Autism| Life After ABA

[@ToughToonz]

Thank you so much for this video, I am an ABA therapist and started to get curious about how autistic people felt about this type of therapy. And I feel so conflicted after doing a bit of research. I thought I was helping and now I just want to say sorry and hug the kids that I work with. I've told my boss I no longer want to work with them and he's made it a bit difficult for me. But after this video I am more secure in my decision, so thank you very much.

[@malkam.7543]

Honestly , as an autistic person, this is so great to hear--not that your boss is being mean, but that you listened. It is so rare that nuero-typical people, even therapists and professionals, listen to what autistic people want. If you ever decide to go into another form of therapy, this ability to understand us and our wants and needs would actually make you a great therapist for our community!

[@GhibliKid]

Hi, Autistic here. Goodness, your comment means everything to me. You are a Good Person. Good people can do bad things and I see that, going into special education myself. And often there comes this "sunk cost" fallacy when ABA practitioners hear of the harm it does. If you accept these experiences, it means you have done something bad. But you hearing this and making changes makes you the opposite. You are the people we need listening to us. Thank you so much.

[@ToughToonz]

@@malkam.7543 thank you I appreciate it! I'm happy I was able to leave that job.

[@ToughToonz]

@@GhibliKid your gonna make me cry 😅. Thank you for your kind words!!

[@captaincosback323]

You did the right thing, I will be praying that you can get a better job in return to what you did.

[@cory9493]

I’m an autistic OT student and I’m not a fan of ABA. I’ve had an interesting experience through the pandemic too because I ended up having 2 different pediatric clinical placements (my first one got cancelled halfway through when quarantine started). My first one was anti-ABA, very pro sensory integration, pro building relationships, and understood that behaviors are communication. My current one... sucks. They’re extremely pro ABA, they claim they do sensory integration but they really don’t, and there’s no real relationship building with the kids. And honestly? The kids at my first placement were doing way better than the kids at this placement. I hate functioning labels but the kids at my last placement had more “low functioning” (ew) autism while the kids at my current placement are more “high functioning” (ew). And the kids at my first placement were still doing much better. They seemed more like kids. Less tired, less controlled. They were excited to go to school!! The kids at my new placement cry when they have to come to therapy. So, ya, I have definitely seen most of these things as well and I’m so glad you got the girls out!!

[@ForevaTrell]

What’s an OT?

[@DifferentReader]

@@ForevaTrell occupational therapist

[@danirivera2825]

As a fellow Autistic OT student, I appreciate this

[@butternutsquash6984]

You've seen both sides so will be able to defend your decision to not uses ABA methods and lables. Glad to know that there are therapies that address the real things.

[@coraliedubois5890]

If she ran into the car, she probably just thought everything going on was too chaotic in the house and wanted a quiet place to sit. It must have been too much inside. She knew what she needed and knew how to get it. This is amazing!

[@siobhanflanagan250]

It’s because you truly understand and love who all of your children are, including Maggie, that they are really flourishing. It takes faith, love and encouragement in the child not data. You took the pandemic and made it positive for your family. Beautiful! God bless you all!

[@taniacurbelo868]

I love your comment. That is right. The love of a parent can really bear way more fruits than cold data collection and behavior reduction. This is a tool that many more parents need to explore. Giving their child quality attention and play time.

[@willothewisps.7539]

Today I said no to ABA, for my youngest daughter. The school called Child Services on me because of it. Thank you for speaking and giving parents like me, a chance to really see and learn what it’s like. I have autism and just found this out for myself. I cannot imagine what would be if I had ABA on top of my masking and bullying. This video and a few others are going onto a playlist, which I am forcing the school to watch. I’m not going to be threatened into torturing my kids. I’ll give my life before I let them do this to us.

[@GhostIntoTheFog]

Accusing someone of child abuse/neglect for not enrolling their child in an inherently abusive conversion therapy is truly ironic. But, that’s why ABA is commonly referred to as institutionalized abuse. ABA is married to our healthcare and educational systems. There’s often no way to opt out.

[@jazzminforrestall406]

I didn't know what it was until recently, but I was forced into ABA in middle school. It didn't help anything, it just erased every coping mechanism I had already developed. The school used my peers as punishment. Basically they told me the reason why I was being bullied was because I wasn't masking hard enough. And they refused to do anything about the bullying because of it.

[@Stettafire]

I didn't know either. In high school I began to recognise it was abuse but I didn't have a "name" for it and didn't realise it was a recognised "therapy". It makes so much more sense now. It was ABA and it was abuse.

[@kaylamiller2024]

​@Stettafiire I am so sorry you went through that I truly hope there's a way to end ABA therapy

[@kaylamiller2024]

Remember bullying is not your fault it's theirs and there's nothing wrong with having autism do not let anyone tell you any differently and I wish there was a way to end ABA

[@mich00000]

A year later - this video still resonates with me. I share with this video with my family as we go through all the therapy options. And this helps me, as a parent, on finding the right help for our children

[@ladyriot9620]

ABA was recommended for my daughter, she is 12, ASD level 1. I feel like this would set her up to be ever more confused and feel like something was wrong with her. She doesn't need to be changed. Thanks for sharing.

[@larsebsworth6148]

If you find that you want some type of services for your daughter, a great alternative could be a combo of working with speech-language pathology and occupational therapy. OT can work on things like sensory integration, and SLP can work on communication (verbal and nonverbal strategies). There is absolutely nothing wrong with your daughter, but she may need more support in navigating life as its complexities and amounts of change increase as she gets in that 16-25 age window. Helping her learn what strategies work for her rather than what would work for helping her "assimilate" with neurotypicals may be beneficial. Disclosure: I'm a grad student in a speech-language pathology program.

