Association for Behavior Analysis International

Gender and sexual minorities (GSM) are estimated to comprise between 4% and 10% of the population, but are twice as likely to experience mental health problems. Social stigma and a lack of laws to protect their rights are some of the major contributors of increased stress, anxiety, depression, substance abuse, and suicidal ideation for the LGBTQIA+ population. GSM can also be reluctant to seek treatment, as there is a mistrust of healthcare providers that has built up due to a history of discrimination, a lack of training, and shortage of understanding of the experiences of GSM. Behavior analytic and behaviorally-inspired interventions are amongst the most effective for treating depression, substance abuse, anxiety, and other psychological difficulties. Behavior analysis has only recently, however, begun to make a unique contribution to conceptualizing and addressing LGBTQIA+ issues. The purpose of this panel is to offer perspectives on the status of behavior analytic contributions to promoting GSM well-being, in terms of building a robust body of behavior analytic research and developing and making available behavior analytic services. Discussants will also address the contingencies that have slowed the progress of behavior analysis in this domain as well as ethical matters involving GSM.

ABAI members interested in learning more about gender and sexual minorities' issues.

Why isn't my Muslim client eating? Should I continue to work with my client while their caregiver prays? Do I have to change the way I teach toileting for my Muslim clients? With Islam being the second largest religion in the world and the third largest religion in America, these are questions that many service providers may find themselves asking. Service providers who will provide home-based or residential treatment to Muslim clients should be aware of common daily living practices, social expectations, dietary, and hygienic requirements of their clients who are practicing Muslims. Practicing Muslims pray 5 times a day, fast during the month of Ramadhan, may dress differently from other clients, and adhere to specific hygiene routines after using the bathroom. In order to provide ethical and culturally appropriate treatment, service providers should be aware of the practices of the practicing Muslim. In this paper the author will review basic guidelines for working with Muslim clients as well as review specific intake questions that service providers should consider asking when working with Muslim clients.

Intersectionality is defined as the complex, interconnected way that the cumulative effects of having multiple marginalized identities present an “overlapping discrimination” that is unique and cannot be accounted for as separate identities (Crenshaw, 1989). It is at this intersection that any singular analysis of what it means to be Black or a girl or a person with Autism Spectrum Disorder is insufficient. As autism disparity rates for diagnosis are reduced (Centers for Disease Control, 2018), it is increasingly clear that we must begin to examine the extent of the disparity seen in other areas, such as service delivery and research (National Center for Education Statistics, 2019; National Institutes of Health, 2019). The purpose of this study is to present a scoping review of the current literature on the intersectional examination of Black girls with Autism Spectrum Disorder (Figures 1, 2). The authors will present the current disparities in funding, service delivery, and educational placement (Figure 3). Lastly, the authors will present why there must be a call to action for how we consider intersectionality in order to improve the global behavior analytic support we must offer for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

The field of Applied Behavior Analysis has experienced tremendous growth since its inception. According to the Behavior Analyst Certification Board®, between the years 2016 and 2018, the total number of certified behavior analysts has increased by over 30%, and the total number of registered behavior technicians® has nearly doubled. An essential component for obtaining and maintaining these certifications include supervision hours. The Behavior Analyst Certification Board® has provided task lists regarding the items and topics required for adequate supervision; however, no components of cultural responsiveness and awareness are included. With the increase of behavior analysis within culturally diverse populations, it is imperative that our field develop new and innovative ways of including cultural competency into the Board Certified Behavior Analyst® and Registered Behavior Technician® supervision experience. Many behavior analysts have reported not receiving sufficient training within the areas of diversity and cultural responsiveness and feel unprepared to serve diverse clients and communities adequately. This workshop is designed to address the gap in formal training specific to the lack of diversity and cultural responsiveness across the supervision continuum.

Registered Behavior Technicians; Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analysts; Board Certified Behavior Analysts

Women face gender-related problems worldwide and are still underrepresented in important areas. Although female representation has increased substantially over time, women continue to face serious challenges. At the 2019 ABAI conference, three leaders in our field discussed gender inequality and shared their experiences. The purpose of this second panel is to empower women and continue discussing the gender gap and what can be done to close it. Three prominent behavior analysts will share their experiences as successful women and leaders in academia, clinical, and organizational settings. Panelists will discuss strategies to achieve goals and manage professional and personal life.

