06/01/2026
Interesting and so glad someone finally looked into this. I know a lot of SLPs and OTs have been discussing this for years.
Parents of autistic children, I encourage you to do your research. ABA was the gold standard for a long time but unfortunately research is coming out that no longer supports this claim. The autistic community is also speaking out against ABA, calling it abusive. Compliance-based therapy is typically not what leads to improved interaction and generalization of “learned” skills. This is why I use a DIR-Floortime approach, a play-based therapy used to help children with autism and developmental challenges reach emotional, social, and cognitive milestones. It involves joining the child on the floor to follow their natural interests and build meaningful, back-and-forth communication. Building trust and connection is the best foundation. Can’t wait to get my DIR- Floortime Certification this summer and fall! A lot of time and money, but it will be worth it!
https://www.facebook.com/share/1QHyqrqQCQ/?mibextid=wwXIfr
This is a good read.
The Gold Standard Fallacy of ABA: A reference guide for therapists, educators, and parents
by Julia Roberts MS CCC-SLP
Edited to add more information.
In this book, Julia reviews the education and training of register behavior technicians (RBT); Board certified behavior analyst (BCBA) and Board certified assistant behavior analyst (BCaBA) and compares to the educational requirements and training of speech-language pathologists (SLP).
Interestingly despite many BCBAs and agencies noting to be experts in autism, there is no required coursework on autism. In fact Julia notes “clinical or theoretical expertise in autism is not required for BCBA”. Also course work on human development, language development, motor or social emotional development while these professionals provide assessment and treatment in this area.
Next Julia reviews many different research studies sharing key points and concerns including studies showing no definitive differences with outcomes, concerning methodologies and claims without the evidence to support. Also, Julia discusses the conflicts of interest (COI) that are not stated in research studies emphasizing biases which makes outcomes highly questionable. Concerns with COI not being discussed in the vast majority of studies is now being more readily highlighted, particularly by autistic people.
The research in naturalistic developmental behavior interventions was pooled together in a meta-analysis with questionable results.
All research citations are shared so a reader can take the initiative and read for themselves.
One study noted, Jones et al. 2017, was a study on the placebo effect in the absence of treatment with children with autism. Parents reported improvement with unusual behaviors and social behaviors despite no actual intervention being provided highlighting the problem of placebo effect in autism treatment.
Another Eckes et al. 2023, showed medium effects with intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior, but there were no changes with language abilities, autism symptom severity and parental stress. Also questionable methodologies were noted.
Julia also reviewed the PBIS studies. positive behavior intervention support is a common Tier 1 intervention in many if not all public schools for all students including gen ed and special education. Questionable results are noted here.
I also appreciate how Julia notes how the researchers didn’t consider the negative outcome experienced by the participants.
Julia provides detailed information in ethical concerns and how ABA violates bodily autonomy with each topic having a full chapter.
Research outlining the need for measuring outcomes of trauma related to ABA. If you need a reminder scroll down in my page to the documentary The Fish Don’t Care When It Rains documentary or This Is Not About Me documentary.
Julia also discusses the problems with re-branding ABA as the new and the old when the science of operant conditioning and behavior modification is the same. Lastly there is a big dive into the financial windfall of the Autism Industrial Complex and private equity. Private equity firms continue to invest in ABA hoping to make quick, high returns and this can result in cost-cutting and may compromise autistic people’s welfare.
EDITED:
A clarification: this post is not arguing that speech-language therapy, or any other service provided to autistic people, is free from criticism or concerns. I have published on this topic and have discussed them on this page before.
In this book there is no comparison if one service is better than others. It’s a compilation of peer-reviewed published empirical research identifying problems with the science and the service and more.
For those inclined to respond with “but what about…?” in defense, my question is: Have you read this book? Have you reviewed the research woven throughout it? It addresses a wide range of concerns that challenge the idea of any intervention being treated as an unquestioned “gold standard,” including ABA.
Perhaps the bigger takeaway is this: there is no true gold-standard treatment for autism or co-occurring needs. All approaches should remain open to scrutiny, evidence, ethical discussion, and the voices of those most impacted.
This book is available in Amazon and Barnes and Noble. I’ll add the link in comments
(Image cover of the book: white rectangle with written title of book with six vertical stripes of red orange yellow green blue and purple that look painted)
