This brief article describes several of the debates about applied behavioral analysis (ABA) therapy.
Although ABA therapy has been shown to be a particularly effective early intervention (EI) that improves the behavior and learning abilities of children with autism, the approach is somewhat controversial. This article describes the two sets of extreme beliefs that are held by different groups of parents. Some parents believe that ABA is the one and only potential treatment that can cure their child. Other parents believe that ABA will make their child robotic and dependent upon a rigid structure of reinforcements and prompts. Research has shown that, to be effective, ABA treatment should be the primary form of therapy and should be performed at least 30 hours a week. The article addresses some of the resulting difficulties with staff resources. The author concludes by introducing a special issue of the Journal Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities containing research articles that address the debates summarized here.
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