration Poor collaboration is a topic more likely fitting the (mis)conception idea Collaboration is interpersonal interactions comprising of two or more professional engaging in communication modalities for the purpose of shared decision-making and problem solving toward a common goal (Kelly & Tincani, 2013, p. 214)

Interdisciplinary Collaboration Professional interactions, a component part of collaboration, is a fundamental behavior analytic skill It is also an ethical requirement Code 7.0 states that behavior analysts work with colleagues within the profession of behavior analysis and from other professions …

Interdisciplinary Collaboration Despite the foundational requirement of professional interactions, the majority of BCBAs surveyed indicated little to no training regarding collaboration The purpose of this chapter is to provide foundational information for collaboration

Recommendations for Professional Interactions Respect Cultural Differences

Interdisciplinary Collaboration Code 1.05 describes requirements of relationships with clients and professionals Culture is a key aspect of relationships

Interdisciplinary Collaboration Culture, for the purpose of interdisciplinary collaboration, is interpreted as the philosophical assumptions, guidelines, and research that define a specific field or sub-field of autism treatment The culture of behavior analysis differs from other sciences and practices. Emphasis on single-subject research Observable and measurable events

Interdisciplinary Collaboration Be aware that cultures differ Learn about cultural differences Increased awareness and knowledge of cultures can increase collaboration

Recommendations for Professional Interactions Respect Legal, Regulatory, and Policy Barriers

Interdisciplinary Collaboration Laws, regulations, policies, and ethical codes guide autism service delivery and the professionals involved Knowing the laws, regulations, policies, and ethical codes for each professional might differ is a starting point for collaborating with other professionals

Interdisciplinary Collaboration It is most likely that laws and regulations apply similarly across professionals, but there is no guarantee For example, regulatory requirements require professionals to train parents and caregivers how to implement strategies in the absence of professionals However, the state has a practice act that limits what nurses can and cannot train non professionals to do, whereas behavior analysts use judgement to determine what to train and not train Without understanding of this legal difference, a behavior analyst might criticize a nurse for not being a “team player”

Interdisciplinary Collaboration Company policies and discipline specific ethics codes will likely differ across professionals A university provides evaluations and treatment recommendations for individuals with autism. Each professional assesses the child and provides written information separately. The professionals have different definitions of evidence-supported treatments, often leading to incompatible treatment recommendations

Recommendations for Professional Interactions Limit Technical Jargon Whenever Possible

Interdisciplinary Collaboration Code 1.05b requires behavior analysts to use language that is fully understandable to the recipient It can be difficult to learn behavior analytic precise language, only to be required to use different language to communicate with non behavior analysts

Interdisciplinary Collaboration Using non technical language can improve understanding between colleagues There is little point in speaking if your audience cannot understand you Non behavior analysts prefer substitutes for behavior analytic language (Becirevic, Critchfield, & Reed, 2016)

Behavioral Non-behavioral We have a behavior intervention plan based on an analysis of environmental maintaining variables that will place the maladaptive response on extinction and implement differential positive reinforcement for mands. We have a plan to help Craig learn to ask for what he wants instead of acting out to get it. The behavior technicians provide reinforcement on a VR-8 schedule. Dylan's teachers occasionally reward his good behavior. A most-to-least prompting procedure is used to teach ADLs. We guide Hugo's hands to help him learn to use the bathroom and wash his hands afterwards. We guide his hands less and less as he gets better at it. The DRO has not resulted in a decrease in inappropriate verbalizations. Abbie still says inappropriate things, even if we reward her for not doing so. The results of our functional analysis are inconclusive. It's possible his behavior is multiply controlled but we will need to conduct further isolated test-control analyses to confirm this. We need to continue looking at Vinny's behavior. As of now, it's not clear why he does what he does.

Recommendations for Professional Interactions Non-Behavioral Treatment Recommendations

Interdisciplinary Collaboration It is important that behavior analysts understand the effects of treatments designed and implemented by colleagues Code 2.09d Code 6.01

Interdisciplinary Collaboration Non-behavioral treatments are not synonymous with ineffective or harmful Conflating this view it might impede collaborations with colleagues It might also be counter-productive for the individual

Interdisciplinary Collaboration Non-behavioral treatments are not synonymous with non-evidence- based treatment Conflating this view might impede collaboration with colleagues It might also be counter-productive for the individual

Interdisciplinary Collaboration Behavior analysts need to determine when it is appropriate to reject non-behavioral treatments It can be aligned to an evidence-based practice model (see Chapter 5) Brodhead (2015) and Newhouse-Oisten, Peck, Conway and Frieder (2017) provide examples of when to reject non-behavioral treatments

Interdisciplinary Collaboration Read Dale Carnegie How to Win Friends and Influence People The book provides recommendations about interpersonal interactions, and is an example of how to communicate in non-technical language