Posted on by tricia.lund

Reevaluating ABA: A BCBA’s Journey of Reflection

This is a different blog for sure and one where I am going to be a bit vulnerable. I started as a BCBA in 2015, so I have been a BCBA for 10 years. I started as a Special Education teacher and then worked briefly in a clinic. I realized that my values really didn’t align with the work that I saw being done in ABA clinics, so I left and started working with adults and teenagers in group homes. This is not to say that all ABA clinics are bad, but the ones I saw were not great.

Throughout the years I have been questioning my choice to be a BCBA. It has definitely been an interesting journey. When I started as a BCBA, I was all in… I used terms like “attention-seeking”, I felt ok using extinction procedures and I was ok removing access to “preferred items”. The more I have researched areas outside of ABA- especially neuroscience, trauma and polyvagal theory- I have realized that the strategies I was so quick to use as a BCBA were harmful and may have caused trauma. Here are some of the concerns I have with ABA

  • ABA simplifies the human experience into very basic functions. Granted, many BCBAs have been trying to make room for more complexity in this area. For instance, there are BCBAs that are acknowledging that trauma can cause an increase in behaviors and a history of trauma will impact a present behavior. There is also more talk about “experiential avoidance” or engaging in behaviors as a way to escape difficult feelings. But the majority of people who work with individuals who have disabilities are still using this outdated concept. 
  • ABA focuses on manipulation. Some BCBAs might cringe at the word and say that my word choice isn’t great. But I believe it fits. Some BCBAs will say that they are trying to do more with positive reinforcement and reward systems and are trying to steer away from punishment procedures (i.e. time out, taking away something the child wants), but rewards are still manipulative. We are essentially only providing rewards for behaviors that we (the adult) find valuable. Rewards are often used in order to get a child to “comply” and act in a way that we want them to, regardless of their current regulation state or feeling of safety in that moment.
  • ABA doesn’t make room for regulation. People can have “behaviors” because they are feeling dysregulated. Someone may yell and scream because they are having very difficult feelings and do not feel safe in that moment. The best thing to do here is help the person feel safe and do what they need to regulate their nervous system. A reward system does not change a nervous system and punishments do not regulate a nervous (in fact, they can actually cause an increase in dysregulation.
  • ABA often puts all of the responsibility on the child. We often expect more of a neurodivergent child then we do of the adults in the room. How can we expect a child to be regulated if we are not regulated. This is a process called “co-regulation” and it involves the adult staying regulated in order to help the child feel safe so they can also be regulated.

I don’t know what my path will be, but I know what my values are. I value my client’s. But, more importantly, I value autonomy and I feel the need to advocate for my clients so they get more of it in their lives. I value connection with people and I feel that some ABA practices take away from that value. I value safety… and not just physical safety (although that is needed), but safety that felt and experienced internally. So, I think my question is “Is practicing ABA helping me live in alignment with my values”? Let’s start this journey of exploration!

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