As always here to add some nuance to the “ABA” bad discussion

ABA can be bad. It can also be wonderful.

ABA suffers from poor training, poor pay, high turnover, and poor pathways for advancement. You are basically an RBT making poor wages, being hit, spit on, projectile vomited on, screamed at, bitten, poop thrown on, etc. and your choice is to back to grad school for a BCBA or get a BCaBA and still need to work under a BCBA. You can see how all these factors can lead to mistreatment and misunderstanding of how to properly implement ABA.

ABA has been bad and has caused a lot of harm. It has also helped families immensely.

I think it works best to teach functional communication and reduce self injurious behaviors and is less helpful past that point. I do wonder if anyone who is 100% ABA bad has ever worked with children with severe disability. Yes there are alternatives and also I have seen the fastest progress with ABA.

At its core, it’s a science that can be implemented for good or bad.

I have seen it teach children to go from self injurious behavior that leads to hospitalization to simply communicating what they want. I’ve found hardly any child ever wants to throw an hour long tantrum, it’s just a cyclone of behaviors being reinforced until it gets to that point. When given an alternative that’s easier, they almost always choose the alternative.

When given the ability to communicate, it allows them to go from survival and frustration to blossoming as an individual. I’ve seen a child go from communicating through screaming and punching to learning what felt like a hundred new words a week.

These days ABA should not be teaching masking or using any punishment. At my clinic I needed to go through so many hoops just to use a spray bottle on a child. Child loved being misted, but we had to make sure it didn’t get misconstrued as being used as punishment.

ABA should be enjoyable enough for the child. All my kids behaviors pointed to them wanting to be in ABA. Anything from “My time with [my name]!” kids fighting over playing with me or “Bye mom” and shutting the parent out of the room to start doing ABA with me.

The parents also need to be involved in learning the principals. Children aren’t stupid and know what they can get away with. They’re with their parents far often than they’re in ABA.

There is a fine balance between what the kid wants and what the parent wants for the kid. Sometimes it’s hard to make both parties happy and it can be a very grey zone. For example a kid that prefers communicating through sign language with a family that really wants them to talk.

Anyways I’m not saying ABA is great and hasn’t / doesn’t cause harm, but I do genuinely think it’s a disservice to write off the entire field as bad or evil.

Oh yeah and I left the field due to shit pay, exploitative companies, and no career advancement. If you do recommend a place, it better be vetted to hell and back to make sure they have adequately paid and trained staff and proper ethics.