2. State criteria also include an IQ score less than 70 andpoor adaptive skills.That evening Dr.
Romaro scores the test battery. John’s IQ score is 71, his performanceon other cognitive
tests fell close to the intellectual disability cutoff score(some above, some below). His
adaptive functioning score is a standard deviationbelow average. However, given the
prisoner’s age, without a more detailed set ofchildhood records, it is difficult to clearly
conclude that he meets the DSM-IV-TRor state legal criteria for intellectual disability. Dr.
Romaro had not been asked toadminister assessments for mood, schizophrenia, or other
psychotic disorders thatmight impair intellectual and adaptive performance. Ethical
DilemmaDr. Romaro is not sure what forensic opinion to give regarding whether or notJohn
meets the legal criteria for intellectual disability. Without evidence of intellectualdisability
in his youth, a diagnosis of intellectual disability may not be possibleand, thus, could not be
used to support John’s death penalty appeal. He is alsounsure whether he has an ethical
responsibility to include in his report John’s“confession” or John’s statement about the “boy
waiting for a bus.” Respond to the following questions in 300 words each question 1. Why
is this an ethical dilemma? Which APA Ethical Principles help frame the nature of the
dilemma? 2. How might Dr. Romaro’s ambivalence toward the death penalty
influence his decision to offer a forensic diagnosis of intellectual disability? How might
John’s “confession” or his comment about the “boy waiting for the bus” influence the
decision? To what extent should these factors play a role in Dr. Romaro’s report? 3. How
are APA Ethical Standards 2.0f, 3.06, 4.04, 4.05, 5.01, 9.01a and 9.06 relevant to this case?
Which other standards might apply? http://www.apa.org/ethics/ 4. What steps should
Dr. Romaro take to ethically implement his decision and monitor its
effect? Reference http://www.apa.org/ethics/ Fisher, C. B. (2013). Decoding the ethics
code: A practical guide for psychologists. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.