There’s a dirty little secret in NYC public schools: we treat Applied Behavior Analysis—or ABA—like a bad word.
Walk into any classroom or professional development session, and you might hear it whispered with skepticism, avoided altogether, or mischaracterized as robotic, rigid, and outdated. But step into an Early Intervention program for toddlers with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and it’s a different story. ABA is the gold standard—the core method used to teach language, social skills, and independence to children in their most formative years.
So what happens when those same toddlers cross over into NYC public schools?
We drop the method that helped them speak their first words, play their first games, and engage with the world.
I know this firsthand—not just as a school principal, but as a young teacher who spent afternoons doing ABA with toddlers after school. I remember the breakthroughs: the first time a child signed “more,” the first time a non-verbal child ran to their mother and said, “Mama.” These weren’t just small wins. They were life-changing. And they weren’t magic—they were the result of intentional, individualized, evidence-based work.
The Problem Isn’t ABA. It’s Misunderstanding It.
The backlash against ABA in schools isn’t about the science—it’s about the stories people have heard. Yes, ABA has been misapplied in the past. Yes, it can be rigid if done without empathy or proper training. But when it’s done right—with compassion, creativity, and a developmental lens—ABA is one of the most effective tools we have to support students with disabilities.
ABA today is not a one-size-fits-all script. It’s data-informed, child-led, and can be deeply playful. It looks like a teacher celebrating every attempt at communication, scaffolding social interaction through puppets and blocks, or gently guiding a student to self-regulate using visuals and choice boards. In fact, many modern ABA techniques—like Natural Environment Teaching and Pivotal Response Training—look and feel just like best practices in early childhood education (Koegel & Koegel, 2006).
So why are we afraid to say the word?
As a Principal, I Did Things Differently
When I became a principal, I made a choice: I would hire teachers with ABA experience and give them the freedom to use their expertise. I told them, “The curriculum is your decoration. Skill-building is your mission.”
That mindset changed everything. Our classrooms became places of transformation, not just supervision. We didn’t teach kids to comply—we taught them to communicate. We built their independence, one visual schedule, one token board, one joyful breakthrough at a time.
We saw real, measurable progress—because ABA gave us the tools to see it.
Why ABA Works—And Why Schools Need It
ABA is grounded in the science of learning and behavior. It uses positive reinforcement, task analysis, and data tracking to help students develop meaningful skills. A 2020 study published in Psychological Bulletin found that children with ASD who received ABA-based interventions showed marked improvement in communication and adaptive behavior (Reichow et al., 2020). That’s not ideology—that’s evidence.
And yet, in too many NYC schools, ABA is viewed as taboo. Some educators are even discouraged from mentioning it, for fear of seeming too clinical or behaviorist. Meanwhile, students who would thrive under a structured, individualized approach are left with generalized supports that simply aren’t enough.
This is not just a missed opportunity—it’s a disservice.
Let’s Tell the Truth: ABA Isn’t About Control. It’s About
Empowerment
When ABA is woven into preschool special education classrooms in developmentally appropriate ways, it unlocks student potential. It teaches children how to request help, express feelings, follow routines, and interact with peers. It gives them a roadmap—and gives teachers the tools to guide them along it.
We must stop treating ABA like a relic of the past and start seeing it as the asset it truly is.
A Call to Courage—and to Action
If we truly want equity for students with disabilities, we must stop gatekeeping the tools that help them succeed. ABA, when adapted thoughtfully and delivered with heart, is not only effective—it’s transformational.
Let’s have the courage to speak openly about what works. Let’s train our teachers in modern, ethical, student-centered ABA. Let’s fund programs that integrate ABA into early childhood classrooms in playful, joyful, skill-focused ways.
And let’s remember: silence never helped a child speak. ABA did.
Sources & Suggested Reading:
Koegel, R. L., & Koegel, L. K. (2006). Pivotal Response Treatments for Autism: Communication, Social, & Academic Development. Paul H. Brookes Publishing.
Reichow, B., Barton, E. E., Boyd, B. A., & Odom, S. L. (2020). Psychological Bulletin, 146(6), 495–523.
Autism Speaks. (n.d.). Applied Behavior Analysis
Association for Science in Autism Treatment (ASAT). www.asatonline.org