Culturally responsive collaboration represents one of the most pressing and practically challenging areas of professional development for behavior analysts today. As the field of applied behavior analysis continues to expand its reach into diverse communities, schools, homes, and community settings, the need for practitioners who can navigate cultural differences, recognize their own biases, and work effectively within multidisciplinary teams has never been more urgent.
Provider: BehaviorLive — via Women in Behavior Analysis
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Join Free →This presentation details strategies to support clients and students behaviorally with non-biased and anti-racist behavior analysis through the paradigms of a)understanding, b) identifying, c) reflecting, and d) analyzing. Along with we also introduce a variety of frameworks and considerations as tools to minimize biases in behavioral motivation. Clients and Students with challenging behaviors can be some of the most vulnerable persons in educational, home, and community settings when it comes to behavioral analysis and behavioral intervention. The potential for bias and misinterpretation of behavior is elevated if those observing and evaluating behavior are not cognizant of cultural and societal differences. Behavior professionals should strive for cultural and socio-political consciousness to perform their work in a non-biased manner. Schools, home, and community settings are complex social settings that students are asked to navigate to be successful in the future. Historically, behavior analysts have overlooked, erased, or diminished aspects of students' multiple identities. Some behavioral personnel do not recognize the effect of socio-political constructs and are unwilling to engage/acknowledge their biases as it relates to students' identities. These effects become further problematic when personnel do not consider how their clients" and students' multiple identities intersect and further the students' disparities. For example, there is a significant lack of research examining how educators consider the influence of diversity and bias as it relates to observed behavior in children and youth who are at-risk for or experiencing behavioral challenges. The current zeitgeist in education around intersectionality, bias, and racism and how it can affect our students is particularly salient. It is critical for behavior analysts to not only learn to practice in a more culturally responsive manner, but also for behavior analysts to recognize the importance of this across the multidisciplinary professionals that we work with. We will practice and examine culturally responsive practices across settings and disciplines in this workshop.
| Certification Body | Credits | Type |
|---|---|---|
| BACB® | 3 | Ethics |
| COA | 0 | — |
Dr. Erin Fitzgerald Farrell (she/hers/Dr.) is an adjunct professor at the University of St. Thomas in the department of special education and the Autism Specialist for the Minnesota Department of Education. Prior to her work in these roles, Dr. Farrell worked as a licensed ASD teacher and Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) supporting students and systemic positive behavior interventions and support (PBIS) across districts as a District Behavior Specialist. Dr. Farrell has over 20 years of experience supporting individuals with ASD across school, home, clinical, and community settings. After being in the field for many years, she has now also gained the incredible experience of having a child diagnosed with ASD and is now able to bring the parent perspective to her work as well. She has three amazing children, two with IEP’s, and they help guide the work that she is privileged to engage in. Dr. Farrell completed her Doctoral degree in 2023 with her dissertation research examining the roles of behavior analysts in clinical and school settings. Through her University work she has had several recent publications in books and peer-reviewed journal articles on topics such as Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), intersectionality, hip-hop pedagogy, and addressing diversity and bias through reflective practices.
Dig into the research behind this topic — plain-English summaries written for BCBAs.
244 research articles with practitioner takeaways
239 research articles with practitioner takeaways
231 research articles with practitioner takeaways
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All behavior-analytic intervention is individualized. The information on this page is for educational purposes and does not constitute clinical advice. Treatment decisions should be informed by the best available published research, individualized assessment, and obtained with the informed consent of the client or their legal guardian. Behavior analysts are responsible for practicing within the boundaries of their competence and adhering to the BACB Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts.