
Margaret
Gifford,
PhD, BCBA-D
Assistant Professor
Louisiana State University Shreveport
Margaret Gifford received her bachelor’s degree from Drake University, master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, and doctoral degree from Marquette University. She is a board-certified and licensed behavior analyst in the state of Louisiana. Dr. Gifford specializes in the assessment and treatment of severe problem behavior, primarily working with children diagnosed with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She is also passionate about education and training in behavior analysis. Dr. Gifford’s research interests lie primarily in improving the assessment and treatment of severe problem behavior, visual analysis of single-subject data, choice-making, behavior analytic training models, and staff/caregiver training.
Presenting at the Nexus Summit:
Ethical guidelines of principles and standards of conduct for a profession are generally referred to as ethical codes. Gifford (2024) compared the ethical codes of behavior analysts, occupational therapists, school psychologists, and speech-language pathologists, identifying common themes such as confidentiality, informed consent, welfare, and equality. While these professions share core values, differences in their ethical codes can impact collaboration. As healthcare professionals increasingly work with other fields to support patient needs, understanding the ethical codes and scopes of…