Rad N Bad: The Other Side of the Table — Ethical Failures, Compassionate Care, and Consumer Realities in ABA

Behavior analysts frequently reference terms such as social validity, compassionate care, and family-centered treatment, yet genuine consumer feedback often reveals a sharp contrast between clinical documentation and lived client experience. In this episode of Rad N Bad, co-hosts Sean Yocum and Mike Carrero sit down with parent advocate Kim Lambert to examine "the other side of the table." Through a deep, uncensored case analysis of her son’s multi-year journey through early intensive behavioral intervention, Kim details systemic ethical breakdowns across multiple service providers. The discussion evaluates coercive authorization practices, the misuse of "trust the process" as a shield against clinical accountability, the total absence of client assent, abrupt service terminations without transition planning, and the dismissal of parental distress. Sean and Mike ground these consumer realities directly in the Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts, outlining concrete behavioral repertoires required for true stakeholder collaboration, compassionate practice, and socially valid intervention.