Cultural humility is a key feature of effective and ethical practice. To fully respond to another’s culture, we have to remember that we view it through our own cultural lens. Also, specific beliefs and practices of two cultures can conflict. This is often the case with the field of Applied Behavior Analysis and anti-ABA autistics and advocates. Part of adopting a culturally humble approach involves understanding your own cultural practices and listening and learning from cultures other than your own.
In this assignment, you will be required to:
- Understand specific cultural practices of behavior analysts.
- Listen and learn about the perspectives and cultural practices of anti-ABA autistics and advocates.
- Approach a culture different than your own in a non-judgmental and non-critical manner.
This assignment is intended to help you:
- Understand culture from a behavioral perspective.
- Consider the importance of incorporating culture in a client’s/participant’s context through a culturally humble approach.
- Identify the skills needed to adopt a culturally humble approach and strategies in which we can develop those skills.
To complete your assignment, use the Cultural Humility in Practice Template [DOCX] to complete the following:
- Describe culture from a behavioral perspective.
- Discuss the importance of incorporating culture as a part of a client’s/participant’s context in applied practice.
- Describe cultural humility and discuss the potential benefits of adopting culturally humble approaches to applied practice.
- Discuss specific skills needed to adopt culturally humble approaches and specific ways we can develop and maintain those skills.
- Provide at least two supporting examples of a culturally humble approach in action based on the following statement from an anti-ABA Autistic Adult within the context of two groups of people in frequent conflict: (1) behavior analyst researchers and practitioners and (2) anti-ABA autistics and advocates.
- “As an autistic adult, I am strongly against the use of ABA therapy. ABA therapy is based on the harmful idea that autism is a deficit that needs to be fixed. It can involve coercive and aversive techniques, such as punishment, isolation, and physical restraint. These techniques can be traumatic for children and can lead to long-term psychological harm.
I believe that ABA therapy is fundamentally unethical. It teaches autistic children that they are wrong for being who they are. It also teaches them to suppress their emotions and to conform to social norms. This can lead to a number of negative consequences, including anxiety, depression, and self-hatred.
I am grateful that I did not receive ABA therapy as a child. However, I know many autistic adults who have been harmed by ABA therapy. They have shared stories of being punished for stimming, being forced to make eye contact, and being isolated from their peers. They have also spoken about the long-lasting psychological effects of ABA therapy, such as anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
I believe that autistic children should be supported and accepted for who they are. They deserve to learn and grow in a safe and inclusive environment. ABA therapy does not provide this kind of environment. It is a harmful practice that should be abandoned.
I urge parents and caregivers of autistic children to consider alternative approaches to supporting their children. There are many ways to support autistic children without using ABA therapy. These approaches focus on accepting and supporting autistic children for who they are, and on helping them to thrive in their own unique way.“
Assignment Requirements
Your assignment should meet the following requirements:
- Written communication: Should be free of errors that detract from the overall message.
- APA formatting: References and citations are formatted according to current APA style guidelines. Review the Evidence and APALinks to an external site. section of the Writing Center for more information on how to cite your sources.
- Resources: 2–4 recent scholarly resources.
- Length: 3–5 double-spaced pages, in addition to a title page and a references page.
Refer to the MS in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Research GuideLinks to an external site. for help finding resources.
Refer to Cultural Humility in Practice rubric to ensure you understand the grading criteria for this assignment.
Competencies Measured
By successfully completing this assignment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and rubric criteria:
- Competency 1: Analyze ethical responsibilities to colleagues and to the profession.
- Explain specific skills needed to adopt culturally humble approaches and specific ways we can develop and maintain those skills.
- Competency 2: Analyze ethical responsibilities related to practitioner-client relationships and practitioner-family relationships.
- Describes cultural humility and benefits of taking a culturally humble approach in practice.
- Competency 4: Evaluate ability to work alongside people with diverse backgrounds and varying needs from your own.
- Describe culture from a behavioral perspective.
- Analyze the importance of incorporating culture as a part of a client’s/participant’s context in applied practice.
- Describes two supporting examples of a culturally humble approach in action within the context of two groups of people in frequent conflict: (1) behavior analyst researchers and practitioners and (2) anti-ABA autistics and advocates.
- Competency 5: Communicate in a manner that is scholarly and consistent with expectations for professionals in the field of psychology.
- Demonstrate an academic writing style through well-organized prose that follows assignment guidelines.
