Although Controversial, 93% of Parents Have a Favorable View of the Therapy
Last month SafeMinds Shares reported on a growing debate surrounding Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) programs. The controversy stems from adults who participated in ABA programs during childhood and view the therapy as an unethical and harmful attempt to conform individuals on the spectrum to a neurotypical standard. On the other side of this debate are parents who view ABA therapy as a vehicle for reducing challenging behaviors and improving the quality of life for their child. Recently, Autism Parenting Magazine conducted a survey about ABA involving more than 160,000 of their email subscribers. The survey’s results indicated a more favorable view of the therapy. The survey showed that 36.5% of caregivers reported that they use an ABA therapy provider and 93.7% of these people would recommend ABA to other autism caregivers. The survey also reported a few other interesting statistics. For instance, 31.6% of participants started ABA therapy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, 49.2% of ABA users increased their hours during the pandemic. A little more than 71% of respondents were recommended to use ABA by their child’s doctor. Finally, 93.9% of caregivers feel that their child has benefitted from their ABA program and 86.7% said it has helped them better understand their child’s needs. In the meantime, with these favorable views from caregivers, it appears that ABA therapy will remain a controversial topic.
