Evaluating the Effectiveness, Feasibility, and Treatment Acceptability of a Culturally Adapted Version of Discriminated Functional Communication with Afro-Caribbean Families

The majority of behavioral analytic interventions reflect European-American values. One useful intervention is discriminated functional communication training (DFCT), which may be implemented to increase the generalizability of functional communication training (FCT). However, the discriminative stimuli used during DFCT may not adequately reflect what is commonly used in various cultures. Thus, the purpose of the current study was to evaluate the effectiveness, feasibility (in the form of training parents to implement), and treatment acceptability of a culturally adapted version of DFCT with Afro-Caribbean families. Three children with ASD along with their mothers participated in the study. Results showed that culturally adapting DFCT was as effective as the traditional procedure in obtaining discriminated manding for 2 of 3 participants. An alternate DFCT procedure used with the third participant was also effective. Also, it was feasible to train parents to implement the intervention. Social validity measures indicated the study incorporated cultural values, and beliefs, and produced favorable effects on replacing problem behavior with discriminated manding that was culturally relevant