Preliminary Findings of Culturally Responsive Consultation with Educators

Recommendations for Working with Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Families: A Report from the Field

Given the persistent shift in racial and ethnic demographics in the United States, board certified behavior analysts (BCBAs) will increasingly serve culturally and linguistically diverse families. There has been a recent increase in published resources to help behavior analysis practitioners navigate working with diverse populations. The purpose of this article is to add to these resources and demonstrate how these recommendations can be put into action. We outline five recommendations for working with culturally and linguistically diverse families in the context of a small company that has incorporated these practices in their own work focused on serving a large percentage of immigrant families.

A Contextual Behavioral Framework for Enhancing Cultural Responsiveness in Behavioral Service Delivery for Latino Families

In recent years, the field of behavior analysis has shifted its attention to issues of diversity, social justice, and cultural responsiveness. With various cultural groups in the United States, behavior analytic practitioners increasingly find themselves serving clients of diverse cultural backgrounds. One of the populations that continue to face underrepresentation is Latinos. In the current article, a cultural understanding of the Latino culture is provided to support cultural responsiveness in behavioral service delivery. This article explores the Latino identity of individuals receiving behavioral services, systemic barriers faced by Latinos, the use of acceptance and commitment training for Latino families and clients, and Latino cultural values and their role in behavioral service delivery. Most important, a shift in perspective to account for the barriers perceived by practitioners within the context of Latino cultural values is offered through a contextual behavioral framework, the literature, and the authors' personal and professional experiences as Latino behavior analysts. Recommendations in the areas of assessment, treatment design, service delivery, and collaboration when working with Latinos are also discussed.

Using Behavioral Skills Training to Teach Functional Assessment Interviewing, Cultural Responsiveness, and Empathic and Compassionate Care to Students of Applied Behavior Analysis

Within the field of applied behavior analysis, there is a recognized need for increased training for practitioners on cultural responsiveness, as well as to improve behavior analysts' demonstration of compassion and empathy towards the families with whom they work. The present study used behavioral skills training via telehealth to teach three skillsets-functional assessment interviewing, empathic and compassionate care, and cultural responsiveness. Participants were seven graduate students who had no previous coursework in behavioral assessment and whose caseload mainly included clients who did not share the participant's cultural, ethnic, or religious backgrounds. The results showed that behavioral skills training was effective in improving performance across all three skillsets. In addition, high levels of responding maintained following the completion of the training for the majority of the participants. Several levels of social validity measures support the utility and impact of this training. The findings have implications for training practitioners on these vital skills.

Understanding the Role of Cultural Values in ABA Service Delivery: Perspectives from Latino Families

The purpose of this study was to identify and learn about the cultural and language barriers that Latino families face when accessing applied behavior analysis (ABA) services for their children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We administered a survey to gather basic descriptive information regarding language and cultural barriers faced by Latino families, specifically from a sample of families living in Nevada. We then conducted follow-up interviews and focus groups to collect detailed accounts of the barriers that these families faced. We used qualitative research methods to provide a detailed analysis that captured the voices of the families who participated in this study. The information provided from the survey and focus groups provides preliminary information for practitioners to help bridge gaps and provide more effective and quality services for the Latino population. Results of the focus groups and interviews are summarized and implications for future research are discussed.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s42822-022-00115-0.

A Behavior-Analytic Perspective on Interprofessional Collaboration

Collaborative service delivery models have gained considerable popularity in health care, education, and clinical settings. Despite the unique opportunity that this new popularity provides for the dissemination of applied behavior analysis, the majority of practicing behavior analysts have received little or no formal professional development on how to participate in teams with nonbehavioral colleagues. The purpose of this article is to elucidate the larger movement toward collaborative service delivery with an emphasis on interprofessionalism. The four core competency domains presented by the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) Framework are interpreted through a behavior-analytic lens. This article is an initial attempt to operationalize constructs commonly associated with interprofessional educational and collaborative practices including (but not limited to) cultural sensitivity and responsiveness, cultural humility and reciprocity, empathy, and compassion.