Guiding Principles for Researchers to Use Culturally Responsive Language in Publications: An Example Regarding Autistic People

Allen, L. L., Mellon, L. S., Syed, N., Johnson, J. F., & Bernal, A. J. (2024). Neurodiversity-affirming applied behavior analysis. Behavior Analysis in Practice. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-024-00918-0

Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association 2020: the official guide to APA style (7th ed.). American Psychological Association.

American Psychological Association. (2021). Equity, diversity, and inclusion framework. https://www.apa. org/about/apa/equity-diversity-inclusion/equity-division-inclusion-framework.pdf

American Psychological Association. (2022). Bias-free language. https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/bias-free-language

American Psychological Association. (2023). Inclusive language guide (2nd ed.). https://www.apa.org/about/apa/equity-diversity-inclusion/language-guidelines.pdf

Archibald, D., s, P., & Bury, S. M. (2024). Current debates on autism language preferences: an overview. The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Disability. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-40858-8_88-1

Arthur, S. M., Linnehan, A. M., Leaf, J. B., Russell, N., Weiss, M. J., Kelly, A. N., Saunders, M. S., & Ross, R. K. (2023). Concerns about ableism in applied behavior analysis: An evaluation and recommendations. Education and Training in Autism and Developmental Disabilities, 58(2), 127–143.

Article  Google Scholar 

Baer, D. M., Wolf, M. M., & Risley, T. R. (1968). Some current dimensions of applied behavior analysis. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 1(1), 91. https://doi.org/10.1901/jaba.1968.1-91

Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Beaulieu, L., & Jimenez-Gomez, C. (2022). Cultural responsiveness in applied behavior analysis: Self-assessment. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 55(2), 337–356. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaba.907

Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Behavior Analyst Certification Board. (n.d). BACB certificant data. Retrieved from https://www.bacb.com/BACB-certificant-data.

Behavior Analyst Certification Board. (2020). Ethics code for behavior analysts. https://bacb.com/wp-content/ethics-code-for-behavior-analysts/

Best, K. L., Mortenson, W. B., Lauzière-Fitzgerald, Z., & Smith, E. M. (2022). Language matters! The long-standing debate between identity-first language and person first language. Assistive Technology, 34(2), 127–128.

Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Bosman, R., & Thijs, J. (2024). Language preferences in the Dutch autism community: A social psychological approach. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 54(5), 1727–1739.

Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Botha, M., Hanlon, J., & Williams, G. L. (2023). Does language matter? Identity-first versus person-first language use in autism research: A response to Vivanti. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 53(2), 870–878. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-020-04858-w

Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Bottema-Beutel, K., Kapp, S. K., Lester, J. N., Sasson, N. J., & Hand, B. N. (2021). Avoiding ableist language: Suggestions for autism researchers. Autism in Adulthood. https://doi.org/10.1089/aut.2020.0014

Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Bottema-Beutel, K., Mckinnon, R., Mohiuddin, S., Lapoint, S. C., & Kim, S. Y. (2024). Problems with “problem behavior”: A secondary systematic review of intervention research on transition-age autistic youth. Autism. https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613241229159

Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Bottini, S. B., Morton, H. E., Buchanan, K. A., & Gould, K. (2024). Moving from disorder to difference: A systematic review of recent language use in autism research. Autism in Adulthood, 6(2), 128–140. https://doi.org/10.1089/aut.2023.0030

Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Bourke, B. (2014). Positionality: Reflecting on the research process. The Qualitative Report, 19(33), 1–9.

Google Scholar 

Bradshaw, J., Schwichtenberg, A. J., & Iverson, J. M. (2022). Capturing the complexity of autism: Applying a developmental cascades framework. Child Development Perspectives, 16(1), 18–26.

Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Brown, L. X. Z. (2022). Ableism/language. https://www.autistichoya.com/p/ableist-words-and-terms-to-avoid.html

Buijsman, R., Begeer, S., & Scheeren, A. M. (2023). ‘Autistic person’ or ‘person with autism’? Person-first language preference in Dutch adults with autism and parents. Autism, 27(3), 788–795. https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613221117914

Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Bury, S. M., Jellett, R., Spoor, J. R., & Hedley, D. (2023). It defines who I am” or “It’s something I have”: What language do [autistic] Australian adults [on the autism spectrum] prefer? Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 53(2), 677–687. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-020-04425-3

Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Chahboun, S., Stenseng, F., & Page, A. G. (2022). The changing faces of autism: The fluctuating international diagnostic criteria and the resulting inclusion and exclusion—A Norwegian perspective. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.787893

Clarke, E. B., McCauley, J. B., Lutz, A., Gotelli, M., Sheinkopf, S. J., & Lord, C. (2024). Understanding profound autism: Implications for stigma and supports. Frontiers in Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1287096

Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Collier, R. (2012). Person-first language: Noble intent but to what effect? Canadian Medical Association, 184(18), 1977–1978. https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.109-4319

Article  Google Scholar 

Critchfield, T. S., Becirevic, A., & Reed, D. D. (2017). On the social validity of behavior-analytic communication: A call for research and description of one method. The Analysis of Verbal Behavior, 33(1), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40616-017-0077-7

Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Crompton, C. J., Sharp, M., Axbey, H., Fletcher-Watson, S., Flynn, E. G., & Ropar, D. (2020). Neurotype-matching, but not being autistic, influences self and observer ratings of interpersonal rapport. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 586171.

Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Davis, R., & Crompton, C. J. (2021). What do new findings about social interaction in autistic adults mean for neurodevelopmental research? Perspectives on Psychological Science, 16(3), 649–653.

Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Dwyer, P., Ryan, J. G., Williams, Z. J., & Gassner, D. L. (2022). First do no harm: Suggestions regarding respectful autism language. Pediatrics, 149(Supplement 4). https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2020-049437N

Espinosa, F. D. (2025). Eye contact: To teach or not to teach? That is not the question. Perspectives on Behavior Science. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40614-025-00456-2

Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Rekers, G. A., & Lovaas, O. I. (1974a). Behavioral treatment of deviant sex-role behaviors in a male child. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 7(2), 173–190. https://doi.org/10.1901/jaba.1974.7-173

Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Fahmie, T. A., Rodriguez, N. M., Luczynski, K. C., Rahaman, J. A., Charles, B. M., & Zangrillo, A. N. (2023). Toward an explicit technology of ecological validity. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 56(2), 302–322.

Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Fawcett, S. B. (1991). Social validity: A note on methodology. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 24(2), 235. https://doi.org/10.1901/jaba.1991.24-235

Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Ferguson, J. L., Cihon, J. H., Leaf, J. B., Van Meter, S. M., McEachin, J., & Leaf, R. (2019). Assessment of social validity trends in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis. European Journal of Behavior Analysis, 20(1), 146–157.

Article  Google Scholar 

Fleck, C. R., Bourret, J. C., & Jehle, E. R. (2023). Concurrent schedules of differential reinforcement of alternative behavior in the treatment of problem behavior without extinction. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 56(3), 623–637.

Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Flowers, J., Dawes, J., McCleary, D., & Marzolf, H. (2023). Words matter: Language preferences in a sample of autistic adults. Neurodiversity, 1, https://doi.org/10.1177/27546330231216548

Fong, E. H., Catagnus, R. M., Brodhead, M. T., Quigley, S., & Field, S. (2016). Developing the cultural awareness skills of behavior analysts. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 9(1), 84–94.

Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Friedman, C., VanPuymbrouck, L., & Gordon, Z. (2024). “Not seeing people as capable”: Disability professionals’ mis/understandings of ableism. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities: JARID, 37(3), e13218. https://doi.org/10.1111/jar.13218

Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Geelhand, P., Papastamou, F., Belenger, M., Clin, E., Hickman, L., Keating, C. T., & Sowden, S. (2023). Autism-related language preferences of French-speaking autistic adults: An online survey. Autism in Adulthood, 5(3), 275–288. https://doi.org/10.1089/aut.2022.0056

Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Gillespie-Lynch, K., Kapp, S. K., Brooks, P. J., Pickens, J., & Schwartzman, B. (2017). Whose expertise is it? Evidence for autistic adults as critical autism experts. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 438.

Comments (0)

No login
gif