Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) From an Autistic-Community Perspective: What Would It Take to Reform?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53103/cjess.v6i4.543Keywords:
Applied Behaviour Analysis, Autism-Centred Practice, Autistic Social Validity, Neurodiversity-Affirming, Neurodiversity-LiteAbstract
Autistic community perspectives on Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) based interventions, of which autistic children are the largest client base, have long been ignored by the mainstream ABA industry. Pitting the voices of autistic people, academics and researchers, and allied professionals against a multi-billion-dollar industry, which holds a strong virtual monopoly on autism support in North America, has led to limited progress. More widespread acceptance of the tenets of the neurodiversity paradigm, alongside increased spaces for autistic people to be heard, can be seen as contributing to a notable shift. Concurrent with continued calls to ban ABA, there is emergent realisation from within sections of the ABA industry of a need to listen and evolve. This raises the question of whether there is scope to work together to drive change. In querying this, it is vital to recognise that there is a difference in reforming ABA as an industry and reforming ABA as a discipline. We highlight the need to be cautious of instances where ABA has sought to remarket itself without undergoing more substantial change. As such, we join voices calling for more radical evolution and query what, from an autism-centred perspective, it would take to reform?
Downloads
References
Allen, L. L., Mellon, L. S., Syed, N., Johnson, J. F., & Bernal, A. J. (2024). Neurodiversity-affirming applied behavior analysis. Behavior Analysis in Practice. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-024-00918-0
Anderson L. K. (2023). Autistic experiences of applied behavior analysis. Autism, 27(3), 737–750. https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613221118216
Autistic Collaboration. (2022, February 16). Ban of all forms of applied behaviour analysis. https://autcollab.org/aba/
Autistic Self Advocacy Network. (2021). Nothing about us without us: How autism advocacy is changing ABA. https://autisticadvocacy.org
Ask an Autistic. (2019, August 11). The great big ABA opposition resource list. Stop ABA, Support Autistics. https://stopabasupportautistics.home.blog/2019/08/11/the-great-big-aba-opposition-resource-list/
Beardon, L. (2021). Autism in adults. Sheldon Press.
Behavior Analyst Certification Board. (2025). BACB certificant data, https://www.bacb.com/bacb-certificant-data/
Behavior Analyst Certification Board. (2020). Ethics code for behavior analysts, https://bacb.com/wp-content/ethics-code-for-behavior-analysts/
Botha, M., & Cage, E. (2022) “Autism research is in crisis”: A mixed method study of researcher’s constructions of autistic people and autism research. Front. Psychol. 13:1050897. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1050897
Bottema-Beutel, K., McKinnon, R., Mohiuddin, S., LaPoint, S. C., & Kim, S. Y. (2024). Problems with "problem behavior": A secondary systematic review of intervention research on transition-age autistic youth. Autism, 28(8), 1872–1888. https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613241229159
Bottema-Beutel, K., Crowley, S., Sandbank, M., & Woynaroski, T. G. (2021). Research Review: Conflicts of Interest (COIs) in autism early intervention research - a meta-analysis of COI influences on intervention effects. Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines, 62(1), 5–15. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.13249
Broderick, A. A. (2022). The autism industrial complex: How branding, marketing, and capital investment turned autism into big business (eBook Edition). Myers Education Press.
Broderick, A. A., & Roscigno, R. (2021). Autism, Inc.: The autism industrial complex. Journal of Disability Studies in Education, 2(1), 77-101. https://doi.org/10.1163/25888803-bja10008
Cage, E., Crompton, C. J., Dantas, S., Strachan, K., Birch, R., Robinson, M., Morgan-Appel, S., MacKenzie-Nash, C., Gallagher, A., & Botha, M. (2024). What are the autism research priorities of autistic adults in Scotland? Autism, 28(9), 2179-2190. https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613231222656
Callahan, A. E., Sidener, T. M., DeBar, R. M., Deshais, M. A., Pane, H. M., & Patil, P. (2023). Multiple schedules with response interruption and redirection to reduce stereotypy in children with autism spectrum disorder: Generalization and social validity. Behavioral Interventions, 38(2), 329–346. https://doi.org/10.1002/bin.1935
Cassidy, S., Bradley, L., Shaw, R., & Baron-Cohen, S. (2018). Risk markers for suicidality in autistic adults. Molecular Autism, 9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13229-018-0226-4
Carr, E. G., & Durand, V. M. (1985). Reducing behavior problems through functional communication training. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 18(2), 111–126. https://doi.org/10.1901/jaba.1985.18-111
Chapman, R. (2023). Empire of normality – Neurodiversity and capitalism. Pluto Press.
