Category: Behaviorism
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Pain is Information: My Awakening
A few years ago, when I was 40 years old, I broke a tooth below the gumline and needed to have it extracted. My options were to wait a month and have the procedure done at my regular clinic, or go to an emergency clinic and have it done the same day. I chose the…
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Urgent Call to Action: Support Bill H.245 to Stop the Shock in Massachusetts!
Massachusetts families and advocates urgently need your voice to end the use of abusive “therapy” — including electric shock, forced restraints, food deprivation, and more — on disabled children and adults. On Tuesday, November 18, 2025 (1–5pm), the Joint Committee on Children, Families, and Persons with Disabilities will hold a public hearing on Bill H.245,…
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The Illusion of “Play-Based ABA”: The Gentle Mask of Control
One of the newest rebrands of Applied Behavior Analysis is “play-based ABA.” At first glance, it looks comforting to parents and teachers who may have heard critiques of traditional ABA. Instead of a child sitting at a table with flashcards, they’re on the floor with toys, building towers, pretending with dolls, or rolling cars back…
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Why ABA Can Never Be Trauma-Informed: Not now. Not ever.
Lately, I’ve seen more and more programs advertising something they call “trauma-informed ABA.” On the surface, it sounds hopeful. After all, who wouldn’t want therapies to be gentler, safer, and more humane for children who have already experienced adversity But here’s the reality: ABA can never be trauma-informed. No matter how many times it is…
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Choice Doesn’t Fix It: Why PBIS Still Harms Kids
When I was a little girl, I didn’t speak until I was four years old. I remember the way adults looked at me—like I was broken, like my silence defined me. They didn’t see the potential bubbling beneath, only the ways I failed to fit the mold. That early experience taught me something I carry…
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Both Sides Get Social-Emotional Learning Wrong And Keep Pushing the One System That Harms Kids Most, PBIS
In today’s chaotic and polarized political environment, Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) has become one of the most misunderstood and misrepresented concepts in education. What should be a universally embraced tool to help students develop self-awareness, emotional regulation, empathy, and resilience has instead become a lightning rod for controversy. Politicians from both ends of the political spectrum…
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Rewards in Schools: Not the Same as a Paycheck, and More Harmful Than Helpful
Today, many educators rely on systems of rewards—such as tokens, stickers, or points—to gain student compliance. Of course, we believe that compliance is the wrong goal, but that is a topic for another article. The truth is that rewards or positive reinforcements are a common part of approaches such as Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports…