BEH 0013 - Centering Autistic Voices and Practicing Flexibility in ABA Interventions: A Panel Discussion

Course Description

In 1978, Montrose Wolf argued for the importance of incorporating social validity measures within the science of applied behavior analysis. Almost 50 years have passed since the publication of his seminal article in JABA and the field is still grappling with truly attending to the social significance of our interventions, especially as it relates to the autism community. Criticisms abound from autistic self-advocates and fields outside of behavior analysis (e.g., McGill & Robinson, 2020; Sandoval-Norton, & Shkedy, 2019; Wilkenfeld & McCarthy, 2020) that behavior analysis does not center the autistic perspective. In this panel, Dr. Megan Miller, Board Certified Behavior Analyst - Doctoral Level (BCBA-D) will provide 3 key steps behavior analysts can take to center autistic voices within their service provision and facilitate best outcomes for their clients while collaborating as a team with families and stakeholders. A panel of Autistic self-advocates will share their perspectives on key steps from their own lived experiences. The panel will conclude by fielding questions from the audience relating to centering autistic perspectives and maintaining flexibility within our interventions.

Learning objectives:

By the end of this course, participants will be able to provide at least one:

• Reason why behavior analysts need to center autistic voices in service provision.
• Example of a common behavior analytic practice that could have detrimental effects on some members of the autistic community.
• Action they can take to incorporate the perspective of their clients in service provision.