[@awkwardautistic]

If she's struggling in some area, do get her help...OT or CBT or art therapy... there are many options that aren't harmful.

[@kaylamiller2024]

Thank you for not ever putting her through that ever

[@kaylamiller2024]

Amen to this about she doesn't need changing thank the good Lord for not ever changing her she is find the way she is!!!!? No more ABA

[@TJ_Michelle]

Thank you. This is exactly where I am right now. Everything you said is what my child is going through. She is no longer playing with her brother and keeps wanting to escape. I took a Christmas brake and EVERYTHING changed, I was struggling thinking if I should take a longer brake or not, but I am afraid of not giving my child that early intervention since she is only 3 yo and she started therapy a year ago. She love her OT and speech but HATES ABA, she cries through the session and it brakes my heart. I will not be going back. Thank you from the bottom of my heart

[@cauehsalzedasteixeira402]

❤😢

[@coco_b]

Thank you. I am a mom of an autistic child. I am autistic. When I was young, NO ONE talked about autism. I was the bad kid. The disruptive kid. The kid that neighbor kids were cautioned against playing with. I was different. Weird. Anyway, I didn’t know I was autistic until I was an adult. My son is 4. Since his diagnosis I have learned all I know about autism. Never did I learn about it because of me. But I was told ABA was the “norm” so I was prepared to put my son in it. Because of the pandemic it was put off and put off. Now that I have learned about autism and ABA I am grateful that I had that time to learn. My son will not be going to ABA and it took me a while to be okay with the decision because, again, it was what I was told was the norm. I learned how to mask my entire life so that I fit in better. I am 43 now and just in the last 2 years have I learned all this about myself and WHAT A RELIEF. I am sad that back then this wasn’t talked about. I am autistic, have ADHD, OCD and all these things that I was was just described as behavioral issues. I am so relieved to meet other autistic adults/mothers because I feel less alone. Anyway I am still learning how to talk about all this because like I said I have had to mask my entire life. With my son I talk about autism on a daily basis and we are ALL ABOUT NEURODIVERGENCE in this home and in our lives. Autism is not a dirty word, not something to be swept under the rug and not spoken on. It is a HUGE part of me and my personality and now I can raise my son to be aware of this, to not be afraid or ashamed because he is “different”. This world is VERY slowly starting to accept these differences and someday hopefully they won’t be considered differences, but everyday personality traits that so many of us have. I hope somebody reads this because this was a lot for me to get out. I am still learning. I am only 2 years into this journey. Its something Ive lived with my entire life but its almost like Ive learned that everything I have known about myself is a lie. Not to my parents fault. It was just a different time. Thank you for reading this.

[@kaylamiller2024]

Thank you for sharing your story please do not ever put your child through ABA listen to your child because you are all that he's got! ABA does not know shit you know what's best for your child and because it was put off for a reason it is for the good

[@coco_b]

@@kaylamiller2024 Thank you. I also believe it was put off for a good reason. He gets all his supports through the public school system and he is well taken care of. Thanks for your response💙

[@reneehennebry]

My 6 year old granddaughter has been in ABA since age 2 and it has been amazing for her. She cries if she can’t go, she loves her therapists. She has had a couple of times she had to stay home for 2 weeks or more while waiting for insurance approval and she was going nuts! She loves the structure of the day at ABA and is very relaxed when she gets home on the days she goes.

[@honeynutdepressios]

I'm currently studying to be a SLP and many of my professors have advocated for a more natural approach.

[@MsKnaub2011]

Yes!! From a mom of non verbal kid..love slps! Goodluck!

[@np100]

You did the Right Thing! My son was in an ABA school and went from being a very happy child to a depressed, sad little boy. I found an eclectic program and he flourished there. Always trust you instincts, moms!

[@inhighdefinition1111]

Thank you for posting this! I’ve been needing a new job and I love helping people so I thought about working with kids with autism and well, they use aba. The company I applied to is even associats with autism speaks which I’ve heard mistreat their clients. Thank you for posting this because I’d already heard about aba being harmful but it’s almost like you need so much reassurance that it’s bad or that it’s truly harming children/ people because so many people recommend it

[@kaylamiller2024]

It's sad that more people recommend it forget that nothing wrong with reassurance not everyone can provide that which those people you stay far away from because we need more people that can provide reassurance 🙏🙏🙏❤️❤️💚 praying for reassurance

[@melowely]

I can relate so much to this. My younger daughter (almost 6 now) was officially diagnosed just before 4. I had already been hearing controversy over ABA, so I went into it very conflicted. We did it for 3 months, and I remember feeling so torn. My mama instincts were screaming at me. I knew we couldn’t endure this, but I was scared to leave. After finding an autism advocacy group I felt like it gave me the extra push and the assurance I needed to walk away. They do make it seem so scary to vulnerable parents who waited months to get a placement, and knowing you’ll lose that. But we never looked back. It was only 3 months, but I noticed she had picked up a harmful stim (picking her nails compulsively) that began in ABA, and ended with ABA. It felt so freeing to be able to watch her just being a kid again, no conditions, no strings attached to beloved toys or activities. Those were 3 long months. OT and speech are amazing. I do wish there was some kind of program model that was more comprehensive that integrated speech/OT, that was designed for autistic children, but left out the icky behaviorism & compliance based training.

