Tom Freeman on Ethics, Curiosity, and Asking Better Questions
Author: Adele Hall
A new publication from our Senior Vice President and Subject Matter Expert
If you’ve ever attended a presentation by Thomas Freeman, or worked alongside him, or perhaps just had a conversation with him, you know pretty quickly that discussions with Tom rarely stay confined to one topic for very long.
A conversation about ethics can suddenly become a discussion about psychopharmacology, disability rights, educational systems … or even humpback whales, music, geology, volcanoes, politics, or world history. Somehow it all circles back to behavior science in a way that feels thoughtful without feeling overly academic.
That curiosity is part of what makes Tom such an engaging educator, writer, and mentor within the field of behavior analysis, and it also shows up clearly in his latest publication in Perspectives on Behavior Science, co-authored with Mary “Max” Llinás and Elbert Blakely.
The article explores the conceptual and practical concerns surrounding the continued use of the term “noncontingent reinforcement (NCR).” It seeks to make the case for continued refinement of behavioral science terminology, with an acknowledgment of the way technical language can shape both clinical practice and our conceptual understanding of how things work.
Rather than accepting the continued use of a term simply because “it’s what everyone’s always done,” the paper by these three authors encourages behavior analysts to reflect on the conceptual accuracy and growing range of meanings for NCR, which has become one of the most commonly used procedural terms in the field of applied behavior analysis. Listening to Tom talk about the article, it becomes clear that this goes beyond technical terminology. It connects to much larger issues, such as how language influences the way people think about science in general, the ethics that accompany its application to human problems, and ultimately how it all relates to the seriousness with which clinical services are delivered to those most in need.
Read the full article here: rdcu.be/fhhcm
More Than Technical Expertise
Over the years, Tom has presented on everything from ethics, the history of autism, the distinction between psychopharmacology and behavioral pharmacology, to bereavement in developmental disabilities and the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration. Recent talks have included Kanner and Asperger: The Complex Ethical History of the Autism Diagnosis, Ethics in Behavior Analysis: Shades of Grey, The Road to Licensure in ABA, and The Role of the Behavior Analyst in Psychotropic Medication Management.
He also served as lead author of the ethics chapter in the 3rd edition of Applied Behavior Analysis by Cooper, Heron, and Heward, one of the most widely recognized textbooks in the field.
But what stands out most about Tom is not just his expertise. It’s the way he approaches the science itself.
One thing that comes up often in conversations with him is that applied behavior analysis should never become detached from the people it’s meant to support. He talks a lot about the responsibility that comes with using science to effectively change a person’s behavior. With the power of behavior analysis comes the responsibility to ensure that the services provided are focused on teaching the person the skills they need to effectively contact both more and more powerful reinforcement which really means to live a more meaningful and fulfilling life. Most importantly, it must be meaningful from the perspective of the individual receiving services, not someone else.
That perspective shows up throughout the NCR paper as well. What initially sounds like a technical discussion about terminology is really connected to something much bigger: precision, procedural integrity, compassion and respect for others, and an understanding of how language influences the way practitioners design therapeutic interventions for the people they serve.
A Career Shaped by Curiosity
Tom began working in behavior analysis in 1979 at the Walter E. Fernald State School in Massachusetts before moving to Florida in 1995, where he earned a Master’s Degree in Applied Behavior Analysis from Florida Tech in 2000 and was credentialed as a BCBA. His supervisor at his informal practicum site, Dr. Maria Ruiz, eventually recommended him for a position as a District Behavior Analyst for the State of Florida (a position he served in for 10 years). He has been licensed to practice behavior analysis in both New York and Massachusetts, and notes that while licensure is still not available in the State of Florida, he believes someday soon it will be.
Despite this strong professional history, it seems that many experiences that have significantly shaped his perspective have occurred well beyond academic classrooms, clinical environments, or other related settings.
From 1986–1995, Tom participated in seasonal humpback whale research for the University of Hawaii. This long-term study focused on individual whale identification, behavioral observation, sound playback studies, aerial surveys, underwater videography, and marine mammal conservation efforts. He also worked on a Hawaiian Spinner Dolphin study for the University of California and was a volunteer in an Orangutan Conservation Project in 1986 on the island of Borneo in Indonesia. This is where he met his wife Kathy of 30 years and counting (who, like Tom, grew up in the shadow of New York City. She was raised in New Jersey rather than Long Island, where Tom grew up).
