2020 was not a good year for ABA: A research review

by Anne Borden King
Autistics for Autistics, Canada

This paper looks at recent research reviews of ABA, outlining 4 themes.

  1. Research and retrospective reviews of ABA research show no evidence of benefit for ABA.
  2. Conflicts of interest are pervasive in ABA research, with more than 70% of research being done by persons with a financial stake in positive outcomes.
  3. ABA research design is flawed, with small sample sizes, absence of RCTs, detection bias and typically no assessment of risks or adverse events.
  4. There are many negative impacts to ABA, which are only recently being researched.
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    Read the full report, with citations, here: 2020_was_not_a_good_year_for_ABA