Written by: Prudence Nyamayaro, Nene Diallo, and Melanie Nunez
Edited by: Dr. Odessa Luna
Figure 1. The diversity of perspectives and identities refracts the ongoing practice of cultural humility. Adapted from Cultural humility (Zebra Strategies, 2023).
As students in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), we expected to spend most of our time learning behavioral principles, assessment procedures and intervention strategies, and data collection methods. While those skills are essential, one of the most valuable lessons we have learned is something that is difficult to quantify cultural humility.
Cultural humility refers to an ongoing process of reflection and lifelong learning (Lekas et al., 2020; Tervalon & Murray-García, 1998;). For example, a behavior analyst may recognize that they have made assumptions about a family’s values or routines based on their own cultural experiences and then seek input from the family to better understand their perspective. Unlike cultural competence, which can imply that a person can become knowledgeable about another culture, cultural humility acknowledges that learning is never complete. Within behavior analysis, Wright (2019) emphasizes that practitioners should engage in ongoing self-evaluation. This process includes behavior analysts should recognize their assumptions, examine how their experiences influence clinical decisions, seek input from clients and families, and adjust their approach.
As trainees and students, we’ve learned that cultural humility is more than an expectation. We have found that engaging in critical humility is a critical part of providing individualized services to our clients and their families. Below we will share three experiences in which our clients and our families challenged our assumptions. We will show how the challenges we encountered improved our clinical skills and increased our awareness of the importance of cultural humility.
Nene’s Experience: Learning from Families
One of my earliest lessons in cultural humility happened while working with a young learner whose family practiced Islam. Each morning when she arrived at the center, she would remove her hijab before beginning her learning activities because she was inside the center. However, before we went outside for gross motor activities, she always wanted to put her hijab back on. At first, I did not understand why this was so important to her. Since it was often very hot outside, I would encourage her to leave the hijab inside so she could be more comfortable while playing. Each time I suggested this, she became upset and sometimes even cried. I realized I was missing something, so I spoke with her caregiver. The caregiver explained that their family was teaching her the importance of wearing her hijab before going outside, even as a young child. She shared that this was an important part of their religious and cultural tradition and that they wanted her to build this routine from an early age. That conversation helped me realize I had been viewing the situation from my own perspective instead of trying to understand what was important to the learner and her family. After that conversation, I changed my approach. Instead of asking her to leave her hijab inside, I helped her prepare for outdoor activities by making sure she had her hijab ready before we went outside and helping her put it on when she needed assistance. This small change made transitions much smoother and helped the learner feel more comfortable and respected. More importantly, it strengthened my communicative and collaborative skills with caregivers because I learned the value of asking questions before making assumptions.
This experience reminded me that cultural humility means respecting each family’s beliefs and values, even when they are different from my own. I learned that providing culturally responsive services is not only about following a treatment plan but also about listening to caregivers, understanding their perspectives, and changing my services to meet the individual needs of the learner. This experience highlights BACB Ethics Code 1.07, Cultural Responsiveness and Diversity, by demonstrating the importance of respecting and incorporating each family’s cultural and religious practices into service delivery.
Prudence’s Experience: Respecting Religious Practices
One meaningful lesson about cultural humility happened while supporting a learner during a period of religious fasting. First, my supervisor and I planned intervention based on the learner’s usual programming needs without fully considering how fasting might affect motivation, energy levels, and participation. At the time, I was programming in the same way I typically would, using the learner’s established reinforcement system, maintaining the usual instructional pace, and expecting participation levels that were typical outside of fasting period. After talking with the learner’s caregivers and receiving guidance from our supervisor, I realized I had not approached the situation sensitively. My supervisor showed me how my assumptions were influencing my programming decisions and encouraged me to learn more about the learner’s religion directly from the family. Through these conversations, I gained a better understanding of how fasting could affect the learner throughout the day. Working with the family, I adjusted my expectations and modified intervention strategies to better support the learner.
This experience changed the way I think about programming. It’s important as a trainee (and even a behavior analyst) to recognize when I need to learn more. I also need to work on asking more thoughtful questions to the caregivers, rather than assuming I know the answers. Through my ABA MS coursework and this blog writing experience, I now understand that BACB Ethics Code 1.10 (Awareness of Personal Biases and Challenges) encourages me to recognize my own assumptions, accept feedback, and adjust how I approach my programming design.
Melanie’s Experience: Using Family Language to Support Care
One challenge I experienced during training was learning that language differences are not always solved by translating words. When I first began working with one of my client’s families, the caregivers told me that they were happy I spoke Spanish as a second language. At first, I assumed this was mainly because Spanish was their first language, even though they also spoke English. Over time, I realized the family used specific Spanish words for foods and other family members during daily routines. Even though my client did not speak much Spanish, she still recognized certain foods and relatives by their Spanish names. I started paying closer attention to the family’s language preferences and used the same familiar words during our time together, especially during lunch transitions. I did not realize how important this was until one day at school, when my client’s teacher told her that her “grandpa” was picking her up. My client did not connect “grandpa” with “abuelo,” the word her mother used at home, and became upset because she thought someone different was coming.
This experience taught me that language is not just about translation. Rather, specific words allowed for my learner to be comfortable and be in a predictable routine that mimic her familial environment. It also reminded me that families are important sources of information when individualizing services. This connects to the BACB Ethics Codes 1.07, Cultural Responsiveness and Diversity and Code 1.10, Awareness of Personal Biases and Challenges, because behavior analysts are expected to provide services that are culturally responsive and consider linguistic variables during service delivery (BACB, 2020). For me, cultural humility means asking questions, learning from caregivers, and adjusting support to fit the client’s everyday life instead of assuming I fully understand their needs.
Concluding Thoughts
The most important lesson we have all learned during training is that cultural humility is not a destination. There is no point at which a behavior analyst will know everything about every culture. Instead, cultural humility requires constant learning. As the communities we serve continue to grow in diversity, our willingness to learn from others is one of the most important professional skills we develop. As you look at your own training experiences, consider this question: When was the last time a client’s cultural practices, beliefs, or values challenged you? Share your experiences with us!
Figure 2. Cultural humility requires listening, collaboration, and continuous learning. Adapted from Cultural humility (Brain Injury Association of Virginia, n.d.).
Al Statement: Gemini was used to assist with editing the manuscript. Specifically, to identify grammatical errors, improve sentence structure, enhance clarity, and suggest revisions for word choice and organization. All ideas, personal experiences, literature selection, analysis, and final content were developed, reviewed, and approved by the authors. Gemini was not used to generate the original concepts, personal reflections, research content, or conclusions presented in this blog post. Dr. Luna edited this post at least four times, and all edits and comments were conducted by her, not AI.
References
Behavior Analyst Certification Board. (2020). Ethics code for behavior analysts. https://bacb.com/wp-content/ethics-code-for-behavior-analysts/
Brain Injury Association of Virginia. (n.d.). Cultural humility. https://www.biav.net/cultural-humility/
Lekas, H.-M., Pahl, K., & Fuller Lewis, C. (2020). Rethinking cultural competence: Shifting to cultural humility. Health Services Insights, 13, 1–4. https://doi.org/10.1177/1178632920970580
Tervalon, M., & Murray-García, J. (1998). Cultural humility versus cultural competence: A critical distinction in defining physician training outcomes in multicultural education. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 9(2), 117–125. https://doi.org/10.1353/hpu.2010.0233
Wright, P. I. (2019). Cultural humility in the practice of applied behavior analysis. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 12(4), 805–809. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-019-00343-8
Zebra Strategies. (2023, March 9). Cultural humility. https://zebrastrategies.com/cultural-humility/