Our Approach to ABA

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is an umbrella term describing various evidence-based strategies used to understand behavior and teach new skills. While the principles of ABA are an effective way to teach many individuals with autism, there are varying perspectives on how helpful or harmful these strategies can be. When practiced with a high standard for ethics and an understanding of the perspectives of the autistic community, ABA can result in positive, socially significant changes for the learner. Ethical practices we promote include:

• Recognizing that experiences with ABA vary greatly
• Listening to and understanding different perspectives around ABA, including those from the autism community
• Promoting autonomy and self-advocacy skills
• Avoiding methods that cause harm or change behaviors that are core to a student’s identity, agency, and self-expression
• Involving the learner in goal determination and decision-making
• Using strengths-based approaches and incorporating student interests
• Prioritizing communication skills and social opportunities
• Collaborating with caregivers to establish culturally relevant goals that honor their child’s unique strengths and needs
• Embracing neurodiversity as a societal strength and advocating for acceptance and inclusion of autistic individuals

Our team members engage in ongoing discussions to reflect on the complicated history of ABA, define up-to-date and respectful ABA practices, and understand the various perspectives around ABA in educational settings and autism communities, including:

• Understanding ABA as an umbrella term that describes a variety of strategies used to understand behavior and teach new skills
• Listening to and understanding different perspectives around ABA, including those from the autism community
• Recognizing that experiences with ABA vary greatly and can color perceptions of ABA; while some perspectives on ABA are based on misinformation or overgeneralization, there is also validity to the concerns shared by some members of the autism and caregiver communities
• Identifying ABA practices that do not cause harm or change behaviors that are core to a student’s identity, agency, and self-expression

Our curricula, materials, training, and coaching practices support positive and respectful ABA practices such as:

• Individualizing instruction based on student strengths and preferences; focusing on what the student can do
• Adjusting approaches based on student feedback, both verbal and non-verbal
• Involving students in goal determination and decision-making
• Developing goals based on the lived experiences, cultural background, and preferences of the student
• Teaching pivotal skills to increase participation and independence in routines
• Focusing on increasing all forms of communication, including verbal, non-verbal, and use of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC)
• Helping educators understand that behaviors are communication and can be self-regulating
• Teaching skills and routines that increase autonomy, access to inclusion, preferred activities, self-advocacy, peer relationships, and community access (e.g., vocational opportunities)
• Modeling inclusive language to avoid microaggressions and harmful labeling based on skills or behaviors
• Using positive reinforcement based on choice and increasing complexity of reinforcement systems
• Using a variety of strategies and avoiding a “one-size-fits-all” approach
• Seeking out current research and best practices, as well as considering input from those with lived experiences
• Using data to increase inclusion, social acceptance, and access to opportunities throughout the lifespan

Our values do not support:

• Teaching students to mask autistic traits and/or change behaviors that are a part of their identity, agency, and self-expression
• Suppressing self-regulatory behaviors
• Making autistic students “indistinguishable” from their peers
• Targeting goals that are culturally or personally irrelevant or harmful to the student
• Focusing primarily or exclusively on behavior reduction goals
• Ignoring behaviors when they matter

We advocate that others engage in compassionate, respectful, and ethical use of evidence-based practices by:

• Training and coaching educators to understand and apply the principles outlined in this section
• Collaborating with caregivers to establish culturally relevant goals that honor their child’s unique strengths and needs
• Ensuring all STAR Autism Support team members, in addition to training specialists, understand and share these principles with customers and external stakeholders
• Promoting advocacy in external communications (i.e., newsletters, social media, conference presentations, free webinars) to encourage respectful practices and allyship with the autism community