Criticisms of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) from the autistic community continue to flourish and have an appreciable impact on research, practice, and conversation in stakeholder groups. ABA providers aspire to increase quality of life for autistic people; thus, it is imperative for providers to listen with humility and openness to the population we serve. Autistic individuals have unparalleled expertise in their own lives and their own communities. The concerns raised by the autistic community cannot, morally or ethically, be swept aside and devalued due to the speaker’s identification as autistic or due to their difference in professional credentials. The concept of neurodiversity can help the ABA field respond to these concerns and collaborate with the largest stakeholders of our services, the autistic clients we serve. This presentation summarizes some of the key criticisms that autistic self-advocates raise concerning ABA, discusses the social model of disability and the neurodiversity paradigm, and proposes practical guidance to help the field of ABA integrate neurodiversity and thereby evolve our research and practice. By openly acknowledging the criticisms against ABA and recognizing how we can do better as a field, we believe we can take a step in the right direction, towards a profession and a society that more fully embraces inclusion.
Learning Objectives
- Attendees will learn how define the tenets of neurodiversity and how to apply these within the field of ABA.
- Attendees will learn how to respond with compassion to criticisms levied against our field.
- Attendees will be able to identify actionable steps to make their ABA practices more inclusive and socially just.
About the Presenter
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Course information
- Title: Affirming Neurodiversity within Applied Behavior Analysis
- Presenter: Sneha Mathur BCBA
- Date: Friday, December 12th, 2025
- CEUs: 2 Learning
- Time: 9:00 AM Pacific
- Duration: 1 hour and 40 minutes