Did you know ABA is widely considered abuse?

[PennyRa]

I may be trying to kite a derailment a little bit but I also feel like it deserves its own thread?

I'm in a private fb group of autistic adults and parents of autistic children.

The examples of how the adults feel about ABA that they experienced as children is heartbreaking.

I do understand that there are children who are non verbal, and /or have behaviours that are dangerous to others. I do understand trying to increase communication, and reduce dangerous behaviours. BUT.

This is not the same as day after day telling a child, that is more than capable of understanding, to "be different". That the very actions that make you feel safe, or help you calm yourself, or are as natural to you as blinking, are unacceptable.

Ironically, I grew up extremely processed, not my ABA but by normal, if old fashioned manners, and having them drilled into me. Yes, it made it objectively easier for me to fit into society as it was at the time, but since having my child, and seeing a mini-me, I've just dissolved into a complete mess as they have articulated everything that I have ever thought.

I've had a huge crisis of identity/personality, because I can't "be normal" anymore. It was completely draining, and as I have got older my ability to mask and compensate has just crumbled.

I researched it thoroughly when my son was diagnosed and I'm of the opinion it is. It wasn't something I was prepared to put my son through .

@bellac11 I haven’t been in every session as I’m sure you know. Why so aggressive? It’s unnecessary.

My friend who is a psychologist has seen ABA being used in a specialist education setting to prevent harmless stimming amongst other harmless behaviours. That’s within the last few years in the UK. I don’t think that’s acceptable, if others do it’s up to them but personally, on the advice of my friend, I would not use ABA for my child,

Yes, I’m a children's OT and without writing pages about why (I think it’s covered in the thread) it’s awful, all of my colleagues feel very strongly about it.

I once went to a visit and an ABA therapist was unexpectedly present, parents wanted me to see what they were working on. The child got increasingly distressed whilst being made to repeat a basic action over and over for a sticker and when they had enough stickers they got a reward and then back to another action over and over and on like this. The child was repeatedly stopped from stimming and any sensory/emotional needs ignored. Parents had paid a small fortune for it too.

There are multiple other therapies that are effective for those on the Autistic spectrum that are not abusive

Such as ? And science based??

@Mimi267 that sounds awful.
I commented earlier that I have never heard of ABA. I googled it but it’s all a bit confusing to actually understand what it entails.

I can’t stim in public so have had to teach myself to stop and it is hard and sometimes stressful I have to admit.

Mimi - all this exactly. It might be helpful for people to know that many OTs are against it and why!

Play therapy is my personal favourite

Fucking hell. You’re comparing autistic people who stim to pedophiles and murderers.

Seriously fuck off. You utter piece of shit.

And mumsnet, yes it was worth the deletion. Some things need saying.

@Youdoyoubabe you might want to look in the mirror and repeat your own username 100 times whenever you think that autistic individuals are as distasteful as criminals. I’ll give you a sticker for your good behaviour - completely condescending and inappropriate- well so is ABA.

@bellac11 - revolting thing to say. It's no more prevalent than any other "cohort", it's just more obvious. How can you be so dim?

NT people with criminal proclivities are very good at hiding it.

Some of the comments on here are just vile.

My understanding is that PBS is simply an alternative form of ABA.

Play therapy is effective

This is clearly wrong. :(

Surely there is a clear difference between this and helping children to stop harming themselves in public and other more dangerous behaviours?

Im so sorry about that :(

I voted yabu only because the lack of context and information about what on earth ABA is. 😒

what my child does with his therapist is not abuse.
its not dissimilar to a speech therapist. I watch them in my home doing it.
of course its never going to fix the underlying cause of stimming, or the other symptoms

No ABA is not abuse for very severely harmful behaviours. For example being sexually inappropriate , property destruction, hitting children , animals. Doing nothing and saying oh that's who they are is excluding the person from wider society as they cannot participate in the community with very dangerous behaviours towards the public.

What are these therapies? Pennyra
Early Bird - short course aimed at helping parents to understand what is autism. limited use. If you want an introduction to what is autism this might be helpful. Did it help my dd to function? Not at all.

SALT - therapist getting my dd to blow bubbles, play your boat etc. Not much help at all. However, they did teach pecs which is basically drawn from ABA but we don't talk about that.

Not sure what the other therapies are as this was all I was offered. I was also recommended to read 'More than Words'.

Unless things have changed dramatically, this is what is called therapy in the UK. The SALT is also hard to get. Most SALTs say that there is no value in working with asd children 1 :1 and will instead provide guidance.

ABA isn't abusive, It's just one approach that can be used an is not aversive in any way. I trained with the Institute of Applied Behavioural Analysis back in the early 90s and used it in clinical practice for several years. It was always used for severe cases of behaviour that was violent or self-injurious. Just one of many tools that we had available.

We NEVER stop people stimming it's only very harmful behaviours we try to reduce so they can live alongside others and fully participate in the community.