The overwhelming majority of professionals who serve the autistic community using applied behavior analysis (ABA) do so from a place of caring and compassion to improve the quality of life for the individuals they serve. As researchers and practitioners, the authors feel it is essential to acknowledge concerns that have arisen from neurodiversity…

Theoretical extensions of Skinner's verbal behavior that emphasize derived relational responding (stimulus equivalence, relational frame theory, and bidirectional naming) can improve the complexity and scope of applied behavior-analytic training models with children. We evaluated the prevalence and content of empirical research on derived…