- Demonstrate compliance with current APA style, citation, and referencing guidelines.
| Cultural Humility in Practice | ||
|---|---|---|
| Criteria | Ratings | Pts |
| Describe culture from a behavioral perspective. |
15 to >12.75 pts DISTINGUISHED Describes culture from a behavioral perspective and supports with examples or resources. 12.75 to >10.5 pts PROFICIENT Describes culture from a behavioral perspective. 10.5 to >0 pts BASIC Describes culture from a behavioral perspective, but description or explanation is incomplete. 0 pts NON_PERFORMANCE Does not describe from a behavioral perspective. |
/ 15 pts |
|
Analyze the importance of incorporating culture as a part of a client’s/participant’s context in applied practice. |
22.5 to >19.13 pts DISTINGUISHED Thoroughly analyzes the importance of incorporating culture as a part of a client’s/participant’s context in applied practice and supports with examples. 19.13 to >15.75 pts PROFICIENT Analyzes the importance of incorporating culture as a part of a client’s/participant’s context in applied practice. 15.75 to >0 pts BASIC Attempts to analyze the importance of incorporating culture as a part of a client’s/participant’s context in applied practice, but the analysis is incomplete or brief. 0 pts NON_PERFORMANCE Does not analyze the importance of incorporating culture as a part of a client’s /participant’s context in applied practice. |
/ 22.5 pts |
|
Describes cultural humility and benefits of taking a culturally humble approach in practice. |
30 to >25.5 pts DISTINGUISHED Describes cultural humility and benefits of taking a culturally humble approach in practice while providing examples or explanations of what may happen if a humble approach is not used. 25.5 to >21 pts PROFICIENT Describes cultural humility and benefits of taking a culturally humble approach in practice. 21 to >0 pts BASIC Attempts to describe cultural humility and benefits of taking a culturally humble approach in practice. 0 pts NON_PERFORMANCE Does not describe a culturally humble approach or benefits of approaching things with humility. |
/ 30 pts |
|
Explain specific skills needed to adopt culturally humble approaches and specific ways we can develop and maintain those skills. |
22.5 to >19.13 pts DISTINGUISHED Explains specific skills needed to adopt culturally humble approaches and specific ways we can develop and maintain those skills. Supports with examples and research. 19.13 to >15.75 pts PROFICIENT Explains specific skills needed to adopt culturally humble approaches and specific ways we can develop and maintain those skills. Supports this explanation with examples. 15.75 to >0 pts BASIC Attempts to explain specific skills needed to adopt culturally humble approaches and specific ways we can develop and maintain those skills, but does not support with examples. 0 pts NON_PERFORMANCE Does not explain specific skills needed to adopt culturally humble approaches and specific ways we can develop and maintain those skills. |
/ 22.5 pts |
|
Describes two supporting examples of a culturally humble approach in action within the context of two groups of people in frequent conflict: (1) behavior analyst researchers and practitioners and (2) anti-ABA autistics and advocates. |
30 to >25.5 pts DISTINGUISHED Describes more than two supporting examples of a culturally humble approach in action within the context of the provided anti-ABA statement. 25.5 to >21 pts PROFICIENT Describes two supporting examples of a culturally humble approach in action within the context of the provided anti-ABA statement. Two groups of people in frequent conflict: (1) behavior analyst researchers and practitioners and (2) anti- ABA autistics and advocates. 21 to >0 pts BASIC Attempts to describe one or two supporting examples of a culturally humble approach but does not include examples based on the provided people in frequent conflict: (1) behavior analyst researchers and practitioners and (2) anti- ABA autistics and advocates. 0 pts NON_PERFORMANCE Does not describe two supporting examples of a culturally humble approach based on the provided anti-ABA statement. Anti-ABA statement of the two specified groups: (1) behavior analyst researchers and practitioners and (2) anti- ABA autistics and advocates. |
/ 30 pts |
|
Demonstrate an academic writing style through well-organized prose that follows assignment guidelines. |
15 to >12.75 pts DISTINGUISHED Demonstrates an academic writing style through well-organized prose that contains no significant grammatical or mechanical errors and follows assignment guidelines. 12.75 to >10.5 pts PROFICIENT Demonstrates an academic writing style through well-organized prose that follows assignment guidelines. 10.5 to >0 pts BASIC Demonstrates minimally acceptable writing style, but still has instances of disorganization, grammatical or mechanical errors, or does not follow all assignment guidelines. 0 pts NON_PERFORMANCE Does not demonstrate an academic writing style. |
/ 15 pts |
|
Demonstrate compliance with current APA style, citation, and referencing guidelines. |
15 to >12.75 pts DISTINGUISHED Develops a paper that is fully compliant with current APA style, citation, and referencing guidelines. 12.75 to >10.5 pts PROFICIENT Demonstrates compliance with current APA style, citation, and referencing guidelines. 10.5 to >0 pts BASIC Demonstrates minimally acceptable compliance with current APA style, citation, and referencing guidelines. 0 pts NON_PERFORMANCE Does not demonstrate compliance with current APA style, citation, and referencing guidelines. |
/ 15 pts |
| Total Points: 0 | ||
