Cultural responsiveness in applied behavior analysis: Self‐assessment
Run the cultural self-assessment checklist at intake to align your ABA program with the family’s values from day one.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Beaulieu et al. (2022) wrote a how-to paper.
They built a step-by-step cultural self-assessment for BCBAs.
The tool helps you check if your practice fits each family’s values, language, and customs.
What they found
The paper does not give numbers.
It gives a ready-to-use checklist you can fill out before starting any case.
How this fits with other research
Wright (2019) came first. That paper told BCBAs to practice “cultural humility” by reflecting each week. Beaulieu keeps the reflection idea but swaps the loose prompt for a concrete checklist.
Conners et al. (2019) surveyed certificants and found most felt unprepared to work with diverse families. Beaulieu answers that gap with the exact tool trainers asked for.
Baires et al. (2023) took Beaulieu’s broad idea and tailored it for Latino families. They added cultural values like familismo. The two papers agree; one is simply zoomed in.
Why it matters
You no longer have to guess if you are being culturally responsive. Print the checklist, score yourself, and see where you need to adjust language, materials, or goals. Use it in supervision, team meetings, or parent intake. One page can stop small biases from becoming big barriers.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Culture has a substantial impact on a wide range of behaviors related to behavioral research and services such as rapport building, preferences for specific targets and treatments, communication, and even the quality of health care. The need for professionals in the field of applied behavior analysis (ABA) to incorporate culturally responsive practices is underscored by the current and projected increase in diversity in the United States. Further, the update to the Ethics Code (BACB, 2020) supports addressing diversity in behavior analytic practice. Self-assessment of one's values, biases, and culture are a critical step in delivering culturally responsive services. The purpose of this paper is three-fold: a) to introduce a framework for cultural responsiveness in ABA, b) to showcase research and practice recommendations from within and outside the field of ABA in the area of self-assessment, and c) to inspire research in self-assessment to support cultural responsiveness in ABA.
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 2022 · doi:10.1002/jaba.907