Exploring Facilitators and Barriers to Research Participation in ABA Agencies: Early Insights from the PALMS Project

Abstract

Applied behavior analysis services are expanding rapidly while facing increased scrutiny from autistic people, families, and advocates, underscoring the need for ethical, family-centered, and ecologically valid intervention research in real-world service systems. The PALMS Project is an ongoing federally funded hybrid effectiveness–implementation clinical trial comparing the Early Start Denver Model, a naturalistic developmental behavioral intervention, to applied behavior analysis as usual in community-based agencies across the United States. This paper examines early lessons from the first years of the trial to describe participant characteristics, explore barriers and facilitators to research participation, and highlight potential strategies for strengthening research infrastructure and research–community collaboration in service organizations using an implementation science framework. To date, 18 agencies and 113 providers across 13 states have consented. Recruitment and retention challenges prompted eligibility expansion and targeted outreach, as well as ongoing implementation planning with agencies to reduce burden and support engagement. Organizational context was examined using the Implementation Climate Scale, which assesses the extent to which organizations expect, support, and reward evidence-based practice use. Scores indicated strong perceived focus on evidence-based practice but comparatively low perceived rewards, and agency leadership reported higher overall implementation climate than frontline providers. Overall, findings emphasize that successful community-based autism intervention research depends on building durable, reciprocal partnerships and practical participation supports that align with service realities and community priorities.