MONOTHERAPY IN AUTISM AND PUBLIC HEALTH

This article critically analyzes the high-intensity and monotherapy paradigm centered on Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) for individuals on the autism spectrum. Monotherapy is conceptualized by analogy to therapeutic monoculture, demonstrating that although ABA encompasses dozens of specific techniques, it remains unidimensional by restricting itself to a behavioral bias. Grounded in the transposition of pharmacokinetic principles to the behavioral context (Merahn, 2026), in the framework of Public Health on the docility of bodies (Foucault, 1987; Ramos, 2024b, 2026), and in the theory of subjectivity (González Rey, 2005), the study examines how the rigid prescription of weekly hours (20 to 40 hours) neglects individual variability, the instructional contact ceiling, and the active role of the subject in their own experiences and subjective productions. It is argued that the monopolization of time under the premise of the "window of opportunity" generates high opportunity costs, reducing the subject to a docile body and disregarding how the person reacts and produces meaning in the face of intervention. Finally, the allocation of public resources is debated, advocating for multimodal approaches based on dignity, subjectivity, and neurodiversity.