The brand new ABA book. A further journey through contents. Warning for those, of course.
Here we go.
Mystery absences...
The book mentions autonomy once in its 900 pages, as a single word, undiscussed. (Autonomy, basically the freedom to decide for yourself) /

It's odd, because autonomy is a basic principle of ethics.
What about bodily autonomy - the ability to decide who makes physical contact with you? A vital part of teaching any child safe boundaries with others.
Well, nope, physical guidance is a standard part of ABA/

Now we're into Chapter 15, headed 'Negative Punishment'.
Here we have:
1. Planned ignoring. No matter how distressed the child, ignore them completely. Turn your back on them, it says.
I wonder what a child learns from having their basic needs ignored, eh? /

2. Take their loved things away until they comply. This is called "terminating specific reinforcer contact".
Let's remind ourselves about the Twitter poll I did re this, and how many autistic ppl said they would be traumatised. Most of them. *Traumatised*. Worth repeating/

3. Time out. Remove the child from everyone & everything they need and love, & put them in a windowless space without even a picture to look at. (Page 395). After a few goes in this, the student learns how awful it is to be in there, and they comply with whatever's demanded/

So, 2020 version. This is the allegedly very kind, consensual ethical ABA.

It's like they stopped thinking somewhere in the 1980s and have never moved on.

This isn't OK.

Other things I'm struggling to find in here:
Safeguarding information. Maybe it's in here. Can't find it. Nothing in index.
Discussion of how to build respectful relationship & trust.
Sensory factors like checking for fluorescent lighting and background noise as standard.

There's nothing in here, as far as I can see, about just having a chat with one another. Finding out about the child's day, sharing what they enjoy and how they see the world. Discussing their hobbies and interests with them.
Nothing at all.
Nearly 900 pages/

Human rights. Err, nope. Vague passing mention re guardians.
<stares, forlornly, in the index and the text search>
Well.

More tea, anyone?

The thing is, the alleged evidence of ABA 'working' is pretty scarce.
They couldn't find much evidence in the big international audit, or the other systematic reviews. Nor could the US Military. See https://annsautism.blogspot.com/2019/01/autism-some-vital-research-links.html for the research papers/

Here, from the Autistic Not Weird page 2018 survey of thousands of people, whether ABA is a popular choice for autistic people...or generally. Look carefully at the responses of autistic people.
Oh dear.

https://neuroclastic.com/2019/03/28/invisible-abuse-aba-and-the-things-only-autistic-people-can-see/ is a useful way to see what autistic people see, and fear, when presented with ABA training.
So many better ways exist to encourage thriving & learning in children. Just so many.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/aur.2306 is a useful research paper from leading academics, about how many autistic people may be suffering from trauma. Huge numbers.

Is it a surprise, when this is how autistic children are expected to live?

Perhaps more of a concern is the secretive nature of the ABA parent groups. Parents are taught to ignore autistic people who can speak, and we're regularly blocked from seeing what is in those groups.
Strange, isn't it.
Also strange/

/is occasional behaviourists in power within health services who call autistic people 'idiots' , taunt them, & try to get them to have a meltdown.
A display of how much control and power they have been given over marginalised lives.

It's all deeply concerning.

When I encounter a fellow human being, of any neurotype, I want to know all about them.
What brings joy to them?
What shared interests might we have?
What of their creativity, their spirituality, perhaps?
It's about acknowledging one another as people of full worth/

If they are showing distress behaviour, I want to know how to ease their distress, not how to stop the behaviour.
Are they in pain?
Are they fearful of something or someone?
Are they bewildered?
Are they sad?
Are they angry about an injustice?
Are their needs ignored by others?/

Are they denied authentic relationship with autistic peers, for example?
Are they denied authentic communication using autistic social communication skills, or are they being forced to use only someone else's social signalling system?
Are they being denied ritual & repetition?/

Are they having to live in a painful, exhausting environment where they can barely see or hear?

There are so very many reasons for 'behaviour'. Often multiple reasons at once. Often reasons change per minute, hour, day or week.

Behaviourism is, in my view, a very poor tool.

Our wonderful, creative, magnificent autistic young people deserve an authentic life, free of coercion to behave in inauthentic, painful and exhausting ways.

Services and supports need to be autistic-informed, autistic-led.

We can and must do better.