O. Ivar Løvaas | |
|---|---|
| Born | Ole Ivar Løvaas 8 May 1927 |
| Died | 2 August 2010 (aged 83) |
| Nationality | Norwegian American |
| Education | University of Washington, PhD |
| Occupation(s) | Clinical psychologist, researcher |
| Employer(s) | Professor emeritus, University of California, Los Angeles |
| Known for | Applied behavior analysis Discrete trial training Autism |
| Spouse(s) |
Nina Watthen (m. 1986)Beryl Scoles (m. 1955; divorced) |
| Website | http://www.lovaas.com/ |
Ole Ivar Løvaas (8 May 1927 – 2 August 2010)[1][2] was a Norwegian-American clinical psychologist and professor at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is most well known for his research on what is now called applied behavior analysis (ABA) to teach autistic children through prompts, modeling, and positive reinforcement. The therapy is also noted for its use of aversives (punishment) to reduce undesired behavior.
Løvaas founded the Lovaas Institute and co-founded the Autism Society of America. He is also considered a pioneer of ABA due to his development of discrete trial training and early intensive behavioral intervention for autistic children.
His work influenced how autism is treated, and Løvaas received widespread acclaim and several awards during his lifetime [3], but also strong criticisms from many autistic self advocates and researchers supporting the autism rights movement and neurodiversity movement.[4] [5]
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