One Year Anniversary Post
Since I began writing this blog, several people have asked me if a particular post is about them. Carly admitted that her song was a composite of several people. I thought it was worth addressing how I refer to other people on my blog.
Here are the basic rules I use:
Sometimes what I’m describing is a composite of different situations that I’ve seen again and again, and typically don’t represent a specific person. In that case, I’ll say things like, “Let’s say I’m working a child who…”
If I’m talking about a specific case, I typically say so as in “One time I was working with a child who…” Of course, memory is fallible, and sometimes I’m writing about events years or decades later, so some of the details are probably wrong. Also, I disguise some of the details to protect both confidentiality and the guilty. In spite of this, I strongly believe the message is accurate.
But mostly, I’m talking about my own mistakes. I have frequently given a presentation titled, “I’ve Made All the Mistakes So You Don’t Have To.” The old saying goes that a smart person learns from his own mistakes, but a wise person learns from the mistakes of others.” I consider myself smart – but not very wise. Typically, until I try it and fail, I tend not to learn the lesson.
In our field, it isn’t particularly easy to be wise. Sure, we have lots of training, workshops, journal articles, and conferences. But mostly, those discuss successes. There is very little discussion of failed cases and the reasons behind the failed cases. There is even a formal name for this bias – the file drawer effect. Successful cases get published, while failures are often hidden. I see that as my opportunity to contribute. We now have thousands and thousands of new BCBAs. My sincere hope is that these smart people become a bit wiser by reading the blog.