top of page

ABA 
Autistic People and ABA Survivors on ABA 

*TW: While ABA therapy is inherently ableist and abusive, we have tried to provide specific trigger warnings for each of the below posts as needed. Please let us know if we missed anything.

​

The Misbehavior of Behaviorists Michelle Dawson http://www.sentex.net/~nexus23/naa_02.html
TW: brief mention of physical abuse, gay conversion therapy, R-word

 

Quiet Hands Julia Bascom http://neuroqueer.blogspot.com/
TW: detailed description (and image) of "quiet hands," restraint, physical and psychological abuse

Grabbers Julia Bascom https://juststimming.wordpress.com
TW: forced eye contact, "quiet hands," non-consensual touch, R-word

ABA Maxfield Sparrow http://unstrangemind.com/
TW: forced eye contact, restraint and physically forced compliance, grooming for sexual abuse

 

No You Don't Maxfield Sparrow http://www.thinkingautismguide.com/

TW: rape/sexual abuse, forced intimacy, R-word, survival sex, denial of accomodations/discrimination, "tough love"

The Cost of Indistinguishability is Unreasonable Neurodivergent K http://timetolisten.blogspot.com/
TW: physical abuse, sexual abuse, fake friends, suicidality

The Tyranny of Indistinguishability: Performance Neurodivergent K http://timetolisten.blogspot.com/
TW: brief mention of physical abuse

My Thoughts On ABA Amy Sequenzia https://autismwomensnetwork.org/
TW: ableist Lovaas quotes, brief reference to abusive Lovaas experiments

The Dangers of ABA: A Survivor's Story, Pt. 1 Kristy Young http://autistic-christian-misfit.blogspot.com/
TW: ableism, R-word, gay conversion therapy/anti-LGBT bigotry, seclusion, forced sensory experiences, bullying, restraint, seclusion, suicidality, self-harm, religious bigotry, conformity, institutionalization

The Dangers of ABA: A Survivor's Story, Pt. 2 Kristy Young http://autistic-christian-misfit.blogspot.com/

TW: institutionalization, dissociation, bullying, religious bigotry, suicidality

The Realities of ABA Quin https://autisticparenting.wordpress.com/
TW: restraint, forced eye contact, forced intimacy, confiscating possessions for use as "reinforcers," aversives, shouting as punishment, seclusion

What an ABA Session Looks Like Quin https:///autisticparenting.wordpress.com
TW: infantilization, dehumanization, confiscation of belongings for "reinforcers," non-consensual touch, restraint, physical abuse, "quiet hands"

ABA Therapy Is Not Like Typical Parenting Real Social Skills http://realsocialskills.org/
TW: examples of behaviorist tactics; punishment/withholding rewards

Extended Interview With Jennifer Msumba (video) CBS News https://www.cbsnews.com/
TW: Judge Rotenberg Center, torture, physical abuse, electric shock, suicidal ideation, restraint

Controversy Over Shocking People With Autism, Behavioral Disorders CBS News https://www.cbsnews.com/
TW: Judge Rotenberg Center, shock, torture, physical and psychological abuse, abuse apologists (including parents) praising torture

Autism Advocacy and Aversives (part one) Michelle Dawson http://autismcrisis.blogspot.com/

TW: mentions aversives, electric shock, JRC 

Autism Advocacy and Aversives (part two) Michelle Dawson http://autismcrisis.blogspot.com/

TW: mentions aversives and physical abuse

If You Want Me To Believe You're A Good Behaviorist Real Social Skills http://realsocialskills.org/
TW: mension use of seclusion as punishment

Walk In Issy's Shoes Ischemgeek https://ischemgeek.wordpress.com/
TW: "quiet hands," Whole Body Listening, restraint, infantilization

Have Some ABA Or Else Amy Sequenzia https://autismwomensnetwork.org/
TW: ABA apologism, bullying, ableism

Why ABA Is Rejected By The Autistic, According to One Autistic Person Embracing The Spectrum http://embracingthespectrum.com/
TW: physical abuse/violence, internalized ableism, suicidality, bullying
CN: this is an interview; the part about ABA is at the end (follow-up question #3)

First-Hand Perspectives on Behavioral Interventions for Autistic People and People With Other Developmental Disabilities 

Autistic Self Advocacy Network http://autisticadvocacy.org/
TW: mention of restraint and seclusion, prevention of stimming, vulnerability to physical, emotional, and sexual abuse

The Problem With Errorless Learning Real Social Skills http://realsocialskills.org/
TW: mentions examples of DTT tasks and errorless learning

The Me Book and My Autistic Reading Grimalkin https://felisautisticus.wordpress.com/
TW & CN: This is a review of The Me Book which is the foundational document upon which all ABA "therapy" is based, written by the man who pioneered the use of ABA as an "autism treatment." The book itself reads as a How To Manual for child abuse. Lovaas is notorious for his ableist perspectives & comments about disabled children as well as his experiments on autistic children (and on so-called "feminine boys") which included physical abuse, electric shock, starvation, verbal and psychological abuse. This review includes excerpts from and references to this horrific book and therefore we advise extreme caution in reading this review, and especially the book itself.

bottom of page