Where is the diversity in applied behavior analysis?

The field of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) while it has been around for many years is still in many ways in the growth phases as a profession.  Once such area is that of diversity and multicultural issues.  It has only been within the past few years that meaningful conversations have really started to occur around the topic of multiculturalism and diversity issues in the field.  I will give you a brief summary of the current status of the field in this area and opinions of where I think we still need to go.

---

CURRENT STATUS ON DIVERSITY

---

statistics are lacking

Unfortunately it is hard to know exactly the current status of minorities in the field of ABA because the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) does not report the demographics of Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs), Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analysts (BCaBAs), or Registered Behavior Technicians (RBTs).  The only data available are in regards to the number of certificants and the practice areas of those certificants.  According to a study by Nosik & Grow (2015), the majority of behavior analysts are women (82.2%).  This does not necessarily match the gender of individuals being served by behavior analysts. Data show that most behavior analysts tend to work in practice areas with individuals with autism and the majority of clients with autism are males with 1 in 37 boys being diagnosed with autism each year (Autism Speaks, 2018).  Other than gender data, there is no publicly available demographic data pertaining to certified professionals in ABA through the BACB, Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI), or the Association of Professional Behavior Analysts (APBA) as it relates to race, ethnicity, religious/spiritual affiliation, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic status. Therefore, there is no accessible information on the percentage of behavior analytic professionals identifying as minorities or belonging to other diverse groups.  This is concerning because there is no understanding then if the population of behavior analytic professionals are matching the demographics of the populations being serviced with behavior analysis.  

Read More