The Problem With Punishment

Speaking of “punishment,” there are huge red flags regarding ABA therapists and the use of punishment for the sake of better behavior. Though many ABA therapists try to say that punishment methods have changed significantly since the ’70s and ’90s, as of 2008, 1 out of 4 ABA therapists said electric shock was an appropriate punishment for autistic children in ABA therapy, while 1 out of 3 stated that sensory punishment via strong odors, sounds or foul-tasting substances were also adequate forms of punishment. In the piece I Abused Children for a Living, the former RBT also states that they are trained to ignore the children’s distress, restrain them, show no empathy during meltdowns, and overstimulate children until they are forced to learn not react to it externally.

These painful practices and soulless perspectives on autistic neurology of innocent children for the sake of “better behavior” are not only abhorrent, but also potentially go against the Hippocratic Oath regarding the ethical treatment of their patients, most of whom are toddlers and very young children. Overall, these statistics of ABA therapists who are OK with using questionable and potentially harmful forms of punishment for children are alarming. ABA therapists can argue that they may not use these practices, but to say that they’re nonexistent within a large amount of ABA therapy is factually incorrect, and this is something parents need to be aware of.

Predatory Practices

So knowing all of the awful and outdated concepts ABA therapy was based on and the horrific treatment methods that continue to this day, why is ABA therapy still a popular choice for parents of autistic children?

The truth is, many of these parents are desperate for help, and ABA therapists are the ones who come to their aid. Autistic children, particularly those on the deeper end of the spectrum, are not always easy to raise. Meltdowns can include self-harm and injury to others, basic tasks like potty training can be difficult, and many require additional care compared to neurotypical children.

This isn’t the case for all autistic children. But it is the case for many, and their parents absolutely need help. However, instead of autism experts coming to their aid, ABA therapists do instead. They’re often the only type of therapy for autism that is covered by insurance, they’re more widely available, and they promise a lot of improvement to parents regarding their child’s behavior.

To be clear, none of these parents are OK with abusive practices toward their children; they simply don’t realize it’s happening. And a lot of these parents do see results in the ways they’re promised. They’re just not aware of the extent of potential trauma and maltreatment their child endured to reach that point, nor are they aware of various behaviors in autistic people that should not have been changed for the sake of normalcy. In the end, the lack of professional help given to parents of autistic children is what gives most ABA therapists a thriving industry to work in, and they will happily take the money to continue their practice no matter how many former patients and other people speak out against what they’re doing.

Conclusion

ABA therapy is one of the only treatment options parents of autistic children have to turn to when they don’t know how to manage their child. It promises a calmer child who is compliant and behaves more according to social norms. However, a disturbing amount of evidence has surfaced regarding how these therapists manage to train these behaviors, many of which include abuse from individuals who have a questionably shallow background in autism-related fields of study.

Labeling different forms of behavior and communication as unwanted and unacceptable actions is unfair to autistic children. It’s not OK to forcefully train natural behaviors out of a child simply because they are not socially acceptable. It is akin to punishing a child for wanting to scratch their nose when it itches, and doing so has no positive impact on the child’s well-being. Parents of autistic children need to learn to accept behaviors that are healthy and normal in autistic people, even if they aren’t the “norm.” They also need more access to better, more modern and professional resources to help address behaviors that are actually harmful and/or dangerous.

After thorough research, we’ve concluded that ABA therapy lacks standardization and proper autism education and is based on outdated concepts. The statistics regarding cruel, unnecessary and unethical treatment via ABA therapists should be alarming to parents. The marked betterment of behavior is not objective enough to justify the likelihood of trauma and abuse in this practice. There is simply not enough evidence to prove any positive impact on the child’s well-being. There are too many verified accounts of abusive practices that no child (or person, for that matter) should be subjected to in this day and age. The best way to describe ABA therapy based on the evidence we’ve gathered would be the following: misguided institutionalized abuse.