The tension between applied behavior analysis and the neurodiversity movement has become one of the most consequential professional challenges facing BCBAs. Families, funders, school districts, and the media are increasingly aware of autistic advocates who characterize ABA as harmful, coercive, or focused on normalization at the expense of autistic identity.
Provider: BehaviorLive — via Missouri Association for Behavior Analysis
Take This Course →Including ethics, supervision, and topics like this one. New live CEU every Wednesday.
Join Free →Radical behaviorism has so many applications in so many settings and across many populations, yet with the advent of autism spectrum disorder services becoming popularized the significant majority of behavior analytic research and application is being conducted in this realm. Yet there is a growing trend of anti-behavior analytic attitudes towards our work from the autism community. Why? This workshop's focus is on understanding these phenomena through the behavior analytic lens. This includes examination of claims of trauma and abuse. It also includes look at how neurology and relational frame theory can address deficits in understanding and services. Reflections on the work of Baer, Wolf, and Risley will also be a part of the discussion, most notably in relation to the question of social significance. The workshop will be shaped by the Ethics Code for BCBAs, and will include and introduction to the trauma-informed care and neurodivergent affirming practice frame works.
| Certification Body | Credits | Type |
|---|---|---|
| BACB® | 2 | Ethics |
Brian F. Middleton, M.Ed., BCBA, LBA, the Bearded Behaviorist is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and Licensed Behavior Analyst who has been practicing for over 15 years between being a special education behavior specialist & behavior analyst. He is a co-founder of Mindful Behavior LLC, and is passionate about making behavior analysis accessible, ethical, and effective for everyone. He is an expert in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Relational Frame Theory (RFT), and Neurodiversity Affirming Practice. Brian is also AuDHD (Autistic + ADHD) and uses his lived experience to inform his teaching and clinical practice. He is committed to promoting assent-based practice, social justice, and creating meaningful, connected experiences for all learners.
Dig into the research behind this topic — plain-English summaries written for BCBAs.
279 research articles with practitioner takeaways
258 research articles with practitioner takeaways
236 research articles with practitioner takeaways
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All behavior-analytic intervention is individualized. The information on this page is for educational purposes and does not constitute clinical advice. Treatment decisions should be informed by the best available published research, individualized assessment, and obtained with the informed consent of the client or their legal guardian. Behavior analysts are responsible for practicing within the boundaries of their competence and adhering to the BACB Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts.