A Descriptive Analysis of Applied Behavior Analysis Research With Economically Disadvantaged Children
Low-income kids are finally appearing in ABA education studies, yet English learners and kids with disabilities still get left out—so audit your own participant list today.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Fontenot et al. (2019) read every ABA education study they could find. They counted how many kids came from low-income homes.
The team looked at papers published up to 2017. They wanted to see if poor kids were being left out of school-based ABA research.
What they found
More low-income children are showing up in recent studies than before. But two big gaps remain.
English learners and kids with disabilities are still under-served. The numbers are growing, yet these groups remain hard to find in the research.
How this fits with other research
Tafolla et al. (2025) shows how to fix the gap. They partnered with churches and handed out Spanish flyers. The team signed up 94 low-income bilingual Latinx families for an autism study.
Byiers et al. (2025) paints the opposite picture. Using Medicaid data, they found Black children with Down syndrome get less therapy and rack up lower bills. The kids were in the system, but services never reached them.
Martin Loya et al. (2024) explains part of the problem. Bilingual BCBAs feel torn between agency rules and families who want heritage language kept alive. Without support, these therapists burn out and bilingual kids lose services.
Why it matters
Check your own caseload. If you serve mostly English-speaking families with means, you are repeating the gap Fontenot found. Ask parents what language they prefer for goals. Add one bilingual material or community flyer this week. Small moves now build the inclusive evidence base we need later.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
In the United States, approximately 43% of children under age 18 are considered economically disadvantaged. Research suggests that these children are at a greater risk for academic underperformance and dropping out of school than their peers who are not from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. As such, they may need effective educational interventions to improve their academic performance. The purpose of the current article is to describe the degree to which economically disadvantaged children are included in educational research in behavioral journals. Ninety-four studies were analyzed to determine the publication trends between 1968 and 2017. Studies were scored and categorized based on journal; publication year; several demographic characteristics for participants including age, income status, and disability diagnosis; and research designs, interventions, and target behaviors. Results suggest that economically disadvantaged children are increasingly included in behavior-analytic literature. However, there are opportunities for research with English language learners and children with disabilities. Implications for practice and research are discussed.
Behavior Analysis in Practice, 2019 · doi:10.1007/s40617-019-00389-8