Cultural Humility in the Practice of Applied Behavior Analysis.
Spend ten minutes each week reflecting on cultural blind spots to deliver fairer ABA services.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Wright (2019) wrote a position paper. It says ABA clinicians should practice cultural humility.
That means you keep learning about each client’s culture. You admit you do not know everything.
The paper gives no new data. It argues the idea can cut inequity and improve care.
What they found
The paper does not report results. It makes a case.
Cultural humility plus self-reflection can help you spot bias in your cases.
How this fits with other research
Beaulieu et al. (2022) built on this idea. They turned humility into a real checklist you can fill out each week.
Baires et al. (2023) took the same spirit and aimed it at Latino families. They added values like familismo to the service plan.
Gingles (2022) moved the lens to telehealth. Equity checks still matter on a video screen.
Conners et al. (2019) surveyed certificants. Most said current diversity training is weak. The humility paper gives one fix for that gap.
Why it matters
You can start small. Pick one case today. Ask, "What cultural fact do I still not know about this family?" Write it down. Find the answer before the next session. This tiny habit is cultural humility in action.
Want CEUs on This Topic?
The ABA Clubhouse has 60+ free CEUs — live every Wednesday. Ethics, supervision & clinical topics.
Join Free →Print the Beaulieu cultural self-assessment and complete one column before lunch.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
Applied behavior analysis (ABA) has the intent to improve the human condition in a broad range of categories of practice and for diverse groups of individuals across cultures. The data on the diversity of the professionals practicing in the field of ABA are sparse. Access to ABA intervention is inequitable, and cultural differences are not adequately addressed in many current established behavioral interventions. Cultural humility is a framework used by other professional disciplines to address both institutional and individual behavior that contributes to the power imbalance, the marginalization of communities, and disparities in health access and outcomes. This article discusses the adoption of culturally humble practices, specifically through the use of self-reflection, by the field of ABA to address disparities and improve outcomes. A specific framework from the field of social work is shared, and an adaptation to the behavior-analytic practice of self-management is provided.
Behavior analysis in practice, 2019 · doi:10.1353/hpu.2010.0233