How are you ensuring you are following the BACB Ethics Code 1.07 – Cultural Responsiveness and Diversity? A useful tool in assessing our own culture as well as others is to use the framework created by Dr. Pamela Hays and described in her text, Addressing Cultural Complexities in Practice: Assessment, Diagnosis, and Therapy (3rd ed.). This model considers ten different aspects of culture that could impact care that uses the acronym ADDRESSING.
Age/Generation
Disability (Congenital)
Disability (Acquired)
Religion and Spiritual Identity
Socioeconomic Status
Sexual Identity
Indigenous Heritage
National Origin
Gender Identity and Expression
We can utilize this tool to identify how care might be impacted by culture. For example, what if it is part of one’s culture to co-sleep? If this was identified, we would provide better care by not setting meaningless goals. What if your client can only label shoes in Chinese? Are you being mindful of potential trauma around sensitive topics such as loss or separation when moving to where they are now? Are you noting the family norms around events such as mealtime including but not limited to only eating with the right hand and never with the left? These are only a few examples of how culture can impact care and be important to be aware of when setting goals, training staff, and providing care.