Description

Behaviour Analysis continues to receive negative media attention and public scrutiny within Australia and around the world. Central to this criticism are the voices and lived experiences of disabled people who have received behaviour analytic services, demonstrating a mismatch between what is considered important and acceptable between these two communities. This only highlights how vitally important it is that behaviour analysis reframes its understanding of socially valid practice in a manner that is informed by and recognises lived experience, and supports individuals in a way that has been deemed acceptable and important to the disabled community. Unfortunately, as a result of public perception and the negative experiences endured and shared by people with disabilities, behaviour analytic professionals and practitioners who wish to learn from, and grow their understanding of disability in this way, are often shunned or shut out in response to these efforts.

Addressing Assumptions that Influence Socially Valid Practice is a continuation of 2023’s ‘Connecting the Dots’ presentation, offering a safe, inclusive and accepting space for behaviour analysts to grow their understanding of disability in an affirming way. This workshop aims to highlight, challenge and address underlying assumptions held by society, behaviour analysis and individual professionals and practitioners that can act as barriers to providing socially valid practice. Through synthesising lived experience of disability, disability-led research, as well as behaviour analytic principles this workshop aims to analyse and address common assumptions that professionals may encounter within their practice. In doing so attendees will be provided with information, guidance, and opportunities to:

• Recognise common assumptions about disability that may be held implicitly, or subconsciously within society as well as behaviour analytic professionals, and the story this portrays about disabled people.
• Explore the impact of unconscious bias on behaviour analytic services and how this may influence how we approach, address and provide support for disabled people.
• Gain an understanding of disability (specifically Autism and ADHD) from an affirming perspective, provided through lived experience and neurodivergent-led research.
• Utilise new understandings about disability and neurodivergence to challenge assumptions in practice and reframe how we perceive an individual’s behaviour.

Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Describe and discuss the meaning of social validity and explore the influence of assumptions in socially valid practice.
• Identify and describe common assumptions held by society about people with a disability and how these influence our perceptions and actions.
• Outline key strengths, characteristics and lived experience of Autistic and ADHD people that align with an affirming, strengths based and social/human rights model.
• Engage in self-reflection to consider whether assessment, planning and programming decisions are guided by assumptions that act as barriers to socially valid practice.
• Identify specific practices that support the inclusion of disabled people within assessment, planning and programming to determine what is socially valid in their context.
• Identify, practice and plan to address, or challenge, underlying assumptions that are impacting on the social validity of services.

Duration: 6 hours (with breaks and lunch)

ABAA PDU/BACB CE: 6 Ethics

Target Audience: The target audience for this workshop is any professional providing therapeutic supports to people with disability, particularly those who are involved in the assessment, programming, and planning of these supports. This workshop invites attendees who are wanting to uphold socially valid practice that reflects the needs and voices of the Autistic community and gain deeper understanding of how current practice can be modified to reflect these values in a more affirming way.