By:  Shawn Capell, DeTerrence Allen, Jarel Brown ,Savon Banks, & Detrevion James

Event Description:

Intersectionality—the interconnected nature of social categorizations such as race, gender, and sexual orientation—profoundly shapes the experiences of individuals navigating the field of behavior analysis. This panel brings together diverse voices to explore the unique challenges and opportunities that arise when these identities intersect, with a particular focus on amplifying the narratives of Black men navigating the intersections of race and sexual orientation.

Featuring four panelists—three Board-Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) and one Registered Behavior Technician (RBT)—this discussion blends personal stories and professional insights to shed light on systemic barriers, implicit biases, and strategies for thriving in a field that is evolving toward greater inclusion. The conversation will highlight the critical role of representation in leadership and practice, while also addressing the importance of fostering environments where everyone feels valued and supported.

Attendees will leave with actionable strategies for building inclusive spaces, as well as a deeper understanding of how embracing intersectionality enhances the field’s ability to meet the needs of diverse communities. This panel serves as both a celebration of resilience and a call to action, inviting the behavior analysis community to expand its understanding of intersectionality and commit to creating equitable and affirming spaces for all

By: Jared Van & Karissa Preudhomme

Event Description:

Join us for an eye-opening session at Mindful Behavior’s Presenter Showcase, where we will unpack the complexities of racism through the lens of behavior analysis. This thought-provoking presentation aims to equip participants with a deeper understanding of racism by integrating behavioral science concepts, fostering awareness and promoting action. 

Key Learning Objectives: 

1. Behavioral Definitions: Delve into the definitions of racism and prejudice from a behavior analytic perspective. We will explore key concepts such as respondent conditioning, operant conditioning, observational learning, and stimulus generalization to understand how these behaviors are formed and maintained. 

2. Understanding Racism Types: Discover the crucial differences between systematic racism and structural racism by examining their scope, levels of analysis, mechanisms, and manifestations. This distinction will empower participants with the tools needed for critical discussions and interventions. 

3. Identifying Dynamics of Racism: Learn to identify the antecedents, behaviors, and consequences of racism across multiple levels, including interpersonal, cultural, systems, policy, and media/education contexts. 

This knowledge is essential for recognizing how racism is perpetuated and how we can actively disrupt these patterns. Join us in this engaging and dynamic exploration of racism, and leave with actionable insights to foster positive change in your communities and workplaces. Don’t miss this opportunity to enhance your professional understanding and drive meaningful awareness around this critical issue!

By: Amoy Hugh-Pennie

Event Description:

As the field of applied behavior analysis has grown exponentially in the last decade there have been greater accusations of past and present abuse and trauma caused by the interventions, strategies, and practitioners of ABA. How best can we address these concerns with a sense of curiosity rather than a defensive posture? Are these just the acts of some inexperienced newbies or evil eugenic founders of science? In this presentation, you will learn some of the histories of abuse and maltreatment of underrepresented groups (specifically BIPOC and other-abled individuals). You will gain an understanding of how these learning histories of groups with a shared cultural identity or multiple shared identities lead to mistrust, non-compliance, and lack of consent to evidence-based strategies. Additionally, you will learn how cultural humility, awareness, and culturally relevant practices can improve the acceptance, consent, assent, and ultimately social significance of instructional objectives and outcomes for clients.

Learning Objectives:

• Participants will gain a historical context for abuse and maltreatment in the medical, behavioral, and psychological sciences Participants will learn how culture affects, compliance, and consent to engage in different strategies and interventions

• Participants will learn to recognize some signs of consent and assent in verbal and non-verbal clients Participants will learn to identify culturally significant instruction to improve programming

• Participants will learn how to engage in culturally humble practices that can improve interpersonal and collaborative relationships leading to increased social significance and client success and

By Anita Li

As behavior analysts serve more populations with diverse needs and backgrounds, it is critical to engage in cultural responsiveness to best serve clients and trainees. As the field struggles with turnover and burnout, it is also important to structure supervision and mentorship in a culturally responsive manner to uplift diverse perspectives and voices in service delivery. This presentation will describe the importance of culturally responsive supervision and mentorship and types of oppressions that can manifest. Additionally, equitable and inequitable supervision practices will be discussed.

By Janet S. Twyman, PhD, BCBA, LBA

Effective instruction focuses on personalized learning goals, is explicit yet flexible, and takes advantage of the numerous technologies available to improve learning. A successful teacher provides such instruction, and also understands that students have not only different learning histories, but different histories and backgrounds altogether. Students are diverse, whether they are typical learners or those deemed as “special needs.” How do educators, therapists, or practitioners, as behavior analysts, recognize, work with, and support equity and inclusion across a population of diverse learners? While the 2020 Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts requires training in culturally responsive service delivery (BACB, 2020), there is limited research (or theory) in behavior analysis on best practices in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and culturally relevant service (CRS; e.g., assessment, treatment, consultation). This presentation will examine the current literature base in CRS and offer practical, evidenced-based practices incorporating explicit instruction to support equity, inclusion, and learning across diverse learners.

Learning Objectives:

Following the presentation, the participant will:

1. Describe ten critical attributes of explicit instruction (self-check criteria: accurately describe the attributes to another person).

