Applied behavior analysis (ABA) research and the use of ABA procedures as a treatment for individuals with autism is an established field in the US with thousands of Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) and undergraduate and graduate programs dedicated to furthering the field and educating future BCBAs. However, here in the US and abroad, there are those who push back against the view of autism as a “disease” to be treated or cured and others who actively work to discredit the field through the spread of disinformation or “fake news”. In some circles, ABA and behavior modification are one and the same and the use of aversives in early behavior modification has not faded from memory. ABA has come a long way since those days, yet despite years of research, there are those who continue argue that it is not the most effective form of treatment nor does it consider the individual affected by that treatment. The neurodiversity movement takes the view that autism is not a disease but a way of being that is neurodivergent – different from the “norm”, and need not be “cured”. A look into the proponents of the movement and the issues that the movement takes with ABA as a therapy may provide some insight into why ABA continues to be demonized. Finally, other health care fields highly value skills such as empathy and compassion and have found a correlation with patient satisfaction, adherence to treatment, and enhanced clinical outcomes. 

Learning Objectives