Pros and Cons of ABA as an Autism Treatment

ABA has been around longer than any other behavioral or developmental intervention for autism. ABA therapists are also required to keep extensive notes on their outcomes. This means that ABA has been more fully researched and replicated than any other form of therapy. Lovaas and his team can show significant success in their work; according to one Lovaas study:

“We found that 48% of all children showed rapid learning, achieved average posttreatment scores, and at age 7, were succeeding in regular education classrooms. These results are consistent with those reported by Lovaas and colleagues (Lovaas, 1987; McEachin, Smith, & Lovaas, 1993).”

There are, however, several "down" sides to ABA. The biggest concern that most families have is the insistence on the part of the Lovaas group that children must receive approximately 40 hours of ABA per week.

Not only do many families feel that this amount of therapy is simply too much for a young child, but few families can afford it. Some school districts will provide an ABA program -- but it is a rare district that is willing to spring for 40 hours a week. This means that the burden of therapy falls on parents and hired helpers who are often untrained or minimally trained.

How Much ABA Is Enough?

Another down side to ABA is the reality that a great many "practitioners" are, themselves, untrained in the Lovaas Method. This means that, while many are competent providers of discrete trials, they have no clear idea of how to take the skills learned in a home or school environment and help learners to implement those skills in the real world. As a result, some autistic learners develop "robotic" speech and behavior patterns that are directly drawn from discrete trials. With little support for generalization, they may have a very tough time handling the unexpected.

Can ABA Make a Child More Robotic?

Is ABA the Best Choice for Your Child?

In general, practitioners suggest that intensive ABA is most appropriate for children with more profound autism, and/or for children who thrive in a structured atmosphere. Unfortunately, there is no good research comparing interventions head to head, which means that parents must make a choice based on (1) practical considerations such as finances and availability of therapy; (2) what works best for the family as a whole; (3) intuition (do you like the idea of a very structured, very intense program for your child? Do you think your child will do well in this program?). Of course, one easy way to find out whether ABA will work for your child and your family is to give it a try. If it works -- terrific! If not, plenty of other options are available.

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