A Framework for Neurodiversity-Affirming Interventions for Autistic Individuals.
Lerner, Gurba and Gassner (2023)
Content Warning: ABA (Applied Behaviour Analysis)
This Article examines the lack of Autistic input into the design and implementation of therapeutic approaches. Notably many interventions are designed to reduce or eliminate Autistic characteristics. The authors suggest that this is ethically incompatible within a neurodiversity framework. They cite ABA (Applied Behaviour Analysis) as an intervention that whilst widely applied has come under scrutiny and criticism for failing to include Autistic people in the design, goals and outcomes. Furthermore, Autistic people are in increasingly identifying the iatrogenic effects they have experience when undergoing ABA. These concerns are often met with minimization rather than validation or support. The authors address the pressing need for neurodiversity-affirming interventions (NAI) framework for Autism.
