This article describes the philosophical underpinnings of applied behavior analysis (ABA) for children with autism. It discusses the three interrelated levels of behavior analysis (technology, science, and philosophy), and the three pillars of behavioral philosophy: empiricism, pragmatism, and selectionism. The amelioration, rather than…

Current approaches to instruction of students with autism and severe behavioral disorders are reviewed, specifically the behavioral framework and the community adaptation framework. In contrast to such approaches, which overemphasize teacher control over student behavior, a facilitative approach to enhancing students' communicative competence is…