Adapting with Sense: An Update on Culturally Responsive Efforts of the Attachment & Biobehavioral Catch-Up Intervention with Spanish-Speaking, Latinx Families

Abstract

Sattler et al. (Global Implement Res Appl 2:12–21, 2022) raise several challenges to implementing the evidence-based intervention Attachment & Biobehavioral Catch-up (ABC) with Spanish-speaking, Latinx families. As the team working in the community dissemination of ABC, in this commentary response, we outline the ABC approach for reaching populations with diverse cultural backgrounds and languages. We also offer an update on efforts to support parent coaches implementing ABC in Spanish with Latinx families. We agree with Sattler et al. (Global Implement Res Appl 2:12–21, 2022) on the need for translated materials and cultural and language-specific supervision and have worked in recent years to address those needs. We disagree on the need for deep adaptations to the ABC intervention (if we consider “deep adaptations” as changes to the core components of an intervention), based on a broader review of the evidence on ABC’s mechanism of change and its effectiveness with Spanish-speaking, Latinx populations. We hope to contribute to this important discussion with the aim of ultimately improving services to culturally diverse populations while retaining intervention effectiveness.