NCSA POSITION STATEMENT: APPLIED BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS (ABA)

NCSA Supports Broad Access Across the Lifespan to Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) as a Recognized Evidence-Based Intervention

The National Council on Severe Autism (NCSA) supports the right of every individual with autism to access appropriate, evidence-based medical and non-medical interventions across the lifespan. This includes access to approaches based on the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). Decisions about treatment should be made by individuals and families with their trusted teams of professionals, including physicians, therapists, and teachers, based on an individual’s unique strengths and challenges.

ABA does not constitute a single approach but instead is a multifaceted field which may offer shaping, discrete trial training, incidental teaching, pivotal response training, naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions, group instruction, parent training, behavioral skills training, functional communication training, functional analysis, and extinction procedures.(1) It is driven by data to ensure that targets for skill acquisition and reduction of challenging behaviors are meaningful, contextual, analytic, replicable, and accountable. 

In the context of severe and profound autism, ABA-based programs may decrease behaviors of concern, such as aggression, self-injury, property destruction, elopement and pica, while also increasing the range of functional adaptive skills, such as communication, self-help and hygiene, daily living tasks, and recreation.(2) These changes support greater safety, autonomy, and access to community life.(3)

ABA can be delivered in early intervention, during school-age programming, or as part of adult behavioral supports. The goal of ABA is not to strip individuals of their identity but to expand their behavioral repertoires, improve quality of life, and promote greater independence and self-determination. ABA in contemporary practice has evolved since its earliest days and generally eschews aversive techniques such as contingent shock or Pavlovian techniques such as candy rewards to achieve desired behaviors.(4,5)

A robust body of peer-reviewed research supports ABA’s efficacy in enhancing cognitive, communicative, social, and adaptive functioning in individuals with autism.(2,6,7,8). However, individual outcomes can be variable, different interventions may be required at diverse stages throughout life and different individuals might benefit from different interventions.(9). Outcomes may vary depending on factors such as treatment approach, intensity, provider training, and the degree to which programs are individualized and aligned with family values. ABA has been endorsed by numerous scientific and medical bodies, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Psychological Association.(10,11)

Access to ABA therapies can be daunting for individuals with severe challenging behaviors. Quality services may not be available in all regions and agencies may in practice turn away clients such as young adults with profound autism who manifest symptoms such as aggression, self-injury, and property destruction. We believe that provider training and rates must be revised to reflect the need for a wide variety of tailored programming that includes those with the most acute needs. Parents and guardians bear a critical responsibility to ensure that all providers, whether using ABA or other approaches, are pursuing meaningful and agreed-upon goals, that data inform assessments and treatment decisions, and that the implementation of the treatment protocol aligns with the Behavior Analyst Certification Board code of ethics.(4). Access to ABA should not be denied based on ideological grounds that could deny individuals with the most dangerous, isolating, and life-limiting symptoms of autism the right to meaningful treatment that enhances their quality of life.(12)

NCSA supports the use of interventions based on the principles of ABA to help individuals with severe and profound autism across all ages reduce challenging and dangerous behaviors and improve adaptive functioning. However, programs must be made more widely available, particularly for those with the most severe symptoms, and they must be tailored to the unique needs of the individual, driven by data and ethical principles. 

References

(1) Gitimoghaddam et al. (2022). Applied behavior analysis in children and youth with autism spectrum disorders: A scoping review. Perspectives on Behavior Science, 45(3), 521–557. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40614-022-00328-7

(2) Kennedy Krieger. Scientific Support for Applied Behavior Analysis from the Neurobehavioral Unit (NBU). https://www.kennedykrieger.org/patient-care/centers-and-programs/neurobehavioral-unit-nbu/applied-behavior-analysis/scientific-support-for-applied-behavior-analysis

(3) Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB). (2020). Applied Behavior Analysis Treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorder: Practice Guidelines for Healthcare Funders and Managers (2nd ed.).
https://neurosciences.ucsd.edu/centers-programs/autism/_files/about-autism/casp-aba-asd-practice-guidelines-2014-2020.pdf

(4) Brighter Strides ABA. (2024). ABA Behavior Change Strategies and Techniques. Retrieved from https://www.brighterstridesaba.com/blog/aba-behavior-change/

(5) Behavior Analyst Certification Board. (2020). Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts. https://www.bacb.com/ethics-information/ethics-codes/

(6) Schreibman et al. (2015). Naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions: Empirically validated treatments for autism spectrum disorder. J Aut Dev Disord, 45(8), 2411–2428. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-015-2407-8

(7) Leaf et al. (2016). Applied Behavior Analysis is a science and, therefore, progressive. J Aut Dev Disord, 46(2), 720–731. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-015-2591-6

(8) Weitlauf et al. (2020). Interventions for children with autism spectrum disorder: An update. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). https://effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov/products/autism-update-2020/research

(9) Lord et al. (2020) "Autism spectrum disorder." Nat Rev Dis Prim 6.1: 5. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41572-019-0138-4

(10) American Academy of Pediatrics. (2020). Identification, evaluation, and management of children with autism spectrum disorder. Pediatr, 145(1), e20193447. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2019-3447

(11) American Psychological Association. (2017). APA Policy: Applied Behavior Analysis. http://www.apa.org/about/policy/applied-behavior-analysis

(12) Bannerman et al. (1990). Balancing the rights to habilitation with the rights to personal liberties: The rights of people with developmental disabilities to eat too many doughnuts and take a nap. J App Behav Anal, 23(1), 79–89. https://doi.org/10.1901/jaba.1990.23-79

Adopted by NCSA Board of Directors June 6, 2025

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