Culturally Responsive Practice in Applied Behavior Analysis: A Professional Profile

Published July 6, 2026

A professional profile recognizing Dr. Elizabeth Hughes Fong’s contributions to culturally sensitive applied behavior analysis practice.

About this article

This 2025 article in Behavior Analysis in Practice is a professional profile recognizing Dr. Elizabeth Hughes Fong’s contributions to culturally sensitive practice in applied behavior analysis (ABA).

Why cultural responsiveness matters

Families and autistic people bring different languages, identities, values, community relationships, access needs, and lived experiences to services. A culturally responsive provider takes time to understand those factors rather than assuming that one approach will fit everyone.

Questions to consider when choosing support

It can be useful to ask a provider how they learn about a family’s priorities, how goals are chosen, how communication preferences are respected, and how feedback or concerns can be raised. Autistic people and families should be partners in decisions about their support.

A note about this source

This is a professional profile, not a systematic review or a clinical guideline. It is most useful as an invitation to reflect on respectful, culturally responsive practice—not as evidence that a particular service model will be a good fit for every person.

Further reading

PubMed record: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41523806/

This resource is educational and is not an endorsement of any provider or treatment.

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