There is a long, interwoven history between behavior support services and medication administration. While many of us are not explicitly trained in medications and diagnostics, we often find ourselves collaborating with psychiatrists and doctors. So how is a BCBA supposed to navigate the many layers of care while still maintaining their scope of practice AND making sure their client receives the care they need? 

Join us and our favorite vulgar professional, Dr. Merrill Winston, to discuss how diagnoses and medications can affect the effect, and effect the affect of the individuals we work with and serve.

Learning Objectives:

1. Discuss best practices for remaining within a BCBA’s scope of practice when recommending medical assessments and evaluations.

2. Tact potential behaviors and affects that may emerge due to the administration of medication.

3. Identify some of the barriers that may impact client behaviors and subsequent medications and diagnoses. 

Take Aways- your bite-sized educational noms

- “It takes a village” We should remember that we aren’t the only stimulus impacting the individuals we work with. While prescribing medications is not within our scope of practice, we should be aware of their behavioral impacts on our clients. 

- If you’ve ever taken medication, you may be aware that there are side effects! It takes a sophisticated repertoire to tact and label physiological sensations and internal events in such a way that makes sense to the listener. Many learners lack this skills and BCBAs are in a prime position to help interpret the behaviors that may emerge with changes to medication . 

- If there is a lack of functional communication (not just being able to answer, “what do you want?”) then some of the side effects of medication may demonstrate as challenging behaviors. Imagine this- you don’t have the ability to speak, and every time you take a certain medication it makes you feel nauseous. How do you let people know? Often times we may interpret behaviors as direct responses to outside stimuli when in reality they are responses to private events. 

Worth 1.5 Learning, 1.5 Ethics CEUs

Purchase CEUS for $8 at: https://atypicalba.com/product/ce-certification/

Have some interstellar discussion on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/atypicalba

Check out us out on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/atypicalba/

Don't need CEUs but want to support the show? Click here to donate to the adventure: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/AtypicalBA

Contact us at: [email protected], [email protected]

Music by: www.purple-planet.com

Find all our links here: https://linktr.ee/ATypicalBA