The voice and inclusion of people of diverse cultural identities is expanding within the world and within our discipline. This expansion presents both tensions and possibilities. Ideally, applied behavior analysts should be developing increasingly more cultural responsiveness in all aspects of research and practice. That is not the case. Cultural responsiveness is closely yoked with lived experience, social justice, and the kyriarchy. The purpose of this presentation is to explore worldviews in the context of coloniality and to then relate this to our disciplinary and personal responses to power and efforts to contribute to a more socially just world. This includes consideration of global trends, the aims and history of our discipline, womanist and determinist worldviews, and ethics. The presentation will close with a discussion of pathways to cultural responsiveness and social justice.

Behavior analysts interested in culture, social justice, applied research, practice

Implicit bias refers to "actions or judgments that are under the control of automatically activated evaluation, without the performer's awareness of that causation" (Greenwald, McGhee, & Schwartz, 1998, p. 1464). Related professionals, such as education, mental health, and medical experts, are working to address the topic of racial and ethnic bias, as well as the impact on the communities in which they serve. Though this is the case in surrounding fields, this topic continues to be a less discussed area within behavior analysis. Mental health researchers have shown consequences of racial bias leads to various negative outcomes for diverse consumers. Implicit bias research has also been well studied in the educational field related to its overuse of punishment procedures. Lastly, medical field professionals have discovered the connection between implicit bias and medical intervention used for certain racial groups. Given the amount of pre-existing research, behavior analysts can take advantage of the existing knowledge base to better serve stakeholders of the field, our clients. This panel will discuss methods for behavior analysts to examine their own biases with the purpose of rendering culturally and socially valid services.

BCBA, BCBA-D

Leaders, managers, organizational members, and consumers in human service industry.

Patients undergoing recovery from addiction, especially following an acute inpatient rehabilitation experience, often experience a period of time during which they are "spared" from typical daily activities, responsibilities, and reinforcers. During this time, particularly if living "back at home," demands on them are initially reduced, or non existent, but ideally should gradually increase, commensurate with ongoing successful habit development, but too often, they don't do so. Unfortunately, for some patients, their families, their rehabilitation clinicians, their healthcare payers/insurers, the legal system, their friends, and other key stakeholders in their recovery, either in being well intentioned..or simply by not paying attention.., set up an environment sheltering them not only from responsibilities "too much for them to handle" at this time, but unfortunately also from the many natural consequences that would bring life back to them, shaping their behaviors, overt and private, to assist to return them to (ideally, improved versions of) their "normal" lives. While they might participate in some sort of outpatient "program," sadly the absence of a systematically implemented, reevaluated, revised, and increased set of responsibilities and actions expected of them within their family or other living situation, outside of their formal outpatient drug rehab program activities, can allow them, or arguably, cause them, to become "permanent teenagers," returning from their outpatient program activities to their home, where they can isolate themselves into their rooms, pajamas, snack foods, phone, computer, and up all night schedules of internet or video or game controller or tv reruns, often absent even much interaction with other family members in the house. Instead of focusing on "esteem building," behavioral activation robustly employed, with a goal of developing patterns of behavior useful to returning to a (more desirable) day to day life going forward, can get them showered dressed, out of their rooms, out of their houses, and into volunteer or part time job activities which will, if guided well, expose them to natural reinforces that will train them, rehabilitate them, reanimate them, redefine them, and reintegrate them into the (hopefully well chosen) worlds around them, and increase the likelihood they will be fortified against the stimuli, internal and external, that might lead them to emit behaviors of relapse.

Webster’s Dictionary states the suffix “-ism” is a neutral term used to describe philosophies, theories, religions, social movements, and behaviors; however, it is used to identify that one is in opposition of such practices in the United States since the mid-nineteenth century. Currently words such as racism, sexism, classism, and heterosexism are used to describe the perceived negative ideologies and behaviors of one person(s) towards another. Hate crimes are crimes motivated by a negative bias towards another person(s) based on a general characteristic. Although hate crimes reached an all time low in 2014, they have been on a sharp rise, reaching a high in over 10 years in 2017 (FBI, 2018). Usually “-isms” are discussed individually; however, the behavioral underpinnings of how “-isms” develop and are maintained over time are similar. As behavior analysts, we have solutions to move this world towards a more accepting and inviting place for all. This panel will explore the theory behind and behavioral mechanism in place for “-isms” to develop and what we, as individuals and as behavior analysts, can do to change it.

BCBAs, BCaBAs, BCBA-Ds

Annual meeting of the Culture and Diversity SIG.