Raun Kaufman Spews Offensive Unfounded Anti-ABA Rhetoric

I guess business can't be that good at the Autism Treatment Center of America. Raun Kaufman, the CEO of the ATCA has released an anti-ABA diatribe, Stop Trying to Turn Our Children Into Robots, that perpetuates falsehoods about ABA, Applied Behavior Analysis, the most evidence supported intervention known to assist autistic children and youths. Mr. Kaufman repeats incorrect, unfounded stereotypes about ABA turning autistic children into robots. He goes completely off the deep end and insults parents, like me, who have seen ABA help our children by comparing ABA intervention for autistic children to dog training.

My message for Mr. Kaufman, as the father of a profoundly autistic boy who has received the benefits of ABA based intervention, is simple - you don't know what you are talking about Mr. Kaufman.

I have several blogs on this site where I reference my son waiting in anticipation for the arrival of his ABA therapist. Conor enjoys his ABA therapy and it has helped us communicate with him and vice versa. It has helped Conor, despite his severe deficits, learn a range of bathroom skills and safety skills. Conor has learned basic reading, printing and math skills .. by ABA instruction. And he enjoys it asking for his ABA therapists by name and long after they have moved on. I have numerous pictures of Conor on this blog site. He is a happy, fun kid to be with and he is far from being the "robot" or "dog" that Mr. Kaufman rudely insinuates.

What Mr. Kaufman does not say in his diatribe is what the American Academy of Pediatrics has confirmed, consistent with previous reports by the MADSEC Autism Task Force, state agencies in New York and California and the office of the US Surgeon General that:

The effectiveness of ABA-based intervention in
ASDs has been well documented through 5 decades of
research by using single-subject methodology21,25,27,28 and
in controlled studies of comprehensive early intensive
behavioral intervention programs in university and
community settings.29–40 Children who receive early intensive
behavioral treatment have been shown to make
substantial, sustained gains in IQ, language, academic
performance, and adaptive behavior as well as some
measures of social behavior, and their outcomes have
been significantly better than those of children in control
groups.31–40

The AAP report makes no mention of Mr. Kaufman's Son-Rise program. The MADSEC Report 1999-2000 did mention it though. After confirming the studies supporting the effectiveness of ABA intervention for autistic children the MADSEC Autism Task Force Report stated that:

According to Levy (1998), the Son-Rise Program does not guarantee results. The approach is
based upon “. . .becoming a student of the child’s world, observing, learning, assisting and
supporting the child’s flowering in a loving and non-judgmental environment” (Levy, 1998).
The Son-Rise Program does not seek to provide the child with information, or to teach the child to master predetermined skills. Instead, the program views the child’s current level of
performance as being the best that the child can do; if the child could do better, he would (eg, if the child could follow instructions, he would). The Son-Rise program emphasizes total
acceptance of the child, and encourages him to become a more motivated and participating
individual (Levy, 1998).

- MADSEC Autism Task Force Report p. 54

With respect to the scientific evidence, or lack thereof, in respect of the various autism interventions the MADSEC report stated in respect of Greenspan's Floor Time and Son-Rise:

• Without scientific evaluation of any kind:
Greenspan’s DIR/”Floor Time,” Son-Rise.

- MADSEC Autism Task Force Report p.6

And also:

Conclusions
There have been no studies of the Son-Rise Program’s effectiveness. Researchers should
consider investigation using research protocols. Professionals considering Son-Rise should
portray the method as without scientific evaluation of any kind,

- MADSEC Autism Task Force Report, p. 54

Mr. Kaufmann and the Autism Treatment Center of America would probably do better in promoting their product if they looked into the possibility of having independent, objective, studies conducted of their program and published in peer reviewed journals instead of perpetuating false stereotypes about ABA and insulting parents and family members who fight so hard to help their autistic children with ABA; demonstrated by decades of research as effective at helping autistic children learn and develop.

autism