Abstract
The use of behavioral treatments in schools may at first glance seem to present no particular legal questions. However, the variety of potentially conflicting interests involved in decisions to employ such techniques renders this area legally complex. In this chapter, we will examine some of the basic legal interests involved when behavior modification techniques are used in the classroom, or as an adjunct to classroom instruction. First, we will introduce three basic dichotomies of interests as conceptual tools useful in understanding the complexity of these areas of law. We will then explore, in order, issues surrounding consent to treatment, confidentiality, the rights to treatment and education, legal limits on behavioral treatments, and avenues through which the child or the child’s advocate may seek redress of violations of the child’s rights.
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Corrao, J., Melton, G.B. (1988). Legal Issues in School-Based Behavior Therapy. In: Witt, J.C., Elliot, S.N., Gresham, F.M. (eds) Handbook of Behavior Therapy in Education. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-0905-5_14
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