Research & Evidence-Based Practice

ABA therapy is grounded in decades of behavioral science research and is recognized as an evidence-based best practice for autism spectrum disorder by the U.S. Surgeon General and the American Academy of Pediatrics. At G.R.O.W., our clinical team stays current on ABA research and contributes to the field directly: our Clinical Director co-authored a chapter on clinical judgment in Applied Behavior Analysis in a 2025 publication.

We apply this research in practice by pairing structured, data-driven programming with the clinical judgment to adapt in the moment, because published research points to strategies, but your child's actual progress is what drives every decision we make.

Learn more:

• Baer, D.M., Wolf, M.M., & Risley, T.R. (1968). Some Current Dimensions of Applied Behavior Analysis. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis. — the original paper defining the seven dimensions of ABA.
• Gerhardt, P.F., & Lainer, I. (2011). Addressing the Needs of Adolescents and Adults with Autism: A Crisis on the Horizon. Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy. — on the field's obligation to target meaningful, adulthood-oriented outcomes rather than isolated skill acquisition.
• Cihon, J.H. (Ed.). (2025). Clinical Handbook of Autism Intervention Training. Chapter 13: "The Time Is Now: Clinical Judgment in Applied Behavior Analysis."