ABA or Applied Behavior Analysis is defined on the Center for Autism and Related Disorders as "...the scientific study of behavior. Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is the application of the principles of learning and motivation from Behavior Analysis, and the procedures and technology derived from those principles, to the solution of problems of social significance." ABA is the only therapy covered by insurance, and the only real teaching method available in the public schools.
Diary of a Mom blogs about it:
There are many blogs by autistic adults who experienced ABA therapy that was practiced in such a way that amounted to abuse, such as Quiet Hands:
I know not all "ABA" practitioners are like this, but I just read this today:
Ditch the Bad Therapist (a mother’s horror story) (trigger warning)
If your child is enjoying and benefiting from ABA, that is wonderful. There are practitioners that practice it in such a way that respects the child, how they communicate, who they are, etc. Autistic Chick blogs:
For those children who are unable to communicate verbally, we parents must be alert for their response to therapies (not just ABA), and trust our gut to act in their best interest.
Diary of a Mom blogs about it:
- "ABA’s name implies its true purpose for us – Applied Behavior Analysis. (Note: not Modification, Analysis.) You’ve heard me say a thousand times over that behavior is communication, right? Well, when it’s the only form of communication that your kiddo’s got, you might need some help in figuring out what s/he is trying to tell you. It’s not always so easy. So we collect data (either formally or not) in order to analyze her behavior so that we can figure out what she is trying to tell us....
- But ABA can also be harmful. When it is used for the purposes of behavior modification without regard for communication. When it is used indiscriminately. When it is used to change behavior in order to make it more palatable to us rather than more effective for our children. And, in the worst cases, when it veers into aversives." READ MORE
There are many blogs by autistic adults who experienced ABA therapy that was practiced in such a way that amounted to abuse, such as Quiet Hands:
- When I was a little girl, they held my hands down in tacky glue while I cried. READ MORE
- There are parents who withdrew their children from ABA because of how it was practiced - their children suffered from PTSD due to how the therapy was "applied". READ MORE
I know not all "ABA" practitioners are like this, but I just read this today:
Ditch the Bad Therapist (a mother’s horror story) (trigger warning)
- When I first started this particular blog series, I had grand dreams of sharing all sorts of valuable lessons about ABA therapy. I imagined all of the amazing ideas I would learn about how to work effectively with my three three year-old son diagnosed with ASD and how blogging about it would help, not only me, but other parents out there.
If your child is enjoying and benefiting from ABA, that is wonderful. There are practitioners that practice it in such a way that respects the child, how they communicate, who they are, etc. Autistic Chick blogs:
- My mom works in ABA. It is not like the ABA that traumatized you. It is not like the ABA that tried to erase you. It is not like the ABA that forced you to "use your words." READ MORE
For those children who are unable to communicate verbally, we parents must be alert for their response to therapies (not just ABA), and trust our gut to act in their best interest.
AN OPEN LETTER TO FAMILIES CONSIDERING INTENSIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY...
If you are considering an in-home (or out of home) Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) program for your very much loved autistic son or daughter, please consider the following.Our son was a very loving and trusting little boy. He was joyful, easy going, and only cried if he got a significant bump from falling. We felt very fortunate since our son was mildly autistic, has a little language, and especially because he was never violent or aggressive or anxiety-ridden. He loved meeting people and we referred to him as an "extrovert."
We are now victims of a nationally-known and high visibility ABA program provider. The ABA trainers sent to our home appeared very competent. They had supervisory responsibilities. They trained others within their organization. But over the course of a year's treatment they deprived our son of needed developmental experiences. This treatment culminated when they destroyed his emotional and psychological health in a 25 minute intervention involving forced restraint and yelling while he cried and attempted to free himself. Our gentle son was very skillfully and purposefully pushed into unbearable and unmanageable anxiety.
Our son now carries a dual diagnosis: autism and POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD). READ MORE
If you are considering an in-home (or out of home) Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) program for your very much loved autistic son or daughter, please consider the following.Our son was a very loving and trusting little boy. He was joyful, easy going, and only cried if he got a significant bump from falling. We felt very fortunate since our son was mildly autistic, has a little language, and especially because he was never violent or aggressive or anxiety-ridden. He loved meeting people and we referred to him as an "extrovert."
We are now victims of a nationally-known and high visibility ABA program provider. The ABA trainers sent to our home appeared very competent. They had supervisory responsibilities. They trained others within their organization. But over the course of a year's treatment they deprived our son of needed developmental experiences. This treatment culminated when they destroyed his emotional and psychological health in a 25 minute intervention involving forced restraint and yelling while he cried and attempted to free himself. Our gentle son was very skillfully and purposefully pushed into unbearable and unmanageable anxiety.
Our son now carries a dual diagnosis: autism and POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD). READ MORE
Compliance / Social Skills / ABA / Indistinguishability Resources
by Parenting Autistic CHildren with Love and Acceptance
There is an immense amount of pressure on parents to subject Autistic children to therapies and interventions which aim to coerce children into behaving according to social norms. Therapies with this objective, especially those which demand compliance, are dangerous and disrespectful to Autistic children. Below find a list of reading on the topic. Every single parent should read these posts before even considering allowing children to participate in any of these interventions. READ ALL
by Parenting Autistic CHildren with Love and Acceptance
There is an immense amount of pressure on parents to subject Autistic children to therapies and interventions which aim to coerce children into behaving according to social norms. Therapies with this objective, especially those which demand compliance, are dangerous and disrespectful to Autistic children. Below find a list of reading on the topic. Every single parent should read these posts before even considering allowing children to participate in any of these interventions. READ ALL
ABA by Unstrange Mind
"...Here’s the argument in a nutshell. It gets longer, angrier, and much more detailed than this, but I am exhausted just from reading the fighting, so I’m boiling it all down to two statements. And both statements are correct. Autistic adult: “ABA is abuse.”
