Association for Behavior Analysis International

Demographic and cultural variables undoubtedly influence the global adoption and success of behavioral services, but limited research exists in this area. The authors of Study 1 identified reasons for the appointment cancellations of 43 children in an outpatient ABA program. Common barriers included those related to socio-economic status (e.g., work conflicts, instability in living situation), emphasizing the importance of considering stakeholder characteristics in service delivery. The authors of Study 2 conducted a review of articles recently published in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and found that demographic variables were generally underreported. The authors will describe obstacles to and rationale for fully reporting demographic variables in future publications. The authors of Study 3 analyzed the efficacy and social validity of a training program to teach function-based approaches to parents and practitioners in Chennai, India. The authors will discuss the cultural variables relevant to this region that were considered during the development phase of their study. The authors of Study 4 successfully extended tele-health services to families located in South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Both efficacy and social validity data will highlight the outcomes of the authors’ global outreach efforts. Finally, Elizabeth Fong will discuss these four studies in relation to our need for a more effective science of cultural and demographic influences.

Practicing behavior analysts

Research has shown that children diagnosed with developmental disabilities exhibiting severe problem behavior benefit from Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy. Because ABA therapy often places a heavy emphasis on caregiver involvement and consistency of treatment practice, the effectiveness of therapy may be compromised if excessive cancellations occur. The current study identified common reasons for appointment cancellations. This allowed us to examine potential barriers that may be intervened on to increase the likelihood of treatment success. Attendance records of 43 children being seen in a weekly outpatient ABA program that focused on parent training for problem behavior were reviewed. Frequency of cancellations were measured, grouped into categories, and ranked from highest to lowest. Preliminary data collected over twelve weeks indicated that scheduling conflicts, illness, and scheduling miscommunications were the most frequent reasons that cancellations occurred. These variables were discussed in terms of possible interventions that could be used to decrease cancellations and subsequently increase success of intervention for parents at high-risk of experiencing barriers to appointment attendance.

Describing participants’ demographic variables (ethnicity/race, socioeconomic status (SES), gender/sex, age, etc.) may be important for identifying how such variables may impact behavioral interventions and for identifying patterns across research articles. We evaluated the extent to which studies published in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis for the last five years included demographic variables of participants. Any mention of information regarding age, gender or sex, ethnicity or race, SES, diagnosis, functioning level, scores on standardized tests or assessments, educational levels, and culture for any participant in the study was coded. The data were analyzed as the percentage of experiments mentioning a broad demographic variable (e.g., SES), and number of individuals mentioned in an experiment with a specific characteristic within the broader demographic category (e.g., low income). Generally, demographic variables were underreported, which may limit the broader impact of those publications. Obstacles to and rationale for fully reporting demographic variables are explored.