A Call to Action for BCBAs During Autism Acceptance Month
- Ashleigh
- Apr 1
- 3 min read
It’s April 1st! Today marks the start of Autism Acceptance Month, formerly widely known as Autism Awareness Month. Throughout April, we celebrate the neurodiversity among us. Within the ABA field, behavior analysts play an important role in shaping the life experiences of autistic individuals. To truly embrace autism acceptance, BCBAs must evolve toward practices that affirm neurodiversity and prioritize listening to the voices of the population we most frequently serve.
Embracing Acceptance
In recent years, the world shifted from a focus on autism awareness toward autism acceptance. Many folks within the neurodiversity movement pushed forward the idea that traditional autism awareness efforts were overly focused on deficits and a need to cure or fix autistic people. Through vital advocacy efforts, many within and outside of the ABA community have come to recognize autism as a natural variation of human development. Rather than focusing on fixing or curing autistic people, we should focus on accepting, respecting, accommodating, and offering individualized support to empower them to live a fulfilling life.
How BCBAs Can Promote Change During Autism Acceptance Month
Throughout Autism Acceptance Month and beyond, BCBAs should advocate for meaningful changes in neurodiversity-affirming practices. Here are a few recommendations.
Listen to the Voices of Actual Autistics.
This cannot be overstated. The majority of the practices we employ are developed and implemented by neurotypicals. People with actual lived experiences have so much insight to offer. Clinicians and organizations within the behavior analytic field must prioritize genuinely listening to those within the populations we serve. ABA has long been criticized in the autistic community. While this can be uncomfortable to encounter, it’s important to sit with that discomfort while listening, understanding, and empathizing with the concerns of the autistic population.
Reflect on Your Practices
Take time to self-reflect. Are you implementing harmful or outdated practices, such as intervening on harmless self-stimulatory behaviors that don’t impact the learner’s quality of life? Be sure to check your biases as you reflect.
Advocate Within Your Organization
Is the company you work for implementing goals or pushing forward policies that don’t align with neurodiversity-affirming practices? Advocate! While it’s easy to simply decide the company isn’t a good fit for you and start your search for a new BCBA position, consider the clients who will continue to face those practices. I urge everyone to advocate for better practices and provide feedback to your superiors. While they may be stuck in their ways, it’s also very possible that they will be open to change. For the best interest of your learners, at least make an effort to advocate for them.
We as a field continue to grow and improve. “It’s always been done this way” is not an acceptable response or a reason to continue doing something.
Prioritize Self-Advocacy and Autonomy
Empower your clients through self-advocacy. This is a key component of neurodiversity-affirming ABA. Involve your clients in care decisions when appropriate, and encourage them to play an active role in their treatment. This involves a shift from an over-emphasis on compliance and a greater focus on independence.
Promote a Strength-Based Focus
Support your learners in building skills that are necessary for an improved quality of life. Focus on their unique strengths and preferences when prioritizing goals and treatment recommendations.
Honor Assent Withdrawal
Recognize the signs of assent and assent withdrawal in your learners and train your RBTs to identify these signs as well. When your clients withdraw assent, honor this. If you’re not familiar with the concept of assent, I strongly urge you to take some continuing education courses on the topic. Here is one I recommend: Toward an Understanding of Assent with Individuals with Communication Disabilities.
The Future of ABA is Neurodiversity Affirming
The ABA field has drastically transformed over the last several years. The push toward neurodiversity-affirming practices is a critical shift toward respecting and supporting autistic learners as equal members of society. Autism is not something that needs to be cured or fixed. Rather, autistic people require individualized accommodations and care that meet their diverse needs to allow them to thrive in a way that honors their unique strengths and identities. With this, I encourage ABA clinicians and organizations to reflect on their practices through April’s Autism Acceptance Month. Consider the ways, whether big or small, that you can promote change in the ABA field.
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