2. Describe why recognition of student diversity, provision of equitable opportunities, and inclusive instruction is relevant to teaching (self-check criteria: provide rationale to another person).

3. Identify three ways in which they could provide explicit instruction in a culturally responsive manner (self-check criteria: write down the three ideas for future implementation).

By: Natalia Baires & Summer Bottini

According to the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (2020), Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) have the ethical responsibility to broaden their knowledge and skillset related to cultural responsiveness and diversity. As humans and professionals, the cultural practices of BCBAs may differ from those of the clients they serve. When working with culturally and linguistically diverse populations, BCBAs may observe families and clients engage in behaviors that seem to interfere with behavioral services and address such behaviors without examining all variables, including the cultural context. This approach can not only impact treatment adherence, but, more importantly, social validity, rapport, and collaboration. Therefore, this presentation will review key terms related to the topic, discuss barriers that may interfere with providing culturally responsive services, introduce the dimensions of culturally responsive services, and provide several interactive opportunities to engage in self-awareness and action.

By: Janani Vaidya & Ashley Carrigan

The addition of the responsibility to obtain assent in the current ethical guidelines for behavior analysts (BACB, 2020) has spurred much-needed interest and conversation around implementing practices that honor clients’ rights to give and withdraw their assent to treatment. An assent-based practice is critical for creating a safe and respectful environment for all individuals. This involves understanding the breadth of relevant contextual variables and the conditions necessary to promote a learner’s autonomy. During this webinar, we will discuss some of the features of cultivating such a practice — where to begin, relevant contextual variables that come into play, overarching contextual functions, and active, ongoing assessment and analysis of co-created therapeutic conditions. We will also discuss the importance of rooting such a practice in shared values, shared governance, and to do so in a culturally-responsive manner.

By: Noor Syed & Sherry Serdikoff

The need for diversification within higher education institutions is paramount, and neurodiversity, including autism, is no exception. Although the call to acknowledge disability rights as civil rights has historically been acknowledged and continues to grow globally (United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, 2006, Mégret, 2017), most higher education institutions within the United States have traditionally served primarily neurotypical students. To increase inclusivity and accessibility of resources, the Center for Autism Advocacy, Research, Education, and Supports (CAARES), founded in 2020 with Empire State University, is implementing universal and tiered behavioral supports across its 80 campuses and robust online learning platforms through multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) frameworks. While research has demonstrated that these frameworks can be successful in improving behavioral and academic outcomes for primary and secondary school students, increased investigation in a higher education setting to support students with a variety of needs, including autistic students, is needed. Of significant importance, CAARES was founded and is currently directed by doctoral level behavior analysts who collaborate with colleagues in the Neurodiversity Movement, including those who have been described as “anti-ABA,” to conceptualize and implement affirming, evidenced-based practices. In this presentation, we will discuss CAARES’ history and development, current projects, and share data collected towards a sustainable, cultural shift in universal supports for autistic, neurodivergent, and disabled students within the university. We will also explore the ethical contingencies and importance surrounding collaboration with colleagues who are “anti-ABA,” an area that has recently come under fire, and discuss how these partnerships serve to inform CAARES, our work as behavior analysts, and a graduate ABA program focused on ethical, affirming, and compassionate practices.

By: Nicole Hollins & Georgiana Koyama

BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) students are more likely to experience inequitable discipline practices and delayed special education services compared to their peers. Many have attributed the systemic disparities to biases and the abuse of discipline policies in school settings. As biases towards BIPOC students in school settings directly impact their academic, social progress, and overall wellbeing, it is critical for school-based Board Certified Behavior Analysts to objectively measure disparities and provide objective feedback on teaching practices. While there are some comprehensive tools and interventions that attempt to address these issues, their utility and acceptability warrant further discussion. The purpose of this presentation is to discuss the impact of inequitable teacher-student interactions towards BIPOC students, highlight classroom observation tools or interventions focused on equity, and emphasize the importance of school-based Board Certified Behavior Analysts providing culturally humble services in school settings. Future research endeavors are discussed.

By Simone Soo Lum presented by Kinark Child & Family Services

The science of ABA is premised on understanding how the environment influences our behaviour. Culture is a critical component of our external and private environments that may be ignored when establishing relationships with clients and stakeholders, assessing behaviour, and selecting interventions. BACB ethics codes now emphasize that diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) be considered when providing ABA services. Dr. Pamela Hays’ ADDRESSING model (Hays, 2001; Hays, 2022) is a guide for developing a culturally sensitive and responsive therapeutic relationship between counselling psychologists and their clients. This model may also serve as a useful tool for developing more culturally sensitive and responsive ABA practices.

Learning Objectives:

Participants will be able to:

1. Recognize culture as a part of the environmental context that can influence human behaviour.

2. Identify 10 cultural factors that influence our behaviour.

3. Pose 3 possible questions from each of the 10 cultural factors to consider when working with clients and stakeholders.

4. Answer 7 poll questions evoked by Hays' (2001) ADDRESSING framework and model.

5. Understand 7 key elements of “personal work” and “interpersonal work” components of developing a culturally responsive ABA practice.