When considering assent, behavior analytic conversation has recently frequently pointed to topographical definitions of assent and assent withdrawal, which alone are insufficient to indicate function. While some topographies of assent withdrawal may be overt and highly observable and countable to others, some topographies of assent withdrawal may be subtle (Hayes & Fryling, 2009), potentially to the degree of being unobservable to most other viewers such that it may be considered a private or covert event (Skinner, 1945). This behavior may also covary with or be described as “masking” (Pearson & Rose, 2021; Miller, Rees, & Pearson, 2021). When considering co-creating space to minimize masking and increase the probability of accurately responding to assent withdrawal or lack of active assent, a non-linear approach may be valuable (Layng et al., 2021). This presentation will consider behavioral shifts and environmental shifts practitioners can engage in to increase the probability of authenticity in responding for the learners they support.
This course goes beyond the current BCBA and BCaBA Task Lists by introducing behaviorally informed strategies to reduce masking—a phenomenon where learners may mask genuine assent—through environmental and behavioral adjustments designed to increase authentic responding. Masking and nuanced forms of assent withdrawal are not explicitly addressed in standard task list content, yet they pose significant ethical concerns. The course is behavior-analytic in nature, emphasizing functional approaches to identifying masking behaviors, understanding their implications, and aligning practice with the Ethics Code’s focus on autonomy and assent. It is specifically tailored for certified and aspiring behavior analysts seeking to ethically enhance consent practices by co-creating spaces that foster genuine assent and minimize coercion.
Publication Date: June 2025
This Ethics course provides 2 Ethics CEU credits for BACB, QABA, and IBAO.
Objectives
1. Identify a behavioral conceptualization of masking
2. List differentiated dangers of masking for autistic people
3. Identify components of the Ethics Code for Behavior Analysis (ECBA; BACB, 2020) related to assent and autonomy
Author/Speaker
Worner Leland (they/them) is an agender, autistic, disabled human, and a behavior analyst. They are a former researcher and educator with Upswing Advocates, a current educator with Collab Lab and Sex Ed Continuing Ed, and a current collaborative writer with the Assent Lab and the Louisiana Contextual Science Research Group. They are a past president of the Sexual Behavior Research and Practice SIG of ABAI, and are the current president of the inaugural Board of Applied Behavioral Sexology. Their work focuses on sex education, assent and consent education, and harm reduction and coercion reduction education in behavior analysis.
Instruction Qualification
Worner Leland’s CV
| Requirement Category |
Meets Requirement (✔) |
Evidence / Description |
| Published Peer-Reviewed Research or Books on the Subject |
☑ Yes |
Author and co-author of multiple peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters addressing assent, autonomy, verbal behavior, masking, neurodiversity, and contextual behavioral analysis. Publications in Behavior Analysis in Practice and Routledge volumes examine ethical practice, assent withdrawal, authenticity, and functional contextual interpretations of private and subtle behavior—directly aligned with course content on assent, masking, and non-linear responding. |
| ≥ 5 Years of Practical Experience(e.g., direct service delivery, applied practice, professional engagement) |
☑ Yes |
Nearly a decade of applied professional experience as a BCBA and Licensed Behavior Analyst providing assent-based services for autistic individuals and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Extensive hands-on experience designing environments that reduce masking, implementing non-linear contingency analyses, supporting authentic responding, and training caregivers and clinicians to respond ethically to subtle or covert assent withdrawal. |
| ≥ 3 Years Teaching / Training / Mentoring Experience |
☑ Yes |
Extensive experience teaching and training behavior analysts and graduate students as adjunct faculty and conference organizer. Has delivered numerous invited keynotes, workshops, and CE courses on assent, masking, autonomy, and ethics at ABAI, state associations, and international conferences, including keynote presentations specifically focused on authentic assent and minimizing masking in ABA practice. |
