Association for Behavior Analysis International

The prevalence of children with developmental disabilities has been growing in the past ten years. As the Asian Americans becoming the fastest immigrant group recently, mental health services for Asian American families of children with developmental disabilities will be increasingly needed in the next 20 or 30 years. Families of children with developmental disabilities usually experience stress, grief, isolation, and other psychological symptoms. Asian American families may experience higher stress and other difficulties such as stigma due to their cultural background, discrimination, and different acculturation status. Studies of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), behavior parent training (BPT) and structural family therapy (SFT) to treat families of children with developmental disabilities will be analyzed thoroughly. Culturally sensitive approach for Asian American families will be explored by analyzing related studies implemented to this population. The integration of CBT, BPT, and SFT along with the culture considerations for Asian American families will be proposed by using the Developmental and Research Utilization Model (DRU).

Behavior Analytic supports are typically delivered in the target environment within which problem behavior occurs. A triadic model of intervention is most common, whereby the clinician trains caregivers and educators on evidence-based intervention techniques as informed by a comprehensive behavior assessment. A dyadic model of treatment, characterized by the clinician directly implementing behavior-change interventions to the client, within an outpatient milieu, is less supported in the treatment literature. Potential confounds to successful outcomes within this model include questionable validity for observation of problem behavior, as well as limited generality of behavior change from clinic setting to home, school, or community environments. However, an outpatient clinic-based dyadic model of behavior intervention should be considered as a potentially viable method to effect meaningful behavior change for specific problems often addressed through the domain of Clinical Behavior Analysis. Three experimental analyses are considered: (1) Habit Reversal Training (HRT) was delivered to a female adolescent engaging in chronic eye-lash pulling; (2) Simplified Habit Reversal (SHR) treatment was provided to a 9-year-old male child engaging in repetitive, socially stigmatizing, hand movements; and, (3) Systematic Desensitization was implemented for a 6-year-old child displaying intense tantrum behavior in the presence of a dog.