10/30/2025
People keep asking: “if ABA therapy is becoming neurodiversity-affirming, why not rename it?”
Totally fair question!
The name “Applied Behavior Analysis” describes a scientific field, not a brand.
It’s the study of how behavior changes in response to the environment.
What’s changing isn’t the science itself,
but how it’s applied.
For example, we can’t change the principles of chemistry, but we can decide whether to make medicine or poison. Same idea.
The term is tied to insurance codes, research journals, and state laws. Renaming it outright would take DECADES and would significantly disrupt access to support.
Keeping the name but changing the meaning holds the profession accountable.
Additionally, if we renamed every field with a dark past, we’d run out of acronyms by next Tuesday.
Take for example, the field of gynecology, if you aren’t familiar with the origins, I encourage you to look it up…it’s horrific.
And as a final note: if you’ve read this far and DISAGREE…unfortunately, they don’t keep calling it ABA because Kaelynn Partlow thinks it’s a good idea. 🤷🏼♀️
If you must release your grievances in the comments,
be my guest…but there’s literally nothing I can do about it,
so don’t expect it to change just because you explained why you think I’m wrong.
In my opinion, renaming a field doesn’t rebuild trust; changing how people experience it does.