05/17/2025
Why aren't the doctors hearing this?
Informed consent matters!
After receiving an Autism diagnosis, parents are told by their doctor to get their child into ABA. They trust their doctor.
Is the doctor telling them about the controversy of ABA? Most often, no!
Are doctors telling them that the "therapy" (the providers are not therapists) is going to be provided mostly by someone who only had 40 hours of training? No, they're not.
ABA done by an RBT is not skilled care. RBTs are not therapists and do not have the training to address communication skills, ADLs, or sensory processing challenges, but they're billing for it! And their billing a lot for it!
I always assume behavior technicians are good people who mean well and want to help autistic children and their families. However, they are also not competent to address the issues they claim to be able to address.
This is an inconvenient truth. Parents are desparate to get help for their kids. They're not being told the truth, and the system leaves them few options outside of a very controversial intervention that many autistic people speak out against.
The ABA industry keeps trying to re-brand themselves. They are not telling the truth when they say ABA has changed, because the education and underlying theory has not.
They claim to be trauma-informed. They are not. In fact, many claim they are trauma-inducing.
They claim to be play-based and child-led. Using favorite toys to continue the operant conditioning is not child-led, and using toys to get compliance is not play-based.
They say "ABA has evolved". This is also a falsehood. They are trying to be OTs and SLPs. They are not and never will have the skill set of OTs or SLPs. While they are "evolving", there are already evidence-based, ACTUAL therapies that are already doing what they are trying to "evolve" into.
Sensory issues? Challenges with Activities of Daily Living? That's OT. Ask your doctor for an OT referral and tell them what you know about ABA. Enlighten them.
Communications concerns? Ask your doctor for a referral for speech (and possibly audiology).
Parents deserve to know the TRUTH about ABA, not just ABAs talking points to try and re-brand themselves.
Thank you Therapist Neurodiversity Collective for creating this infographic. You can download the printable for free on their website.
https://therapistndc.org/education/free-neurodiversity-printables/?fbclid=IwY2xjawKVsFdleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHkQvrSODmYnNj3tYd76FW8_cCLeev3k4CH_Om7YCDRNpsNZERRv_GiAcgsRl_aem_56T0ICILvbT-a7pMb7V6-g
