POSITION STATEMENT
Statement on the Use of Procedures that Increase Risk and Harm
Composed by the APABA Research and Advocacy Team
About this statement
Following public discussion of the use of aversive procedures in applied behaviour analysis, APABA's Research and Advocacy Team found that there was little to no guidance or regulation surrounding procedures that increase risk and harm for recipients of applied behaviour analysis in the Atlantic Provinces. This statement was written in response, and was guided in part by the results of a survey sent to all APABA members.
The statement sets out a six-level system categorising behaviour-change procedures by their risk of harm to the recipient and the degree to which they infringe on the recipient's rights, from Level 1 (nonintrusive) through Level 6 (prohibited). Each level carries a corresponding standard of review. The recommendations are intended as minimum standards, and apply to those providing behaviour support services as behaviour analysts.
APABA is an affiliate chapter of ABAI. The recommendations in this statement are those of APABA alone and are not endorsed or shared by ABAI in any way.