A Descriptive Analysis of Applied Behavior Analysis Research With Economically Disadvantaged Children

Culturally Relevant Pedagogy and Applied Behavior Analysis: Addressing Educational Disparities in PK-12 Schools

“…The field of education is changing in ways that demand that practitioners and researchers address the concerns of marginalized students. As a growing profession, behavior analysts must be dedicated to expanding their professional repertoires to include cultural competence and cultural humility in their work with schools (Conners et al, 2019 ; Fong et al, 2016 ; Fontenot et al, 2019 ; Wright, 2019 ). CRP may contribute not only to an increased understanding of bias and race, but to practical steps that behavior analysts can take to view the rich diversity of students as an opportunity to improve their practice and expand their reach.…”

“…The culmination of their work (Hart & Risley, 1995 ) and data from education projects such as Project Follow-Through (Becker & Gersten, 1982 ) contributed to academic programs that improved the outcomes of other children who were disenfranchised. In fact, many behavior analysts in the 1960s and 1970s focused their applications of behavior analysis on effective instruction that promoted academic achievement and social well-being for Black and Brown children who were economically disadvantaged (see Fontenot et al, 2019 , for a review). Their work contributed to a larger social movement to fight discrimination, segregation, and lack of opportunity in communities in poverty (Engelmann, 1999 ) and their research efforts formed the basis for interventions currently used nationally by educators (e.g., Stockard et al, 2018 ).…”

Delivering culturally sound and high-quality behavior analytic services when working with an interpreter.

“…Furthermore, instruction delivered in English to an ELL rather than in the student’s native language may contribute to challenging behavior or otherwise hinder student progress (Rispoli et al, 2011; Vargas et al, 1997). A recent review of applied behavior analytic research spanning the last 50 years identified that most studies included in their review did not provide information about economically disadvantaged children and less studies identified ELLs, despite that over 50% of school age students are economically disadvantaged and 9.5% of school age students are ELLs (Fontenot et al, 2019). Despite this need for additional, bilingual research, BCBAs should consider these findings in that ELL clients may demonstrate greater treatment gains when treatment components are provided in their primary language.…”

Improving the Methodological, Analytical, and Cultural Impact of Behavior Analysis Via Utilization of Group Design Methods and Statistical Analyses

“…The current social and political environment often has placed the field of behavior analysis in its crosshairs. We are increasingly being described as a field of insensitive determinants of client autonomy (Kirkham, 2017;McGill & Robinson, 2021), responsible for the development of alleged trauma in former clients (Kupferstein, 2018), insensitive to racial injustices (e.g., Čolić et al, 2022;Zarcone et al, 2019), and behind trends of interest that need to be more fully addressed and analyzed (e.g., DeFelice & Diller, 2019;Fontenot et al, 2019;Kornack et al, 2019;Morris et al, 2021;Wang et al, 2019). Even our most heavily dominated applied appendage -autistic care -is being challenged as non-effective (United States of America Department of Defense, 2021).…”