Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy has been around since the 1960s, and is often touted as an effective treatment for autism spectrum disorder. However, this seemingly miraculous therapy has met with its share of backlash, and for good reason.

The therapy was first created by a Norwegian psychologist named Ivar Lovaas. The name won't seem familiar with many people, but those who do know it also know the controversy behind it.

In addition to ABA, Lovaas also played a role in laying the foundations of conversion therapy, a highly controversial idea that many former patients say is abuse. Gay Conversion Therapy is based on ABA, and uses many of the same methods.

Both therapies function on the idea of operant conditioning and the research done by BF Skinner. However, Lovaas differed from Skinner in a few important ways. The first is that Lovaas performed his therapies on human beings, while Skinner limited himself to small animals, mostly rodents.

The other major factor is that Skinner was adamantly against punishment, and refused to use it. Skinner himself is quoted as saying that 'a person who has been punished is not less inclined to behave in a given way; At best, he learns how to avoid punishment.'

Lovaas didn't just use punishment in his therapies. He used physical punishment, often slapping or spanking children who 'misbehaved,' which could include anything from self-harm to failing to sit still. A 1965 Life article titled "Screams, slaps, and love" offers an insight into what this therapy was like for those subjected to it.

Lovaas' therapies have left an even darker legacy, as well. A study published in 2018 found that 46% of those exposed to ABA therapy met the diagnostic criteria for PTSD. To put that in perspective, 1/5 of combat veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan have PTSD, less than half the percentage of those exposed to ABA. Among the only events with a higher rate of PTSD development is rape, which is 3% higher.

There was also a higher rate of severity on average than most PTSD cases.47% of those with PTSD in the study had severe symptoms, compared to about 37% of the overall population with PTSD.

The worst-case-scenario with ABA is what happens when providers don't even follow accepted guidelines, which in themselves are too forgiving with physical punishment and torment.

The Judge Rotenburg Center is among the most nightmarish places an autistic person can ever set foot in. Taking Lovaas' methods to the absolute extreme, patients at the Judge Rosenberg Center were subjected to electric shocks, often multiple times per day. The machine used for this purpose was a device rigged to be more powerful than a police taser.

It was powerful enough to burn human skin. According to former staff and patients, this was the usual punishment at the facility. One patient was shocked over 100 times in a single day.

Most disturbing yet, this practice was banned for a brief time In 2016, but the ban was temporarily overturned in 2020 and formally overturned in 2021. As someone living with Autism, this tragedy hits home. At its best, ABA is psychologically damaging. At its worst, it's torture, and it needs to be stopped.