ABA Mythbusting: Debunking 4 Common Myths and Misconceptions about ABA

Are you new to the world of Applied Behaviour Analysis or ABA? Are you finding it difficult to figure out if ABA is right for you and your family? If you’re researching ABA on the internet, you can find many positive, meaningful, life-changing experiences that children and their families have had with ABA therapy. 

You also may find some information about some controversies surrounding ABA. Much of this controversy stems from intrusive historical practices, and misapplication of ABA by untrained and unqualified individuals. Unfortunately, this has contributed to many myths and misconceptions about ABA and how it is practiced today. Let’s debunk some of the common myths of ABA. 

Myth #1: ABA is harmful and uses aversive procedures.

Some early behavioural and psychological methods sometimes used punishment procedures to treat severe challenging behaviour. In current ABA practice, punishment is rarely used and is generally discouraged. The emphasis is on the use of least intrusive methods first. Punishment procedures (e.g., giving a child a time-out for hitting another child) are only used when all other reinforcement-based positive strategies have been attempted and the risk of harm is high for those behaviours that may cause harm to others or to the individual themselves (e.g., severe self-injury, physical aggression). Additionally, if more punitive procedures are recommended, they can only be used with the written consent of the individual themselves or their caregivers. It is true, that any form of therapy, whether it is ABA or not, can be harmful if misapplied. However,  ABA is not harmful when applied by qualified, trained, and properly supervised clinicians. 

Myth #2: ABA is too tough on Kids.

While the use of aversive methods is extremely rare; there is still a complaint that ABA therapy can involve a lot of repetition and is tough on the children. This thought likely stems from the earliest form of ABA therapy developed for children with autism by Dr. Ivaar Lovaas, in the 1960s, called Discrete Trial Training (DTT). This teaching strategy typically involved up to 40 hours of therapy each week and much of this time was spent completing tasks while sitting at a desk or table. DTT continues to be the most structured method of teaching which can involve high-paced 1:1 instruction and repeated trials.  For many individuals, DTT can be an effective teaching method to learn certain skills that they require more practice with. For some, DTT style teaching may not be necessary for the skills or goals they are learning.  However, there are many different forms and methods of teaching in ABA. Much of the teaching involves naturalistic and play-based learning that is away from the table and in natural environments. Learning should be fun and occur in every setting and situation for that individual. 

There is a stereotype that exists that ABA therapists are “demanding taskmasters”. This is simply not true. In fact, most ABA therapists are trained to be super-animated (almost over the top at times!) and fun. Sometimes if you do see a therapist who is a bit too serious or stern, that’s just bad teaching, not ABA. 

Myth #3: ABA is too focused on eliminating “bad” behaviours

The criticism that ABA is too focused on eliminating “bad” behaviours; stems from the fact that some practitioners do not focus on the development of skills to reduce or eliminate challenging behaviours (e.g., self-injury, physical aggression). ABA doesn’t seek to “get rid” of “bad” behaviours; it seeks to teach individuals what to do instead. If you want to reduce tantrums, you need to understand why that person is having tantrums in the first place and then teach an alternative skill to replace a tantrum. A main focus of ABA is to teach skills that increase important life skills (e.g., toileting, dressing, communication, vocational skills). When treating challenging behaviour with ABA, the focus should be on teaching appropriate replacement behaviours (e.g., communication) that can serve as an alternative to the challenging behaviour that will teach the child they can still get their needs met in an appropriate way. In other words, the goal of ABA is to increase skills that will foster independence and autonomy.  Oftentimes when you increase skills, you will naturally see a decrease in challenging behaviours. 

Myth #4: ABA wants to change autistic people 

In recent years, there has been some debate about ABA therapy from a community of adults with autism. These advocates, many of them childhood recipients of ABA, say that they disagree with ABA therapy on the premise that ABA is trying to make people with autism more “normal”, and that ABA is trying to change a child in order to fit in. Ari Ne’eman, a leading autistic self-advocate (who is president and co-founder of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network) stated; “The emphasis on things like eye contact or sitting still or not stimming” — i.e. self-stimulation such as flapping hands — “is oriented around trying to create the trappings of the typical child,” he says, “without acknowledging the reality that different children have different needs”.

People are increasingly recognizing the value of neurodiversity, which refers to the diverse ways the human brain can function. The goal of ABA is to increase independence and autonomy. The goals of treatment need to be important for the individual and based on their values. ABA therapists and providers work with individuals and their families to determine which goals to select and the teaching procedures that will have the greatest impact on quality of life.  “ABA doesn’t focus on creating the best-behaved person, the purpose of ABA is helping a person do as much as possible, and get as much joy as possible out of the world.”

ABA has benefited many children with autism by helping them learn developmental skills. It can help improve communication abilities while reducing harmful behaviours, including self-injury. Keep in mind that ABA is only one of many treatments to consider for children with autism, and it may not work for all children. 

It can be difficult to navigate all of the conflicting information and varying experiences and opinions about ABA. I hope this was helpful in understanding some of the myths and misconceptions about ABA - about what ABA is and what it isn’t. It’s important to have open and honest discussions about any concerns or fears about the therapy that you may have with the person recommending the therapy. If you’ve been recommended to receive ABA services or are thinking it could be a good fit for you or your family, I encourage you to always ask questions. Also, review the links below to learn more information about ABA. 

All of the resources discussed here were created and made available by the Ontario Association of Behaviour Analysis (ONTABA) and by the Child Mind Institute. To review the outlined resources and other resources related to ABA check out https://training.ontaba.org/ and https://childmind.org/article/controversy-around-applied-behavior-analysis/