Questioning Normativity: Exploring the Experiences of Autistic Adults Who Have Undergone Applied Behavioural Analysis (ABA)

In this research project I use a narrative methodology to explore the experiences of four autistic adults who have undergone applied behaviour analysis. By drawing upon the work of the neurodiversity movement and implementing a critical disability theoretical framework, I have sought to present the experiences and perspectives of participants as well as provide an analysis of the role of ableism in the systems in which they participated. Through positioning the lived experiences of this study’s participants as a credible and trustworthy source of knowledge, I have called into question the ethicality of applied behaviour analysis techniques and implementation by problematizing the way in which it positions autistic traits as deviant and limits the self-determination and autonomy of its subjects. I have subsequently provided recommendations and points for reflection to the field that may serve to decrease the harms described by the participants of this study.