[@sarahmoreland5388]

I’m an ABA therapist and am so worried about the controversy. I never make my client look people directly in the eyes or correct non harmful stimming or even make her say hi back to people that say hi to her. I only focus on communication so that she is able to tell me if she wants/needs anything, but otherwise I let her be herself and play most of the day and feel it should be that way for all children receiving ABA. I don’t think “abnormal” behaviors should be stopped if they aren’t harmful to the child. Like we shouldn’t change anything about the child that isn’t harmful to the child. And I DONT think kids should be “working”, especially not for 40 hours a week. Does this seem like a good stance to have? I don’t want to be hurting anybody and if ABA is wrong I really want to know.

[@aaronjames9365]

@@sarahmoreland5388 Well, this begs more questions, namely what specifically are the behaviours you are trying to promote, and how do you promote them? And furthermore are you taking the child's wants and needs into account when promoting that behaviour? For example, are you providing positive incentives for a child to be in an overstimulating environment that causes them distress (e.g. encouraging a child who is overstimulated by a supermarket to go shopping with mom and dad without making a fuss)? Are you encouraging a child who is overwhelmed by closeness to sit next to people closely in order to be rewarded? Are you giving children the option to opt out of activities or communicate the term "no"? Unfortunately the principles behind ABA are all about promoting or discouraging behaviours. Often those "discouraged behaviours" are born out of distress, or are a form of nonverbal communication, and the encouraged ones may be upsetting to the child, or involve forced masking

[@illiengalene2285]

I am autistic and I never had ABA, I have a finished Gymnasium, that's the hardest common school in Germany, with a 1,7 grade. I studied to become a teacher for inclusion, physics and philosophy, had to stop, because my government made it impossible to me to work. I had psychological training and I am in therapy. ABA is not the only thing. Meditation, self soothing and mindfulness training can help with reducing stress, anxiety and meltdowns/shutdowns. Physical therapy, like yoga, playing and exercise can help with sensory issues. Tools like ear defenders, comfort items, comfortable clothes, safe schedules and comfort food are great. And like you said, talking to your kids, in any way they do, for every behaviour there is a reason.

[@Patricia-li8bh]

Hi Cammie, thank you for this informative video! I thank God I was diagnosed late and never went through ABA. But, I want to share my occupational therapy experience because it is not one-of-a-kind. When I was little, I had a gymnastics injury, which led to several years of severe 24/7 chronic pain. That whole time, I no longer was sensory sensitive to my environment, because all my attention was focused on the excruciating pain. I finally escaped the pain a few years ago. However, this made all my sensory sensitivities return to a heightened degree. I was struggling in school because things such as a ticking clock would make me feel as if a bomb was going off in the classroom. So, my counselor recommended occupational therapy. Thankfully, occupational therapy only lasted for 3 months because I had a bad experience with it. I love being sensory sensitive because even though I am sensitive to bad things, such as loud noises, I am also sensitive to good things, such as beautiful music. Even though I experience sadness to an extreme, I also experience happiness to an extreme. These opposites are like two sides of the same coin. And, one side of the coin cannot be ripped off. Trying to get rid of the bad makes the good follow. Unfortunately, getting rid of the bad was what my occupational therapist was trying to work on. I know she did not mean any harm, but she was also taking away my positive sensitivities. What she should have been doing was trying to help me manage my unpleasant sensitivities, instead of resorting to desensitization. I know what it is like to be numb because of chronic pain. I know what it is like to only be capable of crying because of chronic pain. I take being heartbroken over being numb any day. Little did she realize trying to help someone not be so sensitive to painful noise could also inadvertently destroy a future musician. I am sure there are occupational therapists out there who do not do this, but I have heard from other autistic individuals of similar experiences to mine, so I am concerned. My sensitivity is a strength, and I wouldn't change it for the world. It makes me feel so beautifully alive.

[@Autmazing]

I'm so sorry you went through that. And I'm glad you commented because I think it's definitely something that parents need to be aware of. It seems like with OT there's so many different schools of thought that you have to be really careful to find the right ones. With our girls I stayed with them during there sessions for just about the first year, and I think we were really lucky because our therapists were really play based so it was a lot of swinging in swings and doing gross motor sensory seeking stuff and then little things like pushing pegs into foam and stuff like that, which are all kind of the sort of things our girls enjoy. Like you I have that mix of highs and lows (I tend to think of it for me as a mix of sensitivies and seeking) and I can't imagine going through desensitization therapies either. Just thinking about it makes me cringe. James is actually the most sensitive one here in terms of touch avoidance and nerves and he has me rethinking so many things now to help him figure out how to get through the day. But this is such a good point! Also I can relate to your comments on numbness so, so much. I have on and off numbness on the right side of my body related to migraines, and I was just telling my doctor yesterday that it's the thing that bothers me the most. It doesn't "hurt" like the migraines but I just can't stand not being able to feel half of my face, in particular. Especially when it goes on and on. Thank you for commenting and sharing Patricia.

[@Wiz.37083]

I have that same coin... thanks for that analogy...

[@autismenlightenment]

I actually worked as an aba behavior assistant in my early 20s. I also worked as a paraprofessional. I loved the children I worked w but I was not aware that I was doing things to hurt and limit and control the kids. I had been hurt and limited and controlled my entire life. I never understood I was abused until I was in my 30s. I pray to god and ask for forgiveness for my ignorance.

