One of the most “annoying” stereotypes about ABA is that it’s robotic. BCBAs and therapists are portrayed as unemotional beings walking around with our clipboards watching with deadpan expressions as a toddler cries. Many of us find this description deeply offensive and launch into a pedantic explanation for how inaccurate…
Tag: lovaas
Spoiler alert: It’s still troubling and true. CW: Aversives, torture, child abuse on the basis of gender, sexual, and romantic orientation, suicide/suicidal ideation It seems about a month before I made this post, ABA International put out this statement on conversion therapy. Well what kind of marsupial writer would I…
CW: child abuse, ableism, torture Ivar Lovaas: The father of ABA. Lovaas’ 1987 study is an ABA grad student’s second most important resource other than the White Book. It’s the source of the “40-hour rule,” which is usually in the context of early intensive behavioral intervention (IEBI) meaning it is…
CW: Suicide, child abuse on the basis of gender and sexuality, aversives, torture Update 12/26/21: Additional commentary can be found here. Now that we’ve kicked off Pride Month by first discussing how conservatism is equated to unethical practices, let’s continue by discussing the dirty little secret ABA defenders don’t like…