Research suggests that conversion therapy causes considerable harm to anyone who is subjected to it, including PTSD, other mental health issues, and even suicide. But, the ABA community rarely acknowledges this or the significant similarities between ABA and conversion therapy. 

Criticism of Conversion therapy within the ABA community

ABA therapy and Conversion therapy were both invented by Ivar Lovaas and are fundamentally very similar in nature. This has been a significant reasons for criticism of ABA therapy, as conversion therapy has been found to be unethical by the majority of the scientific body. 


University of Colorado at Denver

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Controversy around ABA

Conine, D. E., Campau, S. C., & Petronelli, A. K. (2022). LGBTQ+ conversion therapy and applied behavior analysis: A call to action. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 55(1), 6-18.

Conversion Therapy and ABA

Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020, April 22). Psychology (2nd ed.). OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/1-introduction

OpenStax Psychology (2nd ed.) Textbook

A 2018 study by Kupferstein found that 46% of autistic people exposed to ABA, as an adult or as a child, met the diagnostic criteria for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. In addition, the severity of post-traumatic stress symptoms correlated positively with the length of time spent in ABA. The results of this study suggest that short-term benefits of ABA are outweighed by the long-term costs. This study was not accepted without critique: a follow-up study by Leaf et al. critiqued many aspects of Kupferstein’s study design, including hypothesis testing bias, vague operational definition of ABA, and for not confirming the diagnoses of its participants before running the study. However, others have critiqued the follow-up study as well, noting that Leaf et. al were funded by donors who support the use of ABA therapy for autistic individuals. Given the deep controversy around the issue of ABA and post-traumatic stress symptoms, there is ample room for further follow-up studies.

PTSD Symptoms and ABA

Although Skinner and other early behaviorists advocated for usage of only reinforcements and not punishments on human subjects, there have been notable instances of practitioners of ABA using punishments in their therapy approaches. One of the earliest examples of practitioners openly using aversives was Ole Ivar Lovaas, whose work was well-known (and already controversial) in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In a 1965 study, Lovaas used electric shocks on autistic children whose “bizarre” behaviors would not respond to traditional treatment efforts. Usage of punishments has declined sharply since then, though there is still one school in the United States permitted to use electric shocks as part of their disciplinary strategy. 

Use of Punishment in ABA

In a 2020 study, interviews and questionnaires were done with adult participants (n=10) to gauge individual feelings regarding ABA. A majority of participants (n=7) recalled being forced to ‘perform’ as neurotypicals, being ‘trained like dogs', and that their experiences with ABA were considerably punishment based.


Autistic Experiences of Childhood ABA

Those who practice ABA are considerably less qualified than other therapists, as they are not required to take any classes on autism or receive masters or PhD credentials. This is a considerable source of controversy and critics feel that ABA should require more qualifications. 


Perceived Lack of Training for ABA Therapists

ABA does not adequately treat ASD as a neurological and developmental disorder. Because Autism Spectrum Disorder is now categorized as a neurological and developmental disorder, it does not make sense to only treat its behavioral aspects. ABA is not concerned with the growing field of neuroscience and is consequentially regarded as outdated 

Treatment of Autism as a Behavioral Disorder

Self-regulatory behaviors (stims) are not inherently harmful or negative. ABA aims to “extinguish” these behaviors, often through punishment, even if they do not harm the patient. Critics of ABA point out that this is likely because they are trying to make neurotypical people more comfortable by making the child appear “normal” rather than aiming to actually help the child. 

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