WHEN EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE MEETS STRUCTURAL INEQUALITY: TOWARD AN EQUITY-CENTERED FRAMEWORK FOR DELIVERING ABA SERVICES IN LOW-INCOME COMMUNITIES

Applied behavior analysis (ABA) is the leading evidence-based intervention for autism spectrum disorder (ASD), yet socioeconomic disparities continue to limit equitable access to and sustained participation in services. This conceptual article proposes the Equity Centered ABA Framework, which integrates behavior analysis, implementation science, healthcare equity, and the social determinants of health to conceptualize socioeconomic disadvantage as an implementation variable. The framework examines how structural conditions influence caregiver capacity, treatment feasibility, implementation fidelity, and long-term intervention sustainability while identifying three ethical tensions in practice: fidelity versus feasibility, standardization versus individualization, and equality versus equity. Recommendations are presented for contextual assessment, collaborative treatment planning, flexible implementation, supervision, organizational leadership, and future research. Rather than challenging the scientific foundations of ABA, the framework argues that contextual responsiveness and implementation feasibility strengthen evidence - based practice by improving accessibility, sustainability, and social validity while preserving the behavioral principles responsible for intervention effectiveness.