[@autismenlightenment]

@A Volpe my mistake for not clearly pointing out that I am autistic myself, level 2.5 no diagnosis until I was in my 30s. Did you read me saying I did not properly understand things when i was younger because I was abused myself#1 and misunderstood autism#2? and i was doing what i was instructed at my jobs. I was an ABA behavior assistant and a paraprofessional. This included preventing a young man from stimming in the class room. This was and is still common practice in mainstream schools, although I now see its cruel. I did not know this was wrong but i did my job. I even was fired from a job where i was defending a kid that had severe behavioral difficulties. The nurses would restrain him in a wooden chair and then put the chair in a bed. They would not give him any more food after he threw his or spit it out. This I could see was clearly wrong and when I told supervisors that was not appropriate and the kid deserved better treatment and opportunity to learn, not be punished. I am the one who was written up and fired. I made an honest statement about my experiences and how I learned over time. I am not ashamed because I have a relationship w the Lord and that is where healing and transformation come through his love and forgiveness. I have fasted on ekdasi, circumabulated tulasi devi, visited the holy Damas, worshiped the deities w my own hands, chanted the holy names, bathed in the ganga. I spent 12 + years in devotional service because I wanted to serve God and do good in this world. Would you like to add any other activities that may amend my soul! And on top of that I am honestly warning others of my mistakes. What are you doing to help others besides putting them down? Ignorance does not excuse me or you from the laws of nature. You were not mean to me, not knowing I was autistic. Perhaps this is a chance for you to recognize what I was sharing. See how you thought you were a nice person doing the right thing? But in reality you actually treated me wrong because you did not have proper knowledge. We make mistakes when we have a poor fund of knowledge and krsna will give us as many lifetimes as we desire to repeat this cycle of birth and death. Your statement of you had a brain and you knew what was wrong is that a stetement you would make to someone on the spectrum. Having a brain, having understanding, are very different things. Please open your own mind and heart.

[@autismenlightenment]

@A Volpe you really did not read or understand any of my statement. You are an asshole for the things you said to me. We are for learning and growing, hope you can learn and grow too.

[@autismenlightenment]

@A Volpe good for you to stand up and fight but I am not your enemy. I was talking about events that happened over 16 years ago. Yes my brain was able to gain new understanding in that amount of time. Isn't that what you are going for. More understanding and compassion? Why cant you celebrate the fact that I was able to change myself. I shared my story for others to learn from my misunderstanding and mistakes. You are really an aggressive person who goes on attack towards strangers and any beliefs outside your own, talk about a nazi... I never said I was doing God's work when I was working w kids on the spectrum. Thats what I chose to do w my life. You dont even know what religion I was referencing because it was not christianity. You are the one who said I needed to be ashamed and that karma would get me if I did not make amends. What the heck do you want besides my honesty. You need to check your own integrity. By the way I dont think you will accomplish much w your current tactics. You have a just cause but dont hurt others and be a hypocrite yourself. I'm done w this conversation w you because you are a problem starter not a problem solver.

[@GhibliKid]

As an autistic -- I am not God but I do forgive you. Thank you for your kindness and I hope you recover.

[@blackthornsloe8049]

Good Job mamma !

[@vicktoryscreech]

you are an amazing person. it is so hard to admit when youve made a poor decision for your child. this video shows your humility and love for your kids. i hope you all are still doing well

[@bico6549]

I'm so glad you made this video. I was considering an aba job because I'm an ot student and I thought that working in a clinic setting would be great experience. This and other videos made me realize how bad aba is. I canceled all of my interviews the day I watched this.

[@Bryn155]

Thank you so much for talking about this. I hope it reaches the audience that needs to hear it the most.

[@megaady36]

My two cents, from a late diagnosed 54 year old Autistic adult who grew up not knowing what was "wrong" with me, but has done ok to this point nonetheless. ABA is training autistic children to be something they are not and can never be - they will never be neurotypical and are just being trained to "look" neurotypical. The aim has some merit, to make it easier to fit in, to be more easily accepted by the greater population. But at what cost? The doctor you spoke to was right - this is the best that the non autistic world has to offer - the offer of making the autistic individual more acceptable to them. I think we can do better than that. I know this because of people like you, and they way you live your life with your children proves that. I will always be a lousy imitation of a non autistic person even though I have over the years developed strategies to get by, whilst all that time not knowing I was autistic. We find a way that works for us, so do what's best for you and what you think is best for your children and you won't be far wrong.

[@hannahhensley6830]

I worked as an RBT in ABA for two years and I’m so worried I fucked up. I thought I was helping but now it seems as bad as conversion therapy and I’m so sorry

[@har-binger7645]

Least your learning right

[@digiscream]

You clearly had the best of intentions, otherwise you wouldn't even have posted this; beating yourself up about it will change nothing. Far better to think about what you could do instead that's better, both for your own mental health and for that of those you might be able to help :)

[@Scentofrain.]

Think of the beneficial work you can do now with your new insight. Don't look back with regret, look forward for a better way.

[@madisonbanks2010]

I went through it. I’m 17 now. Please use your voice to speak up for those of us who are silenced to the pain. Once you do that, I forgive you. And I have post traumatic stress from it, so I’m not just saying this. I understand first hand the pain you caused. At least in my brain, you have not wronged us if you do that.

[@sh1k4n]

ABA is not conversion therapy. It has done wonders for my severely autistic 4 year old. I am sure you did help many children.

[@sandralane1923]

Your video just makes sooo much sense. My career with Special Needs students included 8 years with students who have Autism. ABA was just becoming the “ thing.” My students were older and in High School so we’re not involved in behavioral training. The few times I got to observe it I remember thinking it was a little robotic. Staff and students. I love your philosophy. Which fosters natural language in a loving, secure setting. Not all parents are so introspective, as you are. You are a WONDERFUL parent. Love to see all you do for your cuties. I am very impressed.

