About ABA

About the Campaign

ABA Access4All began as a parent crowd-funding initiative in late 2013, with 200 parents chipping in £10 each towards a legal opinion on whether the UK's failure to provide their autistic children with ABA, an evidence-based therapy, might be judicially reviewable. Initial counsel opinion came back that there was indeed a case to be made. Judicial Review proceedings are ongoing via a legal team from Arden Chambers and Bindman's, with the first JR now settled and ABA inserted into the Local Offer of Wolverhampton LA.

In the meantime, the campaign continues to lobby and inform on the gains achievable for autistic children via ABA, to try and 'bust' some of the myths and misinformation that are out there about ABA, and to discuss the sometimes ineffective education offered in many autism special schools. We have gained much coverage in the UK press and on BBC TV and radio. Parent founder Jane McCready has also served as the UK-SBA consumer board member for several years, and has been instrumental in the UK-SBA's successful application to the Professional Standards Authority for accreditation of its register of professionals. Approved in Jan 2023, this accreditation marks a major step-change for ABA in the UK - bringing it into the UK regulatory system.

There are now around as many children educated in ABA schools as there are in schools run by the largest UK autism charity and education chain, the National Autistic Society (NAS). More ABA schools than NAS schools are rated Outstanding by Ofsted. Parents are increasingly winning ABA at tribunal, or using Personal Budgets on it. And several forward-thinking Local Authorities (LAs) are bringing ABA 'in-house' and employing BCBAs direct.

However there's still a way to go. In particular, early intervention via ABA remains unavailable to all but the wealthy: a big target for the campaign to tackle, given what research tells us about the importance of such early intervention. ABA training for one-to-one shadows in mainstream school is also a target, plus greater use of ABA professionals in special schools, which are often coasting - more child-minding than educating.

*With thanks to Khalida Rizi and Sarah Kaikini for helping this old, non-techy to manage Twitter and website!

Jane regularly posts on Twitter/X. To keep up to date with her, make sure you check it out.

Campaign founder

Jane McCready is a mum and step-mum to four, including a son called Johnny (pictured here with Jane) with autism, a severe learning disability and Type 1 Diabetes, and a step-daughter with level 1 ('higher functioning') autism. Jane started the ABA Access4All (ABAA4ALL) campaign in early 2014 to use PR, lobbying and the law to get ABA funded by the State for those who choose but can't afford it. The campaign has featured in the national press/TV and on BBC radio.

Prior to motherhood, Jane held senior marketing/PR positions in the City and was most latterly Director of Marketing and Communications for all Merrill Lynch's international operations, excluding the US. She has a Masters in Classics from Cambridge University and is also a qualified teacher. Jane lives with her husband and children just outside London.

She is motivated by the belief that ABA should be accessible for all - not just a postcode lottery - and that the myths about ABA need calling out. Jane is a big supporter of Focus Surrey, whose Cheam-based club is a haven of access to affordable ABA. Jane has also served as the consumer board member on the UK Society for Behaviour Analysis and is a community governor for Beyond Autism. The ABAA4All campaign is run on an entirely voluntary basis.