Listening to Tom talk about these experiences, you realize his curiosity has never really stayed entirely focused on one field of endeavor.
One story in particular stayed with me.
While discussing assent in behavior analysis, Tom described how researchers working with humpback whales would stop pursuing a single whale or group of whales (in either case known as a “pod”) if the animal(s) changed direction three times while being followed. The goal was to get a picture of the whale(s) fluke when they did a “fluke-up dive,” to obtain a photograph that could serve as a kind of fingerprint allowing for researchers to identify the animal in social interactions during all subsequent sightings. But the research team interpreted these repeated shifts in direction as a form of communication indicating stress from the interaction. To a behavior analyst (and most anyone else) this is a pretty clear sign that the pod is engaging in escape-related behavior. Thus, even in marine mammal studies in the wild, researchers acknowledge the idea that nonverbal behavior can communicate assent or withdrawal of assent, and that respecting those signals matters, even more than the drive to collect the data.
That perspective carries directly into the way Tom talks about behavior analysis today. He believes that the underlying ethos of this work, and really all social interaction, is this: Treat other people (or animals) the way you would want to be treated. “It’s not a new idea,” he says.
A Longstanding Connection to ABA Technologies
Tom’s professional history is also deeply connected to ABA Technologies and to our founder, José Martinez-Diaz.
Tom first met José while attending a conference in Florida in 1995 while exploring opportunities to relocate from Massachusetts after Kathy accepted a conservation biology position at The Nature Conservancy in Florida.
Nearly a year later, after Tom had moved to the Orlando area, José unexpectedly recognized him during a state support coordinator training, immediately walked over and said with arms raised and a great deal of energy,
“I’ve been waiting for you! Where have you been?”
That interaction ultimately led Tom to take a position as behavior analyst and program manager at Threshold, after being interviewed by José, the director of the facility, and Dr. Pat McGreevy.
Tom speaks often about the incredibly good fortune he has had in his supervision, from his days in Massachusetts under the guidance of such supervisors as Mike Lowry, Greg Deyermenjian (and their department head, Charles Hamad) to his work in Florida working under Vince Carbone, Sharon Older, Maria Ruiz, Pat McGreevy, and of course José.
Tom still marvels at José’s ability to recognize potential in people long before they recognized it in themselves. He described José as someone who constantly recruited, mentored, and encouraged new and experienced students, and pushed people toward growth, often seeing talent that others overlooked. After college, Tom had spent a lot of time trying to hone his writing skills, but with little success (“My fiction and poetry pretty much stunk,” he says). Once he began working in an institutional setting, his writing efforts dropped off. But somehow José perceived this percolating love of writing and asked Tom to help author the chapter on ethics in ABA for the 2nd edition of Cooper, Heron, and Heward’s Applied Behavior Analysis (“The White Book”). Since that time, Tom has not stopped writing about behavior analysis, and he gives all the credit to José.
There’s true warmth in the way Tom talks about José. It’s not just genuine admiration for José’s knowledge, which Tom describes as encyclopedic, but appreciation for the compassion and humanity he brought into behavior analysis and education. They worked together in one way or another for over 25 years.
You can still feel José’s influence throughout ABA Technologies today, years after his passing in 2020.
The Human Side of Behavior Analysis
One of the strongest impressions I’ve always had working with Tom is that he never talks about behavior analysis as if it exists separately from ethics, empathy, and real human lives.
In our conversations, he kept returning to the idea that the science of applied behavior analysis has always focused on helping people gain access to fuller, more meaningful lives, not simply on producing compliance or making people easier to manage.
He spoke openly about the field’s reputation for being overly technical or impersonal and the frustration he feels when behavior analysis is misunderstood as cold or manipulative.
Instead, he described the work as fundamentally rooted in compassion and understanding what matters to the individual.
And honestly, that mindset seems to show up in almost everything Tom talks about.
He is not someone interested in behavior analysis simply as a collection of procedures or technical systems, but as someone genuinely fascinated by people, learning, behavior, science, conservation, and the responsibility that comes with helping both people and the world around them thrive.
Looking Ahead
In addition to this most recent publication, Tom is currently working with KeyPress Publishing on an upcoming book on the coordination of ABA services with the management of psychotropic medication.
We’re excited to share this latest publication and look forward to the conversations it continues to spark within the field of behavior analysis.
