Ole Ivar Løvaas

Ole Ivar Lovaas was a Norwegian-American clinical psychologist and professor at the University of California, Los Angeles. He was most well known for his research on what is now called applied behavior analysis (ABA) to modify the behavior of autistic children through prompts, modeling, and positive reinforcement. Lovaas' methods included the use of aversives (punishment), such as electric shocks and slaps, to reduce undesired behavior.