Applied Behavior Analysis and the Abolitionist Neurodiversity Critique: An Ethical Analysis
ABA can stay scientific without forcing neurotypical masks—shift goals to autistic self-determination.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Graber et al. (2023) read the sharp words some autistic writers aim at ABA.
They asked: can our field keep its science and drop the push to look "normal"?
The team wrote an ethics paper, not a lab study. They mapped where ABA goals clash with neurodiversity values and where they can meet.
What they found
The authors say ABA and neurodiversity are not enemies. The trouble starts when programs aim for "indistinguishable from peers."
They urge BCBAs to swap that goal for autistic self-choice: safer spaces, real communication, and skills the person wants.
How this fits with other research
Mathur et al. (2026) extend the same plea. They sat in a room with autistic scholars, felt the discomfort, and wrote a roadmap for humility-based practice.
Bölte et al. (2019) set the stage. Their earlier paper told BCBAs to see autism as brain difference, not disease. Graber adds the ethical fine print.
Wilson et al. (2024) show the PR problem. Parents already call ABA "cold" and "robotic." Graber’s ethical shift answers that worry by warming the goals.
Why it matters
You can keep using reinforcement, data, and task analysis. Just ask, "Does this goal help the client live their own life or help them fake being neurotypical?" Start there and you cut harm, build trust, and stay evidence-based.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The behavior analytic literature on neurodiversity remains limited. This article aims to begin filling the lacuna. We will introduce the neurodiversity perspective and demonstrate an important congruence between the behavior analytic and neurodiversity perspectives on autism. Despite this congruence, applied behavior analysis is often targeted for criticism by proponents of the neurodiversity perspective. A central concern raises questions about the aims of behavior analytic interventions for clients with autism. Is it appropriate to teach clients with autism to behave as if they were neurotypical? Concerns about the aims of behavior analytic interventions mirror concerns that have been raised about the aims of language education in schools. Drawing on the literature regarding linguistically diverse classrooms, we will critically evaluate the abolitionist neurodiversity critique of ABA. We conclude by considering both concrete and theoretical implications for the ethics of behavior analytic work with autistic clients.
Behavior Analysis in Practice, 2023 · doi:10.1007/s40617-023-00780-6