What is the balance between assimilation and accommodation?

Assimilation is the process of incorporating new things into your beliefs while accommodation is the concept of adapting to current ways.

Assimilation typically contracts, says Dr. Todd Ritenour, president-elect of the Applied Behavior Analysis Association for Professionals in Autism, while accommodation expands or grows along with new information that’s presented. It has to do with how much remains within a person’s comfort zone based on what they know and are used to.

“If you are used to things being a certain way and someone comes along and says ‘no, this is how it really is’ — maybe new information about autism or your child’s disability — the first reaction of the person may be to say, okay I don’t know if that’s true but I’ll act as though for now I believe it because I don’t want to cause any problems,” Dr. Ritenour says.

“The person who is assimilation-oriented might decide, ‘Well since this information has come along and it doesn’t fit with the way I see the world, then the best thing to do is ignore that information.’ The accommodation-oriented person would say, ‘Okay, I have to change my behavior and do something different because this information is real.’

“This goes for any kind of new information that comes along — be it a diagnosis or a child’s disability.”

Ritenour also explains that assimilation and accommodation are used interchangeably among professionals. While assimilation refers to how information is used, accommodation applies to the overt behavior.

“The way I use both terms is that assimilation has more to do with what’s in our head or in our heart — how we think about something,” Ritenour says. “Accommodation has more to do with behaviors you might engage in.”

Assimilation vs. Accommodation

Assimilation  -When new information comes along that doesn’t fit with a person’s existing knowledge, they typically either ignore it or don’t consider it true. Assimilation is the idea of incorporating new things into your beliefs.

Accomodation – When new information comes along that doesn’t fit with a person’s existing knowledge, they typically adapt their current thinking to be open to what they’ve been told. Accomodation is the idea of adapting to ways and information presented.