Chown, N., & Murphy, S. (2022). Social validity in relation to applied behaviour analysis. Academia Letters. 10.20935/AL4751.
Chown, N., Murphy, S., & Suckle, E. (2023). The autism worldview dilemma: To normalise or not to normalise, that is the question. Good Autism Practice (GAP), 24(2), 5-12.
Cooper, J., Heron, T., & Heward, W. (2020). Applied behavior analysis (3rd edition). Pearson Education.
Delahooke, M. (2019). Beyond behaviors: Using brain science and compassion to solve children’s behavioral challenges. PESI Publishers.
Desautels, L. L. (2020). Connections over compliance: Rewiring our perceptions of discipline. Wyatt-MacKenzie Publishing.
Dillenburger, K. (2025). Letter to Editor. Advances in Autism, 11(1), 1-4. https://doi.org/10.1108/AIA-01-2025-080
Doherty, M., Chown, N., Martin, N., & Shaw, S. C. K. (2024). Autistic psychiatrists' experiences of recognising themselves and others as autistic: a qualitative study. BJPsych Open, 10(6), e183. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjo.2024.756
Dwyer, P. (2022), ABA reform: distinguishing meaningful change and ‘neurodiversity lite,’ Autistic Scholar, https://www.autisticscholar.com/aba-reform-distinguishing-meaningful-change-and-neurodiversity-lite/
European Council of Autistic People. (2022). Autistic people’s opinions on applied behavior analysis in Europe EUCAP survey results 2022. https://eucap.eu/projects/aba/
Gardiner, F. (2019). First-hand perspectives on behavioral interventions for autistic people and people with other developmental disabilities. Office of Developmental Primary Care Department of Family and Community Medicine University of California and Autistic Self Advocacy Network. https://autisticadvocacy.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/First-Hand-Perspectives-on-Behavioral-Interventions-for-Autistic-People-and-People-with-other-Developmental-Disabilities.pdf
Gates, G. (2019). Trauma, stigma, and autism: Developing resilience and loosening the grip of shame. (eBook Edition.). Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Hanley, G. (2021, September 9). A perspective on today’s ABA from Dr. Hanley. Practical Functional Assessment: Understanding Problem Behavior Prior to Its Treatment. https://practicalfunctionalassessment.com/2021/09/09/a-perspective-on-todays-aba-by-dr-greg-hanley/
How To ABA. (2023, December 19). Building trust, not just plans: A compassionate ABA approach for challenging behavior [Video recording]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riukHtokvq0&t=4s
Jackson-Perry, D., Suckle, E., Chown, N., Tarbox, J. (2025). A tactful prompt: The time is right for critical behavioral studies. Perspect Behav Sci, https://doi.org/10.1007/s40614-025-00472-2
Jeglum, S. R., Cicero, A., DeBrine, J., & Livingston, C. P. (2024). Emergency department utilization due to challenging behavior in children and adolescents diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Behavioral Sciences, 14, 669. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14080669
Johnson, J. F. (2025). From harm to healing: Building the future of ABA with autistic voices. Societies, 15(3), 72. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc15030072
Kupferstein, H. (2018), “Evidence of increased PTSD symptoms in autistics exposed to applied behavior analysis”, Advances in Autism, Vol. 4 No. 1, pp. 19-29. https://doi.org/10.1108/AIA-08-2017-0016
Leaf, J. B., Ross, R. K., Cihon, J. H., & Weiss, M. J. (2018). Evaluating Kupferstein’s claims of the relationship of behavioral intervention to PTSS for individuals with autism. Advances in Autism, 4(3), 122-129. https://doi.org/10.1108/AIA-02-2018-0007
Leaf, J. B., Cihon, J. H., Leaf, R., McEachin, J., Liu, N., Russell, N., Unumb, L., Shapiro, S., & Khosrowshahi, D. (2021). Concerns about ABA-based intervention: An evaluation and recommendations. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 52(6), 2838–2853. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-021-05137-y
Legault, M., Catala, A., & Poirier, P. (2024). Breaking the stigma around autism: Moving away from neuronormativity using epistemic justice and 4E cognition. Synthese, 204(3), 84. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11229-024-04730-9
Marshall, N. S., Russel, Clara, Damon, & Kendra. (2025). Autistic experiences of applied behavior analysis (ABA): Toward improved autistic-centered supports. Journal of Social Issues, 81(4), e70037. https://doi.org/10.1111/josi.70037
Mathur, S. K., Renz, E., & Tarbox, J. (2024). Affirming neurodiversity within applied behavior analysis. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 17, 471–485. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-024-00907-3
