11/14/2025
WHO HURT YOU???? 😮
The ABA field is changing — but not everyone is ready for that conversation.
I recently had a fellow BCBA tell me that parent-led ABA “isn’t viable,” that “there isn’t enough research,” and that this type of model is “political.”
And it made me realize something important:
💬 Some BCBAs are so deeply rooted in the traditional, high-hour, RBT-heavy model that they can’t imagine anything outside of it.
But here’s the truth ⬇️
✨ Parent-led and hybrid ABA models are supported by research.
✨ They are clinically appropriate for many families.
✨ They do reduce burnout, increase generalization, and respect real-life family needs.
✨ And yes — they are absolutely viable when you understand how to implement them correctly.
What isn’t viable anymore is pretending every family can sustain 20–40 hours a week of direct services, especially when:
▪️ RBT turnover is high
▪️ Families are exhausted
▪️ Cultural needs are being ignored
▪️ Care becomes rigid instead of responsive
▪️ Generalization only happens in living rooms, not real life
Parent involvement isn’t political. It’s ethical.
It’s part of every modern treatment guideline — and it’s necessary for long-term success.
And let’s be very clear:
👉 I do refer families to direct-service companies when direct services are clinically needed.
👉 I’m not replacing traditional ABA — I’m filling the huge gap families fall into when direct services aren’t sustainable or appropriate.
The real issue isn’t viability.
It’s that our field has been built around one business model for so long that anything outside it feels “wrong” instead of innovative.
ABA does not have to look like a 40-hour-a-week program to be legitimate.
It just has to be:
💗 ethical
💗 effective
💗 individualized
💗 and responsive to the family in front of us
Parent-led ABA isn’t the future.
It’s the present — for the families who’ve been asking for something different all along.
And if we, as BCBAs, can’t see past the old model…
then we’re not practicing the flexibility and creativity our science is built on.
