Digital Toolkit

This presentation describes a digital resource toolkit designed to help behavioral analysts situate culture and cultural humility within context when thinking about culturally responsive and ethically grounded applied behavioral analysis (ABA) practices. When behavioral analysts think beyond their own cultural lens within a context, they are more able to create respectful and responsive services. Behavioral analysts think and act beyond their cultural lens through the use of culturally responsive practices and form respectful professional relationships, enhance social validity and relevancy, and provide responsive services to the myriad of individuals and families they serve.

This digital toolkit is intended to help behavioral analysts think and act beyond their own cultural lens when thinking about the ethical implications. The type of resources contained within the kit is meant to help behavioral analysts think more reflexively and culturally about the behavioral services they provide and help practitioners better understand the range and diversity of beliefs and values and to develop strategies for collaborative practice (Fong et al. Al, 2016). This resource can come in the form of articles, videos, podcasts, and self-directed tools that help behavioral practitioners address the cultural needs of clients, especially practitioners serving clients in diverse, marginalized, inequitable resource-challenged systems and communities, along with a historically present deficit of trust in service delivery. The toolkit fosters culturally responsive practice to enhance ABA ethical practice through improved relationships, communication, and outcomes.

Culture from a Behavioral Perspective

In the context of behavior analysis, culture refers to the behavioral and social practices that are learned and shared as a result of the particular environments to which people are exposed. When certain groups of people undergo the same patterns of social and behavioral reinforcement, they tend to form distinct social and behavioral customs and norms. According to Fong et al. (2016), cultural behaviors are customs and manners of social interaction, while the behaviors of individuals belonging to a particular culture are the result of learned behaviors and the consequences that reinforce or punish those behaviors. Araiba (2020) describes learned responses as shaping individuals’ behaviors, whether they are responding verbally or silently. This implies that there are various behavioral norms and customs for communication within various cultural groups. For example, one group may create a communication model that is more interactive and thus more likely to reinforce an active communicative response. In behavior analysis, the customs that are formed as a result of a cultural practice are sustained in a social context by the social reinforcing outcomes of the behaviors.

• Examples Using the ADDRESSING Model

The ADDRESSING Model incorporates diversity pertaining to religion, ethnicity, and race, along with disability, gender, and sexual identity. Conners & Capell (2021) noted an example regarding a behavior analyst who provided services to a client from the Deaf Community. The behavior analyst may regard visual modes of communication and may choose learning interventions with a cooperative learning structure. They would be likely to use collaborative learning techniques. Behavior analysts are also advised to employ their clients’ pronouns and use affirmation and supportive language to develop and enhance their trust and working relationship. The cited examples of culture in behavior illustrate the need for behavior analysts to consider cultural factors in their service delivery. The ethical conduct of the behavior analyst requires the identification of the culturally defining behavior of the client and their community as well as the adjustment of the behavior consequences and/or the antecedents in a culturally respectful manner.

• Additional Behavior-Analytic Resource

An example of a behavior-analytic resource outside of the traditional literature discusses culture as a historically established behavior of a custom style of communication and social behavior inclusive of rituals and belief systems (Beaulieu et al., 2019). This resource speaks to the necessity of behavior analysis as culturally implicated and the myriad of teaching and learning experiences that leave their mark on everyday behavior. This resource helps behavior analysts by applying examples and building behavior analytic practices that are culturally and socially aware.

Importance of Incorporating Culture

To provide successful ABA services, analysts must be responsive to cultural differences. Cultures differ in their understanding of goals, and therefore, understanding a family’s culture will help the service provider develop goals that are in line with the family’s aspirations. Without a cultural understanding, the provider is likely to develop a plan that is contrary to the recipient and the family’s priorities. Fong et al. (2016) mention that to practice cultural responsiveness, the effect of social and environmental context on the recipient’s behavior must be understood and addressed. Families will most likely accept and engage with an intervention that is in line with the family’s expectations regarding social inclusion and social responsibility (Neill et al., 2023). A behavior analyst will treat the family with equity and dignity and increase the cultural relevance of the intervention.