Mathur, S. K., Tarbox, J., Chown, N., & Suckle, E. (2026). Listening with humility: lessons learned from a dialogue with scholars from critical autism studies. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 19(2), 718–731. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-025-01149-7
McGill, O., & Robinson, A. (2020). “Recalling hidden harms”: Autistic experiences of childhood applied behavioural analysis (ABA). Advances in Autism, 7(4), 269–282. https://doi.org/10.1108/AIA-04-2020-0025
Milton, D. (2012) On the ontological status of autism: the ‘double empathy problem’. Disability & Society, 27 (6). pp. 883-887. https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2012.710008
Morris, C., Morris, D. B., Ferrucci, B. J., Calkins, C. A., Sudhoff, S. M., & Nenninger, N. M. (2025). A review of behavior-analytic articles that cite a source of misinformation about ABA. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-025-01061-0
Newcomb, E. T., & Hagopian, L. R. (2018). Treatment of severe problem behaviour in children with autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disabilities. International Review of Psychiatry, 30, 96-109. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540261.2018.1435513
Ontario Association of Applied Behaviour Analysis. (2025). Joint Statement from Canadian ABA Chapters on the Removal of DEI Requirements by the BACB. https://ontaba.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Canadian-Chapters-Response-to-BACB-DEI-Changes-Final-Draft.pdf
Office for National Statistics. (2021). Outcomes for disabled people in the UK: 2021. https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/disability/articles/outcomesfordisabledpeopleintheuk/2021
Pearson, A., & Rose, K. (2023). Autistic masking: Understanding identity management and the role of stigma. Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd. https://pavpub.com/learning-disability/autism/autistic-masking-understanding-identity-management
Pritchett, M., Ala’i-Rosales, S., Cruz, A. R., & Cihon, T. M. (2021). Social justice is the spirit and aim of an applied science of human behavior: Moving from colonial to participatory research practices. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 15(4), 1074–1092. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-021-00591-7
Rajaraman, A., Austin, J. L., Gover, H. C., Cammilleri, A. P., Donnelly, D. R., & Hanley, G. P. (2022). Toward trauma-informed applications of behavior analysis. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 55(1), 40–61. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaba.881
Raskin, J.D. (2025). Autism – RFK Jr.’s Shocking stance on autism. Psychology Today, https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/making-meaning/202504/rfk-jrs-shocking-stance-on-autism
Real Social Skills. (2015, July 17). Appearing to enjoy behavior modification is not meaningful. https://www.realsocialskills.org/blog/appearing-to-enjoy-behavior-modificiation-is-not
Suckle, E., Chown, N., Tarbox, J., & Mathur, S. K. (2025). Speaking across the autism worldview divide: A dialogue between critical autism studies and behaviour analytic scholars. Disability & Society, 1-23.
Vollmer, T. R., & Pendergrass, J. A. (2025). Social validity and contemporary applied behavior analysis. Perspectives on Behavior Science, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40614-025-00452-6
Waddington, H., Minnell, H., Patrick, L., van Der Meer, L., Monk, R., Woods, L., & Whitehouse, A. J. (2024). Community perspectives on the appropriateness and importance of support goals for young autistic children. Autism, 28(2), 316–326. https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613231168920
Wang, R., Susumu, Y. (2024). Factors of bullying victimization among students on the autism spectrum: A systematic review. Rev J Autism Dev Disord. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40489-024-00478-7
Wilkenfeld, D. A., & McCarthy, A. M. (2020). Ethical concerns with applied behavior analysis for autism spectrum “disorder.” Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal, 30(1), 31–69. https://doi.org/10.1353/ken.2020.0000
Wolf, M. M. (1978). Social validity: The case for subjective measurement or how applied behavior analysis is finding its heart 1. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 11(2), 203-214. https://doi.org/10.1901/jaba.1978.11-203
Yergeau, R. M. (2018). Authoring autism: On rhetoric and neurological queerness. Duke University Press.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Elsa Suckle, Nicholas Chown, Nancy Marshall, Jonathan Tarbox
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
All articles published by CJESS are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. This license permits third parties to copy, redistribute, remix, transform and build upon the original work provided that the original work and source is appropriately cited.
