According to Horner and Sugai (2015) the primary focus of applied behavior analysis is to help improve a patient’s behavior that includes academics, reading, communication, and social skills. Others include adaptive learning abilities such as job competence, punctuality, domestic capabilities, grooming, hygiene, and motor dexterity. It is a practical approach to helping children within their settings either at home, school, or clinic (Horner & Sugai, 2015). The therapy requires consistency to get the best of results, and in the case of Jim, getting the best outcome of treatment is controlling any situation that may expose him to negative behavior.
Introducing him to social media could thus result in conflicting issues such as seeking advice from an online friend who does not have the professional knowledge to guide and help him. Jim may be tempted to seek advice and information from the social media platform, a situation that may expose him to obtaining insufficient and unprofessional information (O'Leary, Miller, Olive & Kelly, 2015). Information and advice received from the social media are unverified, inadequate, and not therapeutic and thus may contradict the behaviour analyst’s professional guidance. The behaviour analysis has the moral obligation to guide and protect Jim from any unnecessary external influence during the therapy period (O'Leary et al., 2015). If Jim is permitted to join Facebook, the behaviour analysts will lose a considerable influence on any external impact he may face, a scenario that may give rise to conflicting scenarios and poor enactment of some of the guidance and training.
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Joining Facebook may also connect the behaviour analyst private life to Jim’s private life, a situation that may be counter-productive as they will be able to view each other’s private lives which may interfere with the objective of the therapy. According to guidelines 1.06 of BCBA on the dual relationship, behaviour analysts must be wary of the detrimental impacts of external interactions that may conflict on therapy training (O'Leary et al., 2015).
The best alternative is to allow Jim to engage in a controlled and closely monitored social interaction with known persons within the neighborhood who may not have direct interest in the treatment plan.
References
Horner, R. H., & Sugai, G. (2015). School-wide PBIS: An example of applied behavior analysis implemented at a scale of social importance. Behavior Analysis in Practice , 8 (1), 80-85. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5048248/
O'Leary, P. N., Miller, M. M., Olive, M. L., & Kelly, A. N. (2015, January 6). Blurred Lines: Ethical Implications of Social Media for Behavior Analysts. Retrieved December 10, 2019, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5352618/.
