Exploring the Effects of Soft Skill Training among ABA Practitioners: A Systematic Review

Abstract Soft skills, such as communication, empathy, collaboration, and self-reflection, are increasingly recognized as essential for effective and ethical practice in the field of applied behavior analysis (ABA; Cowan & Kodak,2023; LeBlanc et al., 2020; Sellers et al., 2016). These competencies are foundational to compassionate care and culturally responsive practice, which support the development of strong therapeutic alliances with diverse clients and their families (Fong et al., 2016; Rohrer et al., 2021; Wright, 2019). The authors of this systematic review examined 11 peer reviewed studies that evaluated interventions designed to enhance soft skills among ABA practitioners. They reviewed empirical studies to determine which skills were targeted, the effectiveness of interventions, how cultural relevance was incorporated, and whether participants' perspectives were considered. Findings indicated that most interventions were effective, with behavioral skills training (BST) emerging as the most used and successful approach. However, few studies explicitly addressed cultural responsiveness (e.g., Tereshko et al., 2024) or incorporated participant input to ensure social validity (Leifler et al., 2022; Schwartz & Baer, 1991). Considering these findings, future research should aim to both evaluate interventions across culturally and linguistically diverse populations and integrate culturally responsive practices, and practitioner-centered feedback into future soft skill training programs.