Use of Restrictive and Punishment Procedures: A Survey of Behavior Analysts

The use of restrictive and punishment procedures has been debated by professionals in the field of behavior analysis since the field's early days, being joined by disability rights advocates, particularly those in the neurodiversity movement, in modern decades. Despite arguments to eliminate or reduce the use of these procedures, no current data exists to provide an estimate of their frequency of use. The current study surveyed 534 behavior analysts on the frequency of their use of restrictive and punishment procedures with learners on their caseload at the time of the study. Results include descriptive summaries of the use of multiple procedures, as well as differences in use across several personal and professional factors. Implications for future directions in research and practice are discussed.