ERIC Number: EJ1373062
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023-Apr
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1362-3613
EISSN: EISSN-1461-7005
Available Date: N/A
Autistic Experiences of Applied Behavior Analysis
Autism: The International Journal of Research and Practice, v27 n3 p737-750 Apr 2023
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.
Descriptors: Autism Spectrum Disorders, Applied Behavior Analysis, Intervention, Children, Program Effectiveness, Attitudes, Trauma, Behavior Modification, Young Adults, Punishment
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A