[@emmagoosesheeptoothfairy]

I have been in ABA since March of 2021, when I was sixteen. I am eighteen now and still living with my parents and siblings, and while I have enjoyed the company of my therapists (who honestly are the closest thing I have to friends, sadly), they have a new supervisor who has been increasingly stubborn. She has literally told my mother to make time for her to come over when she has had a doctor appointment scheduled on that date and time for the past three months and told her in advance. In addition, the current program is about "peer something or other" in which I have to identify what someone is doing wrong in a situation in a video. Simply put, masking more than I have been all my life (some good the masking did...I was an outcast in school and classmates literally started conversations with people across the room when I said hello) I've been trying to figure out what to do. I don't like where it's going, but at the same time I know hardly anyone outside them, my family, and my coworkers at the job I started at the end of October. It's a connection I've had for a year and a half and I'm terrified of losing it.

[@maggienoodl3s]

Thank you for sharing your insights, this was very illuminating for me, as I was an ABA therapist for 2.5 years. Though I didn’t agree with Discrete Trial Teaching (DTT) methods, I did my best to implement a more naturalistic approach and this was really helpful in my transition to starting ESDM therapy now. Looking back, I see ABA as quite a restrictive practice, some clinics perform this well, however most don’t due to inefficient training. I’m based in Melbourne, Australia and have an enormous passion as a psychology graduate in working with young children with neurodevelopment disorders such as ASD, I find that the work I’ve been doing in ESDM being more child led is much more positive and less stressful on the kiddos. I feel as though with ABA children undergo so much unnecessary stress. I’ve seen ABA work extremely well on some kiddos but not most, in terms of teaching daily living skills and pre academic skills. Your girls sound so much better off with ABA and this is so beautiful to see :)

[@jvance6]

Shortly before my son got diagnosed at 6, I learned about how Autistic people feel about ABA, and it concerned mr. I also felt that 30-40 hrs a week seemed ridiculous especially for a kid in school. Seriously how to people do that? Do they skip 1/2 of school or do you just never see your kid? It perplexes me so much. I sometimes struggled getting his homework done in regular life with 2 days a week of OT, and other normal life events.

[@Stettafire]

As someone who was in ABA, can confirm, you miss a lot of school. Your grades falling behind are just "confirmation" that your somehow broken and in need of "help". Your classmates notice something is weird so they stop speaking to you and treat you like garbage. If you complain about the bullying, that's not compliance and thus is punished. Normally by taking the kid out of yet more classes. Literally set up to fail, bastards.

[@relentlessrhythm2774]

Thank you for being a wonderful parent and doing what is best for your kids even if "experts" want you to do something else. Thank you for sharing this story!

[@Clark-mm7gw]

This was such a great and informative video. It's awesome that Maggie hung out in the car with DVDs during that one escapade instead of running (I noticed her walking by herself again!), and it's so fantastic that she and Sadie have their special sister bond again! Maggie's definitely changed since I found your channel back in October, and she seems so much happier. I'm glad to hear Tessie's doing so well, too, and feeling a lot calmer. I remember you talking about her adventures in taking apart furniture and smashing lightbulbs.

[@rfishrfish4242]

I am in autistic adult 53 years old been working in the school system for over 33 years I work with autistic people. I do not use ABA whatsoever because I am in autistic person and just the way my mind works I think, only logically and literally bottom up thinking I’m just able to see in the moment in real time what is really happening and why through life lived experience of myself being able to mentor autistic children that I love I love my job I just have trouble with neurotypicals people that just want to destroy and take away your voice it’s always been a battle but the truth is set me free. I cannot think good Nuro typical person or teach the kids logistic children like a Nuro. Typical I use their strengths. I am very extremely successful, but Neurotypical do not like change whatsoever it’s always been done that way they just literally think and follow and logical , ABA practises disgusting. It’s gross makes me sick. God help us all.

[@KopaFan]

Thank you for making this video. I don't think I've seen many videos on this topic that discuss it from the point of view you were able to do it from. Thank you.

[@Autmazing]

Thank you for watching and commenting. I'm hoping it's able to help people who are making those hard decisions after a diagnosis.

[@nataliagarcia4387]

“Ignoring the bad behaviors” sounds so cruel and so arbitrarial. Thank you for taking them away from those “therapies”

[@Bisdis_]

It's so wholesome seeing all the kids improvements 💕😭💕and so nice to see someone realizing that something was wrong and making a video about it Instead of shying away is so nice💕💕

[@kennethmorningstar9966]

In my experience having worked as a BT in ABA as well as being on the Autistic Spectrum myself. Many ABA practitioners mask being nice people. When I went to the team meetings, it felt like walking into an Aldous Huxely distopia where no one had the right to be unhappy. Well when being unhappy about something is not allowed, then the BT's, BCBA's, and BM's are by default going to mask being positive and happy. Make no mistake though. The culture within many ABA companies has a bunch of back stabbers and drama queens. If you are an Autistic employee, they will immediately target you, put words in your mouth that you did not say, spread rumors about you, and do whatever they could to make the work environment uncomfortable for you. I wash my hands of ABA. It is abuse. Most ABA practitioners are fake and the ones who keep it real, don't stay with the company long.

[@user-zv9no2my6j]

really great choice and good, brave video. from all I researched about it and the docu about it on youtube you did the right thing and probably help a lot of parents todo so as well. in the docu a woman said it's like putting children through a 40 hour work week or even extreme training camp at such a young age.

