Nurture Speech Pathology aligns with the autistic community with our view around ABA - we do not endorse, encourage or use any compliance training. The team  acknowledges and respects the autistic community's consensus and lived experience 

that ABA training is considered abuse and is trauma- inducing.

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Applied Behavioural Analysis

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Applied Behaviour Analysis is a form of behaviour modification that relies heavily on external reinforcement, both positive and negative (operant conditioning). ABA is intended to modify or diminish behaviours in autistic children. ABAfollows behaviourist theories that suggest that behaviour is caused by external stimuli in the environment and therefore a reward would reinforce a behaviour, and punishment would discourage it.

 

ABA therapy has traditionally been regarded as the "gold standard treatment option" for autistic children because a "number of studies have found it to be  effective". It is important to note however that these studies only looked those whohave a measurable IQ, usually 70 or above, which means children who are nonspeaking are always excluded from these studies. There is barely any research on the effectiveness of ABA for the nonspeaking population and yet non speaking autistics are the ones who receives long-term ABA services.

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Learning from traumatised autistic ABA survivors

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The principles of ABA are based on silencing the voices of autistic individuals and ignoring their inner experiences. Behaviour is communication. Instead of trying to figure out what the child is trying to communicate, ABA aims to change the behaviour. The children are being taught that their voices do not matter and that positive things or experiences must beearned.

 

Long term consequences of ABA includes trained compliance, and often produces prompt dependent individuals with low self-esteem, and self motivation. A lifetime of 

having food, toys, and other favourite/high interest objects being withheld without an understanding as to why, creates learned helpless, anxiety, and stress.

 

A lifetime of prompt dependence can create adult reliant children, and robs them of 

the opportunity and potential for learning and growth. Regardless of age, autistic individuals often are victims of abuse as they have been trained to be compliant and conditioned to obey others which makes them more vulnerable to manipulation and grooming. Many autistic individuals who have gone through ABA display post traumatic stress symptoms.

 

Some parents/therapists might rave about the positive benefits they have seen from ABA therapy. But is this simply because the child has learnt to mask their behaviours/intentions? (We will dive into autistic masking in the coming weeks). If you have power over someone in the way that behaviour therapists do, children are going to be highly motivated to please you which is often a type of trauma-response.

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How about  "new/modern/good" ABA?

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Is compliance/changing of behaviour still what you are are after?

 

Does "new/modern/good" ABA still teach the child that other people's desires are more important than their desires, or even their needs? Does it teach the child that if he/she tolerates distress, the child be rewarded? Does it teach the child thatthey can't say "no" or that their "no" will not be accepted. Does it resort to emotional manipulation (e.g. If you don't do this, it will make me sad), and bribery (e.g. If you take another bite of your meal, you can have a whole box of cookies)? No one is struck, yelled or physically manipulated in these scenarios; but the child's sense of self, autonomy, trust, and emotional safety are being PURPOSEFULLY and SYSTEMATICALLY eroded.'

 

Knowledge and skills can be taught without ABA - in a nurturing learning environment that respects a child's inner experience. When a child cries or exhibits a fight, flight, or freeze response, we should be wondering how we may help to make things better and not to do ABA to simply stop the distress response without investigating and addressing the reasonthat caused the crying or other distress response.