Parent of Autistic child: “I’m not abusive and my child is benefitting greatly from ABA therapy.”
You read me right: both statements are correct. That is part of what I need to unpack today. I think the best place to start is with the fact that both people above are using the term “ABA”, but what they are actually talking about are usually two different things. First we need to define ABA. " READ MORE
"...Here’s the argument in a nutshell. It gets longer, angrier, and much more detailed than this, but I am exhausted just from reading the fighting, so I’m boiling it all down to two statements. And both statements are correct. Autistic adult: “ABA is abuse.”
Parent of Autistic child: “I’m not abusive and my child is benefitting greatly from ABA therapy.”
You read me right: both statements are correct. That is part of what I need to unpack today. I think the best place to start is with the fact that both people above are using the term “ABA”, but what they are actually talking about are usually two different things. First we need to define ABA. " READ MORE
Why I left ABA
by Socially Anxious Advocate
When I first became an ABA Therapist, I was thrilled. I was actually going to use my psych degree, get paid more than minimum wage, and above all, make a positive difference in Autistic children’s lives. Or at least, that’s what I thought.
Now I look back, and the year I spent working in ABA is my single greatest regret.
When I left, it wasn’t a decision I made overnight. It was a long, difficult process, full of denial and confusion. I don’t enjoy talking about it because I did so many wrong things that affected kids’ lives, and I don’t want to offer any excuses for myself. But I do want you to get a sense of what the process was like, in case anyone reading this happens to be in the same position. READ MORE
by Socially Anxious Advocate
When I first became an ABA Therapist, I was thrilled. I was actually going to use my psych degree, get paid more than minimum wage, and above all, make a positive difference in Autistic children’s lives. Or at least, that’s what I thought.
Now I look back, and the year I spent working in ABA is my single greatest regret.
When I left, it wasn’t a decision I made overnight. It was a long, difficult process, full of denial and confusion. I don’t enjoy talking about it because I did so many wrong things that affected kids’ lives, and I don’t want to offer any excuses for myself. But I do want you to get a sense of what the process was like, in case anyone reading this happens to be in the same position. READ MORE
Furthur nuances of ABA-based therapies by Restless Hands
"I’ve been seeing a lot of discussion online lately about ABA-based therapies.*
Can these therapies ever be done right? How can you tell when a therapy is damaging even though it is play-based, uses no aversives, and doesn’t seem unpleasant for the child undergoing it? Are stressful therapies ok in small doses?
Most people, including most of the ABA therapists I’ve met, agree that one of the most important things for any person to learn is how to say “No,” verbally or not. I’d like to describe two different ways I’ve seen an ABA technician work on this with an autistic client. On paper, the two ABA programs sound about the same (Note: (the people who perform the “therapy” sessions with the kids are trained by private companies and not licensed as healthcare providers or educators in any other way. Program supervisors generally require some form of degree in psychology). Similar stated goals and methods. But observing the techs in action reveals important differences." READ MORE
"I’ve been seeing a lot of discussion online lately about ABA-based therapies.*
Can these therapies ever be done right? How can you tell when a therapy is damaging even though it is play-based, uses no aversives, and doesn’t seem unpleasant for the child undergoing it? Are stressful therapies ok in small doses?
Most people, including most of the ABA therapists I’ve met, agree that one of the most important things for any person to learn is how to say “No,” verbally or not. I’d like to describe two different ways I’ve seen an ABA technician work on this with an autistic client. On paper, the two ABA programs sound about the same (Note: (the people who perform the “therapy” sessions with the kids are trained by private companies and not licensed as healthcare providers or educators in any other way. Program supervisors generally require some form of degree in psychology). Similar stated goals and methods. But observing the techs in action reveals important differences." READ MORE
More on ABA by Emma's Hope Book
I finally did something I’ve never done before. I’ve closed down any further comments on a post I wrote about the ethics of ABA. I continue to get up to thirty views on that post daily, now over a year later. Most of the comments are coming from ABA therapists who write in defense of ABA, which is fine, except most of them are saying the same thing and my response is also to repeat what I’ve said before, but I’m also getting comments from people who are furious that I dare suggest ABA is anything but wonderful, so instead of endlessly repeating myself, I have shut comments down, just on that post.
If you are an ABA therapist, it is your obligation to, at the very least, read what those who are autistic and were given ABA as children are saying about it. If nothing else, please read Ido Kedar’s book Ido in Autismland where he describes what it was like to be a non-speaking autistic child, with a body that does not do as he would like, and who was given hours of ABA therapy every day for years. READ MORE
I finally did something I’ve never done before. I’ve closed down any further comments on a post I wrote about the ethics of ABA. I continue to get up to thirty views on that post daily, now over a year later. Most of the comments are coming from ABA therapists who write in defense of ABA, which is fine, except most of them are saying the same thing and my response is also to repeat what I’ve said before, but I’m also getting comments from people who are furious that I dare suggest ABA is anything but wonderful, so instead of endlessly repeating myself, I have shut comments down, just on that post.
If you are an ABA therapist, it is your obligation to, at the very least, read what those who are autistic and were given ABA as children are saying about it. If nothing else, please read Ido Kedar’s book Ido in Autismland where he describes what it was like to be a non-speaking autistic child, with a body that does not do as he would like, and who was given hours of ABA therapy every day for years. READ MORE