[@shelleymclaren1867]

Here in Scotland ABA is not something we use. We have a very different approach to supporting autistic people.

[@catherinevazquez7083]

What are the practices or things they do in there?

[@Stettafire]

In Wales ABA was still being used right up to 2010ish.

[@BabyJuju_HijaDeNabgwana]

oh my god thank you for this. everyone keep pushing me to do ABA for my youngest because he does have aggressive behaviors. but its because of something he needs. its not out of nowhere. my husband and i try so hard. but ur suggestions are so helpful and we are so hopeful now. def subbing!!!

[@blahblahblahblah65]

My parents and most of my family have been pushing me to put my son, who is about to turn 4 , into some behavioral therapy and I've always had this overwhelming feeling of protecting him against those kinds of opinions. Probably because I spent my whole life in therapy and I wish I hadn't because it led me astray from my own self and opinions and view of the world and the people around me. Ever since my son was born I've been receiving advice that he needs to learn to talk already, or be potty trained already, as if he's not meeting the expectations my parents had for him. I always tell my parents that he's fine the way he is and he just doesn't see those things as important right now, but I don't care what kind of person you are, you're not going to enjoy crap in your pants for your entire life, so I know he will inevitably want to use the toilet at some point. But I recently got a text from a family member telling me I could recieve monetary support from the government for therapy because my son is on the spectrum and I just got so offended because this family member has been around my kids no more than 4 times. I'm also not one to do research on something that I've already made a conscious decision about using my instincts, but I decided to research this ABA thing a little more and I found your video and thank the universe I did. I cannot explain the relief I felt watching your videos. You talk about how you should have listened to your instincts and I could feel you genuinely speaking about your experiences and how grateful you are for them. I am grateful for people like yourself who are not ashamed to be honest and open about your experiences. I feel so good about my choices after watching this. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for sharing your hard truths with the world. You are an exceptional individual who has done everything in your power to make sure your children are happy. We should be able to trust what our family tells us, or what the doctors tell us, but we cannot. I've had eczema my whole life and I gave it to both my kids, so from a lifetime of experience, I obviously know how to treat it. Well, the doctor always has something to say about it and the last time I took my kids to the doctor, they recommended the worst possible treatment. They recommended Dawn dish soap, and bathing in a tub of lard.............now, I'm no doctor, but this planet has enough natural ingredients that are untouched by the pharmaceutical companies to be able to treat dry skin. Our instincts as mothers will always over-power anything anyone tells us. I was so happy for you when you said you and your family are doing better. It made me tear up because not many people are able to admit their mistakes or even learn from them. You are a wonderful, compassionate mother.

[@dolorescheatom1663]

🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉. You go ahead and shed those tears of joy. Let me help you adjust your crown 👑👑 Black Queen 👑. Now let us Ty's extended family community carry You, Big Slim and J.J. the rest of the way. You touched so many lives just by doing you. You're the very definition of what a hero is, what a leader should be. You didn't take NO for an answer. Thank you. I'm crying too

[@corrinehoward1999]

Well...I will find out whether I have a job or not for next year. I teach a self contain room for children with autism. I feigned knowledge of the ABA program and instead created a fun and interesting classroom that would be appropriate for any child. I have a group of happy kids that love coming to school. Very rarely will you see crying or a tantrum and if we do, we try to find out why not just try to stop it. It looks like since the pandemic is over they want to train me in ABA. That means I will be quitting unless I can convince them how bad ABA is.

[@Autmazing]

I’m so sorry you’re going through this. It’s really frustrating how common behavioralism has become in education.

[@corrinehoward1999]

@@Autmazing Thank you. I find it hard to advocate for people that are autistic because I am not autistic but I connect with them so well. I just knew from an early age that so many people were being abused. I want to change that. I could always work people with the most difficult behavior challenges....and the only think I did was talk to them like competent human beings...what the hell does that say????

[@cowsonzambonis6]

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 Love the care you are giving to your children’s needs!

[@Autmazing]

Thank you!

[@philsaspiezone]

I was given ABA in the early 1970s for a few years. That was at the special needs school before 1974. My mum used similar techniques to learn to write Latin alphabet. 1n 1974 I had my first epileptic seizure (a temporal lobe epileptic seizure). After I left the school all hell broke loose. I suffered other people getting preferential treatment at my expense even the kids who my mum babysat got preferential treatment at my expense after a few years of that obscenity. My epilepsy has gone into remission for 13 years. Also experienced trauma from the abuse from my parents.

[@myworldautistic670]

Thank you so much for sharing this. All of what happened makes total and complete sense.

[@luisoncpp]

I'm kinda happy of being misdiagnosed as ADHD and dyspraxia due to brain injury instead of autism when I was a child. I received therapy to treat brain injuries rather than ABA, it wasn't the best but it helped.

[@gkseeton]

Your new hair style suits you well. Very cute cut. Is it easy care?

[@Autmazing]

Thank you! It is easy. All I've been doing is brushing it quickly and clipping it back in the mornings with two clips because I'm trying to grow out my bangs now. And in this video I'd played with the colorful wax before hand so it's a little shimmery, but usually just two clips, hopefully after I remember to brush it!

[@MaryKMcDonald]

I was diagnosed at five years old with Aspbergers which is now on the spectrum; the doctor told her not to expect much which is why she did everything from OT to ABA. I know she loved me and did the best for me on my worst days especially adolescence and one book she had was Temple Grandon's Thinking in Pictures as a guide for how my mind worked. Writing and Talk therapy has worked for me now that I'm older and balanced but there are still things I see that bother me, another parent yelling at a kid, ads that portray adults living with parents as weak, Olaf, Sheldon, not being able to go to school because I don't have a real job. I'm an artist, writer, and tuba player, and being good at what I do every day is work. Later on, I read that Temple Grandon also suffered from the ABA mindset which is why Bean Dad is a story we see every day for Austitc people. I still fight with the fact that I'm an Aspbergers adult but am told I need a real job so I can pay for college? I'm tired of debating with my parents who want me to be normal, "People who have adult conversations don't cry" Im told when something bothers me and I cry. I know my parents love me but now I'm 29 and it's time for a different perspective about my life, not their mindset.

[@breakingboardrooms1778]

Find a way to monetize that like a KZbin channel or something, and also get out from under their roof. Don't let them know what you're planning. People don't like disabled young adults having Liberty. Try to get undiagnosed if at all possible, and never go on SSI unless it's literally a life-or-death emergency. Try to get out of the US.

[@RH117]

Thanks for the follow on video. I have previously voiced my views in other videos. Thanks for standing up for your children and others. I wish my hardworking academic and military parents had known at an earlier age what is known now about ABA. It is unfortunate that the insurance did not side with your decision on ABA for Tessie. Does the decision put Maggie at risk to lose anything?? I look forward to the next video that you mentioned at the beginning.

[@catherinemullen291]

Social Communication (SC), Emotional Regulation (ER) and Transactional Support (TS). SCERTS This is a really good approach to learning difficulties and autism.

[@atkinsonatkinson2802]

Really great video and very informative by a parent who can provide another perspective. Cheers

[@harpistforever3137]

I’m so happy for you all ♥️

[@rowanNClangley]

"I can't say that we have solved the eloping problem..." ..... I think it possible you have found and solved the root cause

[@campbellkurlander8645]

Hi Cammie, thank you so so much for making this video! I am a psychology student in college and I am currently writing my thesis on the harmful effects of ABA. This was so helpful and if you are interested, I would love to interview you and hear more about your experience. Either way, thank you so much for sharing this and I hope you and your family are doing well!

[@monicanavarro8127]

Hi Campbell my daughter was recently diagnosed with autism and I’ve noticed some things at first I thought I was being dramatic. I never knew a ABA was controversial until now I’ve been on KZbin for about an hour listening to peoples experiences. This may be odd to ask but I would love to read your thesis.

[@danielmoore4024]

@@monicanavarro8127 I'm autistic myself and still see issues with ABA, but don't let the controversy make you just let go of ABA. From all the accounts I've seen ABA has benefited some autistic people, but the majority of accounts are universally negative. One of the biggest issues I see is ABA is neither scientific nor evidence based. As all other scientific fields have continued progressing since 1961, ABA has not progressed with up to date science. All the neurology, biology, physiology, mental health, emotions etc... are neglected by ABA. Every scientific field outside of ABA has contradictory evidence against ABA. KZbin isn't allowing us to connect links so type in Google; "Behaviourism is dead: How do we tell the parents?" Ivar Lovaas, founder of ABA, actually based his work on outdated science and false evidence. The foundation of ABA is false evidence.

[@Wildernessadventuresoz]

Thankyou so much for this. Due to my sons ability to function very well we hadn’t needed to go down this road. I certainly appreciate the uncertainties surrounding this is difficult. I feel it is really something that is pushed onto parents at a time when they are at their most vulnerable. I’m glad you made the decision that fits your family first 💕🌈

[@lydie1416]

You did good. I had the same questioning and decided my boy was not doing ABA. I could just see it will cause depression in later years. I tryed to find another way and I found son rise. It works for us.

[@siobhanlamont2262]

I worked as an ABA assistant and I felt like we made amazing progress. My kids were always excited to see me and cried when they had to leave. I think it’s also based on who does it. We were very sensory focused and spent a lot of time building relationships with the kids. But I do think mothers know their kids best and you know what will work for your kid. Always explore your options

[@charlieiris28]

So, I work with an undiagnosed 4 year old at daycare. One of my coworkers has a book on ABA and she wants me to implement those tools with my one on one child. I'm still unclear about ABA and what it entails, and if this ABA book is even bad (I haven't read too much of it yet). I just want to know what I'm doing before I do harm, ya know? I love this kid more than any other kid I've ever worked with before, and just want the best for him.

[@friday1595]

Thanks for sharing. We ended ABA therapy as well and it's going well.

[@brittneycox6910]

Thank you for this video. Needed this today. 🙏

[@zambonies2535]

Glad to hear it i went through ABA theropy aswell since i was addicted to playing Android saga vageta now im alr i play grimmjow

[@savannahleigh9077]

Is one of maggies stems holding onto things? Ive been binge watching your videos and I noticed shes always got special things shes holding onto

[@abelinhaTKM]

Cammie, I loved this video. Do you allow your videos to be subtitled in different languages by other people?

[@dicey8928]

I'm so happy you've got happiness back in your home 🏡 with happy kids

[@denisf.1744]

I Say Great Video With Great Pertient Information About ABA From A Parent That Experienced ABA To Help Other Parents Make Decisions About ABA Thank You Angel Mom

[@amandathepanda2044]

Hi! I appreciate your input. I teach kids with ASD and just project all of my love as best I can. ABA techniques are incredibly helpful, but always push love and individuality before “routine”.

[@gagebatek1809]

Can you provide evidence for that

[@sh1k4n]

@@gagebatek1809 Try ABA using a VB approach. There are a few scientific articles about the effectiveness of this method .

