A startling article (linked below) found that there was prevalent amount of Conflict of Interest in Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) research. A Conflict of Interest (COI) occurs when the researcher benefits from the outcome of the study, usually financially. In autism, ABA is considered the "Gold Standard" "Evidence-Based-Practice" in therapeutic and educational settings, however we question if this is truly in fact the case. Many of you may be unaware that research, especially medical research is limited to being performed at certain locations and by certain individuals. This ensures that an elite few determine what is relevant to study and it is incredibly disturbing to find that those with COI's can in fact influence what is considered standard of care. You can make a difference by sharing this article or the PSA by our founder on our Instagram account @spectrumtechtradeschool . It’s crucial that our primary focus remains on ensuring that autistic individuals receive the care that truly benefits them, rather than allowing the interests of researchers to take precedence. Their well-being should always come first. This may not be the only area of research where these conflicts occur. Together we must stand for change so that everyone gets the best standard of care.
An excerpt from the article:
"We found that 84% of studies had at least one author with this type of COI, but they were only disclosed as COIs in 2% of studies. Additionally, 87% of studies with statements claiming the authors did not have COIs, were authored by researchers found to have clinical/training consultancy COIs. Pervasive, undisclosed COIs likely lead to researcher bias and could at least partially account for persistent poor-quality research in this area. The high prevalence of COIs among this research corroborates the concerns expressed by many autistic people. The autism community – including autistic people, autism researchers, and other stakeholders – should be aware of the prevalence of undisclosed COIs in this literature and take this into account when using, providing, or recommending ABA services."
Link to the full article.
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