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Abstract: The overwhelming majority of professionals who serve the autistic community using applied behavior analysis (ABA) do so from a place of caring and compassion to improve the quality of life for the individuals they serve. As researchers and practitioners, the authors feel it is essential to acknowledge concerns that have arisen from neurodiversity activists and their families surrounding the effects ofABA on the autism population and claims that the goals and strategies in ABA are ableistic. This paper will highlight major issues neurodiversity advocates have reported regarding ABA, examine areas considered to be ableistic, and discuss ways ABA has positively impacted society while emphasizing the importance of listening and responding to expressed concerns ofstakeholders.
Judy Singer (1999) has commonly been credited for coining the term neurodiversity, which Harvey Blume (1998) and Jim Sinclair helped to popularize and advance. Neurodiversity is based upon the concept of biodiversity, in that high levels of biodiversity are desirable and necessary for an ecosystem to thrive (Baron-Cohen, 2019; Masataka, 2017). In this sense, neurodiversity means that neurology is very diverse (Singer, 1999), similar to biology, and high levels of neurodiversity are desirable and necessary for a society to thrive. Since its first introduction and description, the term neurodiversity has been misused, misunderstood, and has come to mean many different things to many different people (Arnold, 2017; Walker, 2014); however, for the purposes of this manuscript, neurodiversity will be used as it was first described - a term describing variability in neurological functioning (Jaarsma & Welin, 2012). Therefore, neurodiversity includes neurodivergent people (i.e., those with neurological functioning that differs from what is commonly considered typical neurological development not solely autistics/individuals diagnosed with ASD) as well as neurotypical people (i.e., those with neurological functioning that aligns with what is commonly considered typical neurological development). In an effort to support varying individual preferences, person-first and identity-first language will be used throughout the paper.
The neurodiversity movement represents a group of individuals who advocate for the rights (e.g., inclusion, autonomy) of neurodivergent people. "This includes aspirations of full inclusion in education, employment, and housing; freedom from abuse (e.g. [sic] abolition of seclusion and both chemical-that is, overmedication to control behavior-and physical restraint); and the right to make one's own decisions with support...