Autistic experiences of applied behavior analysis

Added on 21/09/2024

Type de contenu

Journal article of the type Scientific research ( ; english)

Laura Anderson
Autistic experiences of applied behavior analysis published in the journal "Autism" n°3, vol.27, 14 pages , doi: 10.1177/13623613221118216

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Summary/Presentation

Autism spectrum disorder is a developmental disability affecting individuals across their entire lifespan. Autistic individuals have differences from nonautistic people (sometimes called allistic or neurotypical people) in social skills, communication, and atypical interests and/or repetitive behaviors. Approximately 1 in 59 children are born autistic, leading to over 3.5 million autistic Americans. Applied behavior analysis is one of the first and most common interventions recommended for autistic children. However, autistic self-advocates argue that applied behavior analysis damages their mental health and treats them as though they are a problem to be fixed. This phenomenological qualitative study examined seven autistic individuals who received applied behavior analysis interventions as children to understand what autistic adults perceive as the costs and benefits of applied behavior analysis interventions, how they feel about the applied behavior analysis interventions they received, and what recommendations autistic adults have for the future of applied behavior analysis. The findings include: Autistic adults remember traumatic events from applied behavior analysis, do not believe that they should be made to behave like their peers, gained some benefits but suffered significant negative long-term consequences, believe that applied behavior analysis is an unethical intervention, and recommend that applied behavior analysis practitioners listen to autistic people and consider using interventions in place of applied behavior analysis.

For your information:

(1) References in blue are resources listed on our site.

(2) Authors listed in this bibliography whose names are in color have published other resources referenced on the site. Clicking on the name allows you to see the list of resources they have published and shared on the site.

(3) Authors whose names are followed by an asterisk have publicly disclosed being autistic.

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