Murray State University

Major

Psychology Applied Behavior Analysis

Minor

Spanish

Institution 24-25

Murray State University

KY House District #

5

KY Senate District #

1

Department

Department of Psychology

Abstract

The Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts (Behavior Analyst Certification Board, 2020) requires all professionals certified in ABA service delivery to provide services in a manner that supports client rights and the diversity of the client population. As the Hispanic/Latinx and Spanish-speaking client population increases in the United States over time, an increased need for culturally competent professionals in the field of mental health care is made apparent. Though there are professionals delivering multilingual and culturally competent services, it is unknown how many Spanish-speaking behavior analysts practice in the United States as the BACB does not currently collect data regarding certificant language capabilities. Though current research on these populations is limited, multilingual service providers have reported an absence of resources and opportunities for professional development in the field of ABA, specifically as a multilingual service provider. With this in mind, this project calls on policy-making and credentialing boards to provide an increase in systemic support for multilingual and culturally diverse practitioners.

This project also aimed to provide a cultural competency assessment and training for behavior technicians. There were 13 total participants in this study that were all recruited from a service provider in the Western Kentucky area. The training and assessment was based on the following criteria: 1) common values of the Hispanic/Latinx/Spanish-speaking population, 2) how they may affect service delivery and treatment adherence, 3) culturally competent and culturally sustaining practices to utilize throughout direct interaction with client and caretakers. Both the mean total knowledge of culturally competent practices in ABA and the service providers’ mean overall confidence in their ability to apply the practices in the context of service delivery increased from pretest to post-test. Future research should focus on what may inform participants prior knowledge and confidence or what effect this assessment and training would have on behavior in reality.

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A Call for Increased Support for Spanish-speaking workforce, clients and caretakers in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)

The Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts (Behavior Analyst Certification Board, 2020) requires all professionals certified in ABA service delivery to provide services in a manner that supports client rights and the diversity of the client population. As the Hispanic/Latinx and Spanish-speaking client population increases in the United States over time, an increased need for culturally competent professionals in the field of mental health care is made apparent. Though there are professionals delivering multilingual and culturally competent services, it is unknown how many Spanish-speaking behavior analysts practice in the United States as the BACB does not currently collect data regarding certificant language capabilities. Though current research on these populations is limited, multilingual service providers have reported an absence of resources and opportunities for professional development in the field of ABA, specifically as a multilingual service provider. With this in mind, this project calls on policy-making and credentialing boards to provide an increase in systemic support for multilingual and culturally diverse practitioners.

This project also aimed to provide a cultural competency assessment and training for behavior technicians. There were 13 total participants in this study that were all recruited from a service provider in the Western Kentucky area. The training and assessment was based on the following criteria: 1) common values of the Hispanic/Latinx/Spanish-speaking population, 2) how they may affect service delivery and treatment adherence, 3) culturally competent and culturally sustaining practices to utilize throughout direct interaction with client and caretakers. Both the mean total knowledge of culturally competent practices in ABA and the service providers’ mean overall confidence in their ability to apply the practices in the context of service delivery increased from pretest to post-test. Future research should focus on what may inform participants prior knowledge and confidence or what effect this assessment and training would have on behavior in reality.

 

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