Autistic experiences of applied behavior analysis.
Autistic adults describe childhood ABA as harmful, urging BCBAs to add client voice and non-ABA options.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Anderson (2023) talked with seven autistic adults about their past ABA therapy. The study used open interviews. Each adult had years of ABA as a child.
The goal was simple. Let autistic adults describe how ABA felt and what still hurts today.
What they found
Every person said ABA left lasting harm. They used words like 'traumatic' and 'unethical'. None recommended ABA for others.
They want professionals to hear autistic voices first. They urge non-ABA supports instead.
How this fits with other research
Child outcome studies paint a brighter picture. Eikeseth et al. (2007), Linstead et al. (2017), and Green et al. (2002) all show kids gaining IQ, language, and daily skills after intensive ABA. The clash looks huge.
The gap makes sense when you see who is talking. The positive papers measure young children right after therapy. Anderson (2023) listens to adults looking back years later. Same intervention, different lens.
Wheeler et al. (2024) adds that most BCBAs get almost no trauma training. Without that lens, practitioners may miss signs of distress that only show up long-term.
Why it matters
You can keep using ABA tools, but add two steps. First, ask autistic clients how the session feels right now. Second, offer choices to opt out or use non-ABA strategies. Tracking happiness today may prevent the trauma adults recall tomorrow.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Autism spectrum disorder is a developmental disability affecting individuals across their entire lifespan. Autistic individuals have differences from nonautistic people (sometimes called allistic or neurotypical people) in social skills, communication, and atypical interests and/or repetitive behaviors. Applied behavior analysis is one of the first and most common interventions recommended for autistic children. However, autistic individuals argue that applied behavior analysis damages their mental health and treats them as though they are a problem to be fixed. This study examined the experiences of seven autistic individuals who received applied behavior analysis interventions as children to understand what autistic adults think about their applied behavior analysis interventions, how they feel about the applied behavior analysis interventions they received, and what recommendations autistic adults have for the future of applied behavior analysis. The findings include: Autistic adults remember traumatic events from applied behavior analysis, do not believe that they should be made to behave like their peers, gained some benefits but suffered significant negative long-term consequences, believe that applied behavior analysis is an unethical intervention, and recommend that applied behavior analysis practitioners listen to autistic people and consider using interventions in place of applied behavior analysis.
Autism : the international journal of research and practice, 2023 · doi:10.1177/13623613221118216