Putting Concepts Into Action: A Brief Description of 2022 BACB Ethics Code Standard 1.07 & Actionable Recommendations for Evolving Practices of Behavior Analysts
Open today’s behavior plan, delete culturally biased targets, add client-chosen goals, and you are already following the new ethics rule.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Uher and colleagues wrote a how-to guide for the new BACB Ethics Code rule 1.07. The rule says behavior analysts must work in a culturally responsive way.
The authors read the code, pulled out the key verbs, and turned each verb into a checklist item you can use today.
What they found
The paper gives four action lists: audit your old goals, add client voices, train your staff, and document the cultural steps you took.
No numbers are reported; this is a recipe, not an experiment.
How this fits with other research
Brodhead (2019) warned that the old code barely mentioned culture. Uher et al. (2024) answer that warning by showing exactly how to meet the new rule.
Sivaraman et al. (2020) found that global telehealth teams already translate materials and match trainers to culture. Uher’s checklists mirror those real-world fixes, giving you a written plan for the same job.
Leaf et al. (2021) list stakeholder worries about ABA being done ‘to’ clients. Uher’s step ‘co-create goals with clients’ directly targets that worry, moving from talk to action.
Why it matters
You can stay ethical and keep your license by running one quick audit. Open your current behavior plan, cross out any target that is only there because ‘we always do it,’ and add at least one goal the family named as important. Write both changes in the session note. The whole task takes ten minutes and now meets Standard 1.07.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
For over a decade, behavior analysts have been calling for more culturally responsive practices. Within the newest edition of the Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts, one addition in particular was Standard 1.07 Cultural Responsiveness and Diversity (Behavior Analyst Certification Board, 2020b). The inclusion of this new standard shows positive movement but there is more to unpack. This article seeks to contextualize the relevance and necessity of Standard 1.07 both at a societal level and within the field of applied behavior analysis (ABA). A timeline of previous calls to actions and changes within ABA that align with the inclusion of this standard is discussed along with the obstacles that hindered progress. Lastly, directions are provided for how to make behavior analytic practices more culturally responsive through confronting our personal biases, using culturally responsive pedagogies, updating and adapting our practices regarding the selection of target skills and assessment administration, and collaborating with our clients and their teams. Through an understanding of its urgency and direct applications into our work, this article seeks to aid behavior analysts in shifting our practices to being more culturally responsive.
Behavior Analysis in Practice, 2024 · doi:10.1007/s40617-023-00818-9