Association for Behavior Analysis International

Even though ABA practitioners reported that approximately half of their clients are from CLD backgrounds (Beaulieu et al., 2014), participants in single-case research do not reflect this diversity. Thus, the purpose of this symposium is to present the results of three systematic reviews targeting single-case studies that implemented behaviorally based interventions for individuals across all disability categories. The first paper examined participant characteristics of school-based behavioral interventions for students with disabilities between the ages of 5-22. Over 600 peer-reviewed articles were obtained and coded for specific demographic information such as race, gender, language intervention was delivered in, disability diagnosis, and socioeconomic status. The second paper evaluated participant characteristics of community-based behavioral interventions for individuals with disabilities. Demographic information and study quality were coded for all included studies. The third paper examined cultural adaptations of behavioral intervention research found in the school- and community-based single case reviews. Results of the systematic reviews revealed major gaps in the implementation of behaviorally-based interventions for several racial and ethnic groups, transgender and non-binary students, and students who receive intervention in languages other than English. Implications for future research and recommendations for adapting behaviorally-based interventions based on individual participant characteristics will be discussed.

Interventions based on the principles of applied behavior analysis (ABA) have been shown to be effective in reducing challenging behavior and improving academic, social, and functional skills for students with disabilities. While some reviews have summarized participant demographics, the reviews have been limited to specific populations or interventions. Thus, the purpose of this systematic review was to analyze all single-case intervention studies that implemented behaviorally-based interventions for individuals across all disability categories disabilities between the ages of 6-22. Over 600 peer-reviewed articles were obtained via a systematic database search and were coded for specific demographic information. Demographic information, including race, gender, language intervention was delivered in, disability diagnosis, socioeconomic status, was extracted from each study and analyzed. Data were also extracted on the dependent variable, intervention setting, and intervention agent to determine the contexts in which the interventions were implemented. Additionally, the methodological quality of each included study was evaluated against the What Works Clearinghouse design standards. Results of the systematic review revealed major gaps in the implementation of behaviorally-based interventions for several racial and ethnic groups, transgender and non-binary students, and students who receive intervention in languages other than English. Implications for future research and recommendations for adapting behaviorally-based interventions based on individual participant characteristics will be discussed.

• The number of culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) individuals receiving behavioral intervention is expanding. Cultural adaptations and culturally responsive practices (CRP) consist of applying relevant characteristics to modify practices to increase the likelihood of successful implementation, feasibility, social validity, and sustainability of an intervention. Therefore, it is critical to ensure that behavioral interventions are culturally adapted to meet participants' unique cultural and linguistic backgrounds. To date, no review has examined cultural adaptation or culturally responsive practice for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), in single-case design within school-based (K-12) settings. The purpose of this review is to examine single-case behavioral intervention research to identify and categorize cultural adaptations and CRP occurring for students with IDD in school- and community-based settings. Of the 600 school-based and 100 community-based single-case design studies, approximately 5% included individuals from culturally linguistic backgrounds and only 10% of those articles included any type of cultural adaptation. Implications for future research and recommendations for adapting behaviorally-based interventions based on individual participant characteristics will be discussed.

High-quality instruction for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) involves the application of evidence-based interventions in settings that will promote their long-term success, including inclusive community-based settings. Despite the importance of providing evidence-based programming in these settings, to date, there has not been a comprehensive systematic or quality review of the literature on this topic to guide future research and practice. Thus, the purpose of this review was to synthesize and evaluate the quality of research on inclusive community-based research studies for individuals with IDD. Data were collected on participant demographics, inclusive community-based setting, intervention type, outcomes, and publication trends for over 100 included articles. Additionally, the quality and effects of each experiment were evaluated using the What Works Clearinghouse standards. Results showed that there is a significant underrepresentation of individuals from diverse communities in the extant literature. Additionally, many important demographic variables including, socioeconomic status were not reported in most studies. Analysis of publication trends revealed a steady increase in the number of inclusive community-based research studies reported each decade. Implications for future research and considerations for practitioners will be discussed.