Welcome to Behaviorbabe
Ethical Advocate for Accurate Application & Dissemination of Behavior Analysis

Welcome to Behaviorbabe

Ethical Advocate for Accurate Application & Dissemination of Behavior Analysis

It is important in our field to maintain an open conversation about ethics. The Professional and Ethical Compliance Code outlines how behavior analysts are expected to conduct themselves, but sometimes situations are not so black and white. And as the world changes, so do the expectations for ethical conduct. In recent years, issues related to social media have been especially relevant. This month, we've selected the following article which addresses the special concerns that come up with the use of social media. O’Leary, P. N., Miller, M. M., Olive, M. L., & Kelly, A. N. (2017). Blurred lines: Ethical implications of social media for behavior analysts. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 10(1), 45-51 . (March 2019)
in episode eight, Dr. Barbera interviews her close friend and fellow Behavior Analyst, Dr. Amanda N. Kelly. Amanda has seen some of the highest highs and the lowest lows that one can experience when working as an advocate and as a Behavior Analyst. She’s seen a child go on to become a “best case scenario” story, but she’s also continued to work with incredibly challenging cases. Throughout her entire career, her motivation has been her determination to see every child lead their happiest, safest life. (February 2019)

According to Amanda Kelly, a board certified behavior analyst and legislative chair of the Board of Hawaii Association for Behavior Analysis, the lawsuit is “specific to the lack of coordination of DHS and DOE. Our state has literally failed these children on both the medical and educational front. They (DHS and DOE) are both responsible,” she said. (November 2018)

Only 335 ASD students receive behavioral analysis services from a licensed professional.  Amanda Kelly, Legislative Chair for the Hawai’i Association for Behavior Analysis, says the Department of Education is to blame. “The Department of Education does provide behavioral health services and there are many respectable team members.  However, the department has testified that they currently do not have licensed behavior analyst positions and they do not allow providers on campus and nor do they provide fungible services themselves.” (February 2018)

"In general I would tell people just to pick one thing to try to change because as an individual we do have a lot of power and I think policy and legislation can help us magnify what we are trying to set out to do but creating  awareness typically is the first place to start. When I learned about the 500 million a day in the US, that was really hard to wrap my head around and I thought I have got to do something." (February 2018)

Amanda Kelly, a Licensed Behavior Analyst who's been sharing videos of several meetings on For Our Keiki's Facebook page, said she's been disturbed by how the superintendent is responding to parents' questions. "This is not how you interface in Hawaii," she said. "I'm obviously not from Hawaii, but you listen to the community." (September 2017)

Dr. Amanda Kelly returns to the podcast to discuss her #nostrawforme campaign. What started out as essentially a self-management intervention is evolving into movement to reduce the usage of disposable or single-use items. This conversation prompts us to think about other ways in which we consume single-use items, such as paper towels, aluminum cans, and so forth. (2017)

Is playing with students before presenting demands the secret to a great work session? We're joined by special guest Dr. Amanda Kelly, Behavior Babe herself, to answer this question with a detailed and in-depth discussion on her presession pairing research.  Not only do you get a behind-the-scenes tour of the research process and overcoming participant pitfalls, but also a heated discussion about whether Katie Perry or Angry Birds is the ultimate reinforcer.  If you learn one thing this week, its stop grabbing things from our learners! Article discussed: Kelly, A.N., Axe, J.B., Allen, R.F., & Maguire, R.W.  (2015).  Effects of presession pairing on the challenging behavior and academic responding of children with autism.  Behavioral Interventions, 30, 135-156.  doi: 10.1002/bin.1408 (2016)

In Session 4 of The Behavioral Observations Podcast Matt Cicoria sits down with Dr. Amanda Kelly, BCBA-D, a.k.a., the Behaviorbabe. In this episode, he learns how to properly greet a local in Hawai'i, how the licensure laws are playing out across the 8 islands of that state, what it’s like to practice in the midst of volcanos and intermittent water availability, how she developed her online persona, and what not-to-do on social media as a behavior analyst. (2016)