Practice question
Ethical and Professional Issues

Core ethics-code principles: Scope of competence.

Original BCBA scenario practice question with answer explanation and wrong-choice notes.

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Question

Difficulty: medium. Skill: apply. Type: ethics professional judgment.

During a home program, parent asks the BCBA to act quickly even though the requirement related to core ethics-code principles is directly relevant. What is the most appropriate response? The case file includes 8 recent sessions, 5 implementers, and 1 setting.

A
Use the descriptive label as the explanation and treatment target
B
Send the written protocol again without observing performance
C
Pause, document the concern, and seek consultation, supervision, referral, or training before proceeding in relation to child's dropping to the floor when demands are presented

Correct answer

D
Proceed informally because the team believes the action will help

Explanation

Answer C

The clue is the combination of caregiver notes plus one direct observation, dropping to the floor when demands are presented, and the required task: Core ethics-code principles. The case file includes 8 recent sessions, 5 implementers, and 1 setting. Pause, document the concern, and seek consultation, supervision, referral, or training before proceeding in relation to child's dropping to the floor when demands are presented is best because it answers that clue through scope of competence instead of treating the scenario as a generic behavior problem. On exam items like this, name the decision point first, then eliminate options that rely on one report, a label, a familiar protocol, or an action that skips the relevant data check.

Why this question is hard

Clue
Key scenario clue

The clue is the combination of caregiver notes plus one direct observation, dropping to the floor when demands are presented, and the required task: Core ethics-code principles. The case file includes 8 recent sessions, 5 implementers, and 1 setting.

Trap
Common trap

A label is not enough; the decision should be based on observable behavior and relevant variables.

Next
If you missed it, review Scope of competence

Then answer a few related scenarios before moving back to broad practice.

Why the other choices are weaker

A
Choice A

A label is not enough; the decision should be based on observable behavior and relevant variables.

B
Choice B

Written directions alone do not verify performance or correct implementation errors.

D
Choice D

Good intent does not replace consent, documentation, competence, or other safeguards.

Study tags

Scope of competenceCore ethics-code principlescompetencereferral

Turn this into a study plan

If this question felt difficult, practice a short drill from Ethical and Professional Issues and use the review page to turn missed items into a weak-area plan.

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Related study guides

GuideDistractor patternsUse this if the wrong answer sounded plausible.GuideMissed-question reviewUse this if you want to turn the miss into a study rule.GuideScore plateau guideUse this if similar mistakes keep repeating.

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Question FAQ

What BCBA domain does this question cover?

This practice question is tagged to Ethical and Professional Issues. It also includes study tags for Scope of competence, Core ethics-code principles, competence, referral.

How should I review this practice question?

Answer the scenario before reading the explanation, compare your reasoning with the correct answer, then review why the distractors are weaker.

Is this an official BACB exam question?

No. This is an original study question for BCBA Scenario Tutor and is not an official BACB exam item.

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