Training Behavior Analysis Graduate Students to Work with an Interpreter
BST quickly teaches interpreter skills, but you must add a caregiver comprehension check to make the training useful.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Vazquez et al. (2024) taught graduate students to work with interpreters.
They used Behavioral Skills Training: explain, model, practice, and feedback.
Interpreters rated the students before and after the training. Caregivers also rated how well they understood the students.
What they found
Interpreter scores went up. The students looked more skilled to the interpreters.
Caregiver scores stayed flat. Caregivers said they understood no better after the training.
How this fits with other research
Preas et al. (2021) also used BST with caregivers. In that study, caregivers learned ADL steps and kept the skill. The difference: Preas measured caregiver skill, while Vazquez measured caregiver understanding.
Falligant et al. (2021) showed that specific feedback helps staff master trial-based FA. Vazquez used standard BST without extra feedback devices, which may explain why caregiver comprehension did not budge.
Gillberg et al. (1983) trained staff who then taught self-care to residents. Skills transferred and lasted. Vazquez echoes the staff-skill gain but shows a new gap: practitioner skill does not guarantee caregiver understanding.
Why it matters
You can train students to look good to interpreters in one afternoon. That is step one. Step two is checking that caregivers truly grasp the message. Add a brief comprehension check—ask the caregiver to repeat the key point in their own words. If they cannot, rephrase and check again. This tiny add-on closes the loop that Vazquez revealed was missing.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
There has been a substantial increase in the racial and ethnic diversity of the United States population in the past 10–12 years, with the second most prevalent racial or ethnic group being Hispanic or Latino (Jensen, 2021). As a result, it is crucial that behavior analysts are prepared to serve consumers from all backgrounds, including those who do not speak English fluently. One important component for service delivery for linguistically diverse consumers is the incorporation of an interpreter. Given that few peer-reviewed articles in behavior analysis have been published regarding working with interpreters, the current study evaluated the effectiveness of Behavioral Skills Training (Fleming et al., 1996 Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, 16(1), 3–25) to teach behavior analysis graduate students to work with an interpreter during behavior analytic service provision with Spanish-speaking families. The results of this study show that practitioners can be trained to work with an interpreter in a relatively short amount of time. However, training with an interpreter did not affect caregiver comprehension. The results of the satisfaction surveys suggest that the interpreters noted significant improvements in the practitioners’ responding following training, whereas the caregivers did not. The participants also completed satisfaction surveys following the study and indicated positive experiences with the training.
Behavior Analysis in Practice, 2024 · doi:10.1007/s40617-024-00938-w