An article was recently published about ABA Therapy in The New Yorker, and though it attempted to be balanced, there were many issues with it.
Who am I to speak on the subject of ABA Therapy and provide feedback on The New Yorker article?
I’m an autistic mother of three children, two on the spectrum, one of whom with profound autism. I’m also a published author and a podcast host.
My oldest, Charlie, has been in ABA Therapy full-time for over nine years, since his autism diagnosis at two. His autism is best described as severe, level 3, nonverbal, and profound, and it’s come to define him more than anything else could.
Charlie has made great progress through ABA. The structured and individualized one-on-one approach has been key in helping him develop essential skills and manage challenging and dangerous behaviors. Most notably, ABA has given him a voice, helping him, little by little, to use an AAC app to communicate, after every other type of intervention failed to help him speak. His library of words is now in the hundreds, which he uses to communicate most of his basic needs with simple sentences.
After reading the article, I’m left with an image of ABA that more closely aligns with the misinformation-filled attacks I’ve been dealing with online for eight years, than the intimate daily experience I’ve had with it over that same time. The information seems heavily sourced from what I know to be a largely feelings-over-facts, highly vocal, and often extreme minority within the Autism world. And so, I feel compelled to share my testimony on ABA therapy and how it has immensely and measurably benefitted Charlie, and by extension, our whole family.
Regarding the puppy training comparison from using Skittles as a reinforcer, well, isn’t that something every one of us does? A sticker for the kid who listened well at the grocery store. A cookie for the toddler who used the potty successfully. A smile to the husband to make sure he knows you appreciate him cleaning up. Countless other examples, all so universal that an argument that it’s inhumane not to use positive reinforcement begins to feel more reasonable.
There were a lot of misconceptions about ABA Therapy
Something else that stuck out to me was the misconception that “often, A.B.A. targets autistic traits that may be socially stigmatizing but are harmless unto themselves, such as fidgeting, avoiding eye contact, or stereotypic behaviors commonly known as stimming—rocking, hand-flapping, and so forth.” This is not the case in 2024, and perpetuating these misconceptions is harmful. My son stims constantly. His RBTs never redirect him unless the behavior is dangerous. Eye contact is never forced, either.
“The message that A.B.A. sends is that ‘your instinctual way of being is incorrect.’” I hear this repeated in online comments by the misinformed (many with no direct experience with ABA). I hear it in the unending torrent of messages I receive from people trying to shame me for putting Charlie in ABA. No matter where it comes from, it’s false.
What ABA does is send the message that every human deserves to learn skills that most of us take for granted. Skills that often directly, clearly, obviously benefit that person’s life, health, or safety, or indirectly benefit them and the entire family system they’re a part of. Can you not think of a dozen instinctual or pre-socialized ways of being that we all should thank our lucky stars is socialized out of us, by our parents, peers, or society? When a child has autism, why does this universal process suddenly become offensive?
Why did I have to scroll so far to find a positive ABA Therapy experience?
I have to say, I felt like I had to get deep into the story to find any substantial positive discussion of ABA and I wish the article emphasized the benefits of ABA more and gave a voice to more autistic people who are in favor of ABA. I liked Alison Singer’s testimony and could greatly relate to it.
We must dispel misconceptions surrounding ABA therapy and recognize its value in supporting individuals with autism. Fear-mongering articles are going to drive many people away from ABA therapy—people who would benefit from it the most. Countless studies have demonstrated its effectiveness in improving outcomes and enhancing the quality of life for individuals across the spectrum.
As a prominent voice in the autism and autistic community, I always remind parents and autistic individuals that their feedback matters. If you don’t like something that’s happening during an ABA session speak up. ABA works best with parent involvement and communication.
6 Comments
Frank Sterle Jr.
2024-02-18 at 12:26 AMAlso, schoolteachers should receive mandatory ASD training, especially as the rate of diagnoses increases. There could also be an inclusion in standard high school curriculum of child-development science that would also teach students about the often-debilitating condition (without being overly complicated).
If nothing else, the curriculum would offer students an idea/clue as to whether they themselves are emotionally/mentally compatible with the immense responsibility and strains of regular, non-ASD-child parenthood.
It would explain to students how, among other aspects of the condition, people with ASD (including those with higher functioning autism) are often deemed willfully ‘difficult’ and socially incongruent, when in fact such behavior is really not a choice. Also, how “camouflaging” or “masking,” terms used to describe ASD people pretending to naturally fit into a socially ‘normal’ environment, causes their already high anxiety and depression levels to further increase.
My autism-spectrum disordered brain is, at least for me, an obvious condition with which I greatly struggle(d) while unaware until I was a half-century old that its component dysfunctions had formal names. I’m sometimes told, “But you’re so smart!” To this I immediately agitatedly reply: “But for every ‘gift’ I have, there are a corresponding three or four deficits.” It’s crippling, and on multiple levels!
While low-functioning autism seems to be more recognized and treated, higher-functioning ASD cases are typically left to fend for themselves, except for parents who can finance usually expensive specialized help.
Kate Lynch
2024-05-20 at 1:06 PMWhile my son had some ABA early on, I respect your expertise on this subject. Our experience was that the relationship with the therapist was the key ingredient that mattered. Those who gushed over him and shared his love of dogs or soccer had his heart and his attention. Those who used the job as a stepping stone were more common. Turnover was high, and that lack of continuity rattled our family. In his ABA Pre-K, his Para quit mid-year because she got a better job. That year did ruin his teeth. They were giving him Skittles without my consent, and he ended up having to be sedated for 4 baby root canals.
Kara Andrews
2024-09-01 at 9:54 PMIn just reading what you wrote, it popped out to me that the attention and the shared love of dogs and soccer were in fact the reinforcers. The fact that the paras were given the time to establish the true reinforcement was so important. The first two choices of reinforcement was my son wanting to either be chased or left completely alone. Go figure. Each child is as unique as the next. As the mom of a 29 year old ASD young man, I have had to look back on the years of 5 through present with analysis myself. The supply of well trained ABA individuals is sorely lacking and such individuals take time to train and retain. I, too, watched many transition on their way to somewhere else in their lives and faced “starting over” with new people in my home. I ache to hear of and experience the overload in the need for services and feel a lot of resentment that those driving many of these services have little experience in the reality of the everyday situations parents, caregivers and family members face. My very best wishes to you Katie – and your son.
Mareile Koenig
2024-06-01 at 12:22 AMWell said, Eileen!! And I agree that most of the harmful disinformation comes from people who have had very little direct experience with or education about the science of ABA.
Elisa Hunt
2024-09-22 at 6:53 AMDon’t you work at the most abusive place in the USA? The Judge Rotenberg Center where students are given skin shocks for things as simple as standing up?
Here is a quote from a survivor of the JRC’s torture “The most sickening, horrifying experience of my life was being shocked on the restraint board. (It) means getting shocked 5 different times, over a period of 10 minutes for having just one single behavior … anything from hitting your head, to talking to yourself, saying a swear word, rocking, even screaming from fear and pain of the shocks”
How do you live with yourself, especially having an autistic child?
Eileen
2024-10-03 at 2:21 AMUh? I do not work at The Judge Rotenberg Center.