Association for Behavior Analysis International

Applied behavior-analytic (ABA) interventions have traditionally relied on frequent samples of operationally-defined performances compounded with unstandardized social validity measures as the sole basis of treatment evaluation. While this approach has served the field well for decades, it has faced fierce opposition from non-behavioral scientists who often rely on group-based studies and standardized outcomes as their lingua franca. This protracted conflict questions the very nature of scientific evidence and alienates behavior analysis from mainstream autism science. The conflict has an impact on how behavior analysis is viewed and portrayed, and has far reaching consequences on research funding, health and education policies, and, ultimately, availability of services. Yet, behavior analysts have failed to take up this generational challenge. With examples from his own work, the presenter will look at ABA research through the lens of an array of established and emerging clinical research outcomes including behavioral markers, standardized assessment coresets, biomarkers, and selected medical metrics. We will also discuss the contexts under which these various outcomes could be complementary to the behavioral dimension of ABA. Finally, we will lay a plausible roadmap of strategic research that could help to establish ABA intervention as a widely accepted evidence-based service for autism.

Autism professionals, certified behavior analysts, students of all levels, active ABA researchers