Skye Kychenthal

ABA or Applied Behavior Analysis claims to be a therapy for autistic children providing increased communication, attention, focus, social, memory, and academic abilities (Autism Speaks). However, academic and sociological looks at ABA reveal it is a form of, and rooted deeply in, conversion therapy (Wilkenfeld et al. 2020) (Pyne 2020).

Studies show recipients of ABA are 86% more likely to meet the criteria for PTSD, with estimates showing 46% of ABA survivors meet the diagnostic criteria for PTSD (Kupferstein 2018). Further, a handful of states (including blue states such as CA, PA, ME, CO) have no license requirements for ABA. ABA is primarily comprised of RBTs (technicians), a role which requires only 40 hours of training. Clinics such as AutismTherapies are 88% comprised of RBTs.

ABA has its roots in the 60’s, with the research of Ivar Lovaas. Lovaas’ main accomplishments were the creation of ABA, though he did also expriment with conversion therapy on trans and gender-diverse children (Rekers, Lovaas 1974). In 2020, the journal in which Lovaas published issued an “expression of concern” on Lovaas’ work in conversion therapy for gender nonconforming children, however, did no such thing for ABA studies. Further, recent research has demonstrated a pervasive issue of not disclosing conflicts of interests within ABA research, primarily not disclosing that pro-ABA research is primarily conducted by ABA practitioners (Bottema-Beutel, Crowley 2021).

ABA was built around using operant conditioning, later by Lovaas described as discrete trial training, which involved autistic children being commanded to do things they are typically uncomfortable with. During this time, physical punishments were used to reduce self-harm in autistic children, such as isolation, electric shocks, or slapping (Lovaas 1973). ABA was described by Lovaas as:

“Throughout, there was an emphasis on making the child look as normal as possible, reward-ing him for normal behavior and punishing his psychotic behavior, teaching him to please his parents and us, to be grateful for what we would do for him, to be afraid of us when we were angry, and pleased when we were happy. Adults were in control.” (Lovaas 1973).

ABA currently can consist of (McGill et al. 2020):

1. Training children through the use of physical interventions such as physical restraints, force-feeding, or restricting bathroom usage; dehumanization and animalistic treatment; and accusations of lying or laziness in response to autistic behaviors.
2. Eroding the self by changing the way survivors interact with the world, forcing them to mask, inflicting significant trauma, and learning self-hatred.
3. Restricting agency through controlling behaviors, focusing on teaching compliance to the point of making children more vulnerable to future abuse, and forced masking of survivors’ identities.

Although ABA is supported by many institutions such as the CDC and National Institutes of Health and APA, ABA should never be used on autistic children. The effects of ABA are in line with other conversion therapies, in that they do not “cure autism” or “make living with autism easier,” and instead do the opposite by raising the likelihood of autistic children developing PTSD or other mental health conditions.

This article is an edited excerpt from the Trans Research Masterdoc found on masterdoc.info