[@rainbowsparkles8668]

I love your necklace! Where did you get it?

[@Autmazing]

Thank you! It was actually a mother's day present so I'm not sure where it's from, but I do know that it was originally from an ad an Facebook that I mentioned that I liked that was being shown around mother's day. Not that that's super helpful. When I googled "mother's infinity loop necklace" similar necklaces came up though.

[@jossj3145]

Thank you for sharing your experience. I am an RBT in Miami. I definitely think like you in some things. I had time asking myself...wait a minute....they made a plan and give it to us to aplply it? That simple! Well I started buying books and get more educated than just the 40 hours course to become RBT. What I try to say in less words is that not all RBTs and BCBAs are have a really knowledge to apply ABA. SOME OF THE PEOPLE IN THE FIELD love childrens and do an awesome job. Working in the ABA field is lovely. Of you have compassion. Love childrens and you are really willing to help not just to apply a program that your supervisor make. I respect and ifeel sorry rhay problably you did not have the best team or company working for you. I had seem a lots of hapoy family seeing their children's improvement. With my respect, its not good to generalize. As in all gield there are treatments that works and other they might not. I hope that your children continue being each day much better 💕 And I will pray to God to lead me to a field were I can continue helping others if ia not ABA the right one for me. Thank you for your vidieo.

[@danielmoore4024]

Joss J, ABA is not about helping children, it's an act of Capitalism. The leaders at the top of the BACB who do the business just use BTs, RBTs, BCBAs etc... I believe the people who enter the field actually do want to help children. DSM 1: Autism = Epidemic Disease DSM 2: Autism = Psychiatric Disorder DSM 3: Autism = Developmental Disorder DSM 4: Autism = Spectrum Disorder DSM 5: Autism = Numerous Distinct Disorders (plural) How did it move from epidemic > psychiatric > developmental > spectrum > multiple disabilities? DSM 1: Call autism a epidemic disease to make it a medical matter for the justification of interventions. DSM 2: Rename autism psychiatric to bring psychiatrists into the industry as well as behaviourists. DSM 3: Rename autism as a developmental disorder to bring pediatrics into the picture. DSM 4: Rename autism as a spectrum condition to bring the education system into the picture. DSM 5: Push everything under the same umbrella so the behaviourists' industry can make money out of all the psychiatrists, pedestrians, educators, care homes, parents, charities, governments and more. I don't call that "Autism Awareness", that's how to brand a multi-billion-dollar per year industry using ideology to make a profit. The Politics of Fear and The Politics of Hope. When 2 years old doctors bombard parents with frightening information to put the parents in fear about their child's future, Politics of Fear. They then hold up ABA, Politics of Hope, parents get persuaded ABA is the only hope for their child because of the fear. ABA is now what's called "The Autism Industrial Complex", ABA is part of a bigger picture of Capitalism. noncompliantpodcast.com/2021/04/17/the-role-of-private-equity-and-lobbying-in-aba-funding-talking-with-investigative-journalist-john-summers/

[@jenroseb]

Hi I respect your comment. Not all ABA is harmful it depends on who is teaching it but also to create love and fun in the process. People out of their dang minds ^

[@Weallwatch]

I agree that its not for every family/child and there are other evidenced based therapies that may work better

[@josequiroz1355]

We are currently in the early stages of having our daughter test for autism or neurodiverse personalities (as I call it). We just meet an old school psychologist and omg I read her Iike a book. She was pro aba and so controlling ; making back hand micro aggression to get a reaction from us. She had the balls to tell us “why don’t you give her candy to make her do things you want “. We stopped the initial assessment and will be looking at other professionals. Be careful people! Also we wanted to quickly start the assessment as she informed us “once your child is diagnosed with autism, she will qualify for Medicaid and all appointments are covered. So it’s appointment for her from me. “ it sickness me people are trying to take advantage of disabilities!

[@averyamador5549]

Im glad though for you and your family that you're finding what works for you!(:

[@TheAutisticEducator]

ABA owners have their voodoo dolls out right now!

[@bluecat1462]

Thank you for your story

[@TheSwampChicken-II]

I thought it was funny when she got in the car. I love cars. Gonna go to Cars & Coffee tomorrow🚗+☕!

[@BestFriendsWhoLiveTogether]

The thing about aba that they don’t, I think, understand, is that autism is not a behavioural disability, it is a developmental disability

[@sow9619]

It’s a very personal opinion and I would request to all parents of a special child to try ABA before rejecting it completely. It totally depends on the child and the behavior technician who is working with your kid. My experience with ABA for my 2 year old has been great so far. So please give a try.

[@JessicaNiles]

Your chicken school/training reference.... can you link that video?

[@Autmazing]

I couldn't find the original site, but I found a transcript of an interview of the woman who I first heard about "chicken camp" talking about it here: marybarbera.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/061-TAA-transcript.pdf I also found other people talking about going on these two sites: today.salve.edu/applied-behavior-analysis-graduate-students-learn-to-train-chickens/ verbalbehaviorapproach.blogspot.com/2012/06/chicken-camp-what-it-is-why-i-went-and.html

[@court3197]

When you talk about how your daughter's stop playing together I'm wondering: Was the response to the cough her sister had to stim in order to regulate? If so ABA would teach her to bottle that up, therefore she probably felt she didn't have a choice except avoidance

[@franceszakko8780]

Aba does not teach you how to think on your own! Critical thinking does not exist. So glad I took my child out. No more aba 🎉🎉 Never ignore bad behavior. Ask whyyy like everyone does. If they do not understand the why question, teach them! Each day.