• Examples of Incorporating Culture in Practice

Behavior analysts can incorporate cultural elements at several stages when providing a service. Analysts can obtain data regarding the family’s preferred language, customs, and traditions, as well as the family’s views and expectations, through the use of culturally appropriate interviews or questionnaires during the intake process (Beaulieu et al., 2019). An analyst can adapt an assessment to include the client’s preferred culturally relevant activities, daily practices, and routines. When developing an intervention, analysts can design a reinforcement system that places greater value on culturally relevant reinforcement (e.g., being recognized by the family and community and having an active role in the community) as compared to the more traditional (e.g., tangible) forms of reinforcement. Lee et al. (2024) found that culturally responsive training of caregivers and other professionals increased the implementation of the interventions and facilitated the extension of teaching to various settings. Gomez and Beaulieu (2022) discussed a pragmatic resource that guides the contextual application of ABA to practice in culturally diverse contexts. The resource, along with other available literature on training, provides a basis for suggestions and guidance in culturally responsive practices in assessment and intervention.

Skills for Cultural Humility

Practicing culturally humble ABA demands skills, one of which is self-awareness. The self-aware behavior analyst understands how their personal history and cultural background influence the behaviors they analyze and the judgments they make. Increased self-awareness of the personal influences can help behavior analysts avoid the imposition of their personal values on the client (Fong et al., 2016). Culturally humble practice also calls for the skill of listening. Listening helps behavior analysts identify the concerns of the clients and families. It helps behavior analysts understand client and family priorities and interests. This skill involves the ability to adapt communication, assessment, and intervention practices to the client’s culture (Fong et al., 2016). These skills add practice dignity to the field of ABA.

• Developing and Maintaining These Skills

The development and maintenance of cultural humility is a lifelong process to which behavior analysts need to commit. One way to increase self-awareness is to engage in reflective journaling or bias assessments. Skills in active listening can be refined through techniques that require one to practice putting oneself in the client’s shoes within the treatment planning process, such as through the use of role play (Conners & Capell, 2021). In seeking to enhance flexibility, analysts may engage in a broad spectrum of clinical tasks that may challenge their thinking and participate in culturally aware mentorship. Gatzunis et al. (2022) described another resource that includes reflective supervision and cultural responsiveness, focusing on skill development tasks that would assist practitioners in being more culturally responsive.

Culturally Humble Responses

• Example 1: Integrating Family Cultural Values

Verbal Response: “Thank you for explaining the importance of your family traditions and family values. It is important to your family that the family’s support plan conveys these. What family values and traditions should we include in our work?”
Action in Practice: A culturally humble response would seek to ensure that the intervention targets are culturally valued and practiced by the family. For example, the family’s culturally valued practices would include and account for the patterns of the family’s communication as well as the family’s celebrations. The family’s cultural value system would be preserved by the modification of the intervention methods.

• Example 2: Supporting and Valuing Cultural Identity

Verbal Response: “I appreciate your reaching out about this. Your child’s cultural identity is something I wish to hold on to. I wish for us to continue our work to uphold cultural identity. I believe your child’s cultural identity will not be compromised, as your child will be learning different skills through new practice as your family will continue to hold on to the family’s cultural values and traditions.”

Action in Practice: It is necessary to collaborate with families to select appropriate modes of instruction, activities, and forms of positive reinforcement that support the child’s cultural identity. Instruction will be supplemented, where possible, by culturally relevant literature and music, as well as by community and family traditions. Strategies will be evaluated to ensure authentic participation and to provide the child opportunities to express themselves in a way that will not elicit behaviors that are inconsistent with and culturally expected by the family. It will foster the child’s cultural identity and a sense of cultural pride and belonging through the entire intervention.

• Example 3: Increasing Flexibility within ABA Services

Verbal Response: “Thank you for the feedback. I understand that some families find some ABA methods too structured. I would like to work together to find methods that remain effective and structured, while flexible enough to incorporate family routines, preferences, and cultural practices.”

Action in Practice: Flexibility requires altering services to create a better fit within the lifestyle and cultural context of the family. Adaptations may include scheduling parent training, as well as the related interventions and communication, to better align with the family’s routine. If family involvement and shared family activities are the primary focus, then treatment goals may be integrated into family-centered activities, as opposed to individual family-centered activities. This approach allows the analyst to practice within evidence-based parameters, while maintaining a posture of cultural and preference-based practice.

Conclusion

This digital toolkit incorporates culture and cultural humility into ABA practice and offers examples to enhance practitioners’ resources. Culturally humble BCBAs adapt their services, continually improving fit with disparate cultural backgrounds and experiences. These serve to strengthen client and family relationships, improve social validity, and enhance the probability that the goals and outcomes will be achieved and maintained in the long term. This also demonstrates that a failure to integrate culture into ABA practice and cultural ignorance will serve to strengthen inequities, deteriorate relationships, and produce ineffective interventions. When employed, cultural humility in practice makes the work of BCBAs across a range of professional and disciplinary constructs more equitable, more respectful, and more focused on the client and family needs.