An Autistic Writes on ABA

Ubirr, Kakadu, Rock Art

Ubirr, Kakadu, Rock Art

My name is Kaelynn and I have autism, ADHD and several learning disabilities. I started speaking very early and because of this, I went undiagnosed until I was 10 years old. School was always extremely difficult for me. Shortly after being diagnosed, my mother chose to homeschool me for the rest of elementary and middle school. For high school, I attended the place that I am currently employed by; a school for children on the autism spectrum. I work as an ABA therapist, I’m a Registered Behavior Technician. In the 4 years that I was a student, I learned many skills that would be a necessity for my employment. I learned the importance of eye contact and time management. I learned when certain jokes are appropriate and when they aren’t. When I was born, the chances of being diagnosed with autism was 1 in 1,000. Today the chances are 1 in 45.

ABA stands for applied behavior analysis and is a therapy that is often used for people with autism. Some people think ABA should be dismissed because it goes against the “neruodiversity” movement. Everyone seems to have a different opinion on what the neruodiversity movement actually stands for. The basic idea is that neurological conditions such as autism, dyspraxia and ADHD are to be respected and treated as any other human variant. The problem with this ideology is that it promotes acceptance not of the individual, but of the disorder. Some see it as an attempt to ‘normalize’ some of these neurological conditions. The end goal of the neruodiversity movement is to create a more accepting society. However, it fails to define the term “accepting” and therefore it has been left to interpretation. Is an “accepting society” one that does not seek to give individuals the tools to communicate effectively because they are not neurologically “wired” to do so on their own? Is it one that does not seek therapies and treatments? Is it one without hope?

Supporters of the neruodiversity movement oppose ABA because of its aim for children to become “indistinguishable from their typically developing peers”. So let’s take a moment to define what we mean by “distinguishable”. Distinguishable would be a 13 year old girl, who still needs lots of assistance in the restroom because she cannot take care of her own feminine hygiene. It would be a 6 year old boy who smashes his own head into the ground when he is asked to wait for something. Distinguishable would be a 10 year old who spends several hours a day flicking his fingers in front of his face obsessively to the point where he is unsuccessful in school. ABA can offer solutions to some of these restrictive and harmful behaviors. A child who used to engage in severe self injury due to being hungry and unable to ask for a snack, can now use his iPad to communicate that he needs something to eat. An adolescent who used to bite himself to get out of a stressful environment can instead be taught to ask to take a break or leave the situation. A toddler can be taught to point to something she wants rather than crying until someone is able to guess what it is.

To accept that a child is the way they are, and that nothing can or should be done to help them gain skills is borderline neglectful. It dismisses the idea that they have higher potential. It’s complacency. If everyone embraced the concept of neruodiversity we would have no reason to better ourselves or seek help. If someone is capable of learning to use a communication device, but some people accept grunting and whining as means for communicating, what motivation does that person have to learn more skills?

There is a difference between acceptance and understanding. If you only accept something, that means you don’t desire improvement or change and that you are satisfied with the way it currently is. Understanding comes from a place of both love and knowledge. Understanding is loving the person for who they are, while knowing that they have the potential for more. There is nothing morally wrong with teaching people to communicate and take care of themselves. In fact, it’s morally wrong not to.

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So what is Applied Behavior Analysis ( or ABA) as a treatment for Autism?

I have been looking a good introduction to Applied Behavior Analysis or ABA as a treatment for autism.

And I am happy to share this excellent infographic which gives a great overview of ABA as a therapy for ASD.

If you would like to share any experiences you have had with Applied Behavior Analysis please check out this previous blog post here.

Infographic: Have you considered applied behavior analysis for autism treatment? Studies show it can have a huge positive impact, especially when started early.
Applied Behavior Analysis for Autism Infographic: Have you considered applied behavior analysis for autism treatment? Studies show it can have a huge positive impact, especially when started early. – Source: New Life Outlook | Autism

Autism advice! Have you tried ABA therapy and how did it work?

Should we give our son ABA therapy?

Should we give our son ABA therapy?

As many of you know by now I’m not a fount of wisdom about autism. I’m simply the parent of a child who has been diagnosed on the spectrum.

But as I do run a blog one of the things I can do is to ask questions which my wife and I have and the the benefit of the experience of our readers and other members of the autism community.

So we have a question.

We are considering ABA therapy for our son (who is now eight years old). He has been described as moderately on the spectrum. Which means he is verbal and attends a specialist unit with a mainstream school for his education. Which I admit does not give you a real feel for his behaviours does give you a kind of position for him on the spectrum.

To return to ABA therapy. According to Wikipedia “Applied behavior analysis (ABA) is defined as the process of systematically applying interventions based upon the principles of learning theory to improve socially significant behaviors to a meaningful degree, and to demonstrate that the interventions employed are responsible for the improvement in behavior.” Which is not particularly clear you’ll agree.

So my first question is what is ABA in practice? If you could share your story in the comments box below. My wife and I would also like to know how did ADA therapy actually work for you? Again if you could share that would be great.

Finally I would be grateful if you could take the short poll on ABA below. I’m keen to understand what percentage of my readers and the wider ASD community have used ABA.

Thanks very much in advance!

 

BrandiAlvarez My son was diagnosed when he was four and is now eight. He’s been in ABA now for the last two years and the difference between now and then is really amazing. His vocabulary has grown and his aggressive behaviors have lessened quite a bit..My son goes to school 3 times a week in their program called the Apple program and twice a week he goes to ABA. During his time with ABA he sees one therapist in the morning and then change to a different one in the afternoon so that he can get used being around different therapists and not the same one all the time. They work on specific programs/goals and once he’s mastered out of one then they move on to a new one. Recently he just mastered tying his shoes all on his own. They have recently added services like speech therapy and occupational therapy as well. My husband’s insurance helped find this particular place for us and his services are covered and I feel very grateful that my son can participate.
ispeakautism ABA Therapy has been invaluable for my son. Early intervention was essential to his successful future. Neurologically the brain has significant changes at specific developmental stages. Creating new pathways in the brain for those with Pervasive Developmental Disorders are more likely to succeed. Albeit, not every person with Autism will respond to this therapy. Understanding Cognitive Load is something that every person working people with ASDs need to understand the development of the specific person. It can harm people if the ABA Therapy is not applied correctly. You know one person with Autism, you know one person with Autism. This is why the spectrum is so vast.
My son, now 14, has been in Gen Ed since he was 3. He gets straight As and was awarded the President’s Excellence in Academics Award for having straight As 2 years in a row.
Mother to a son WITH Autism (PFL-People First Language), I Speak Autism, advocacy/ therapy, ASD teacher, MA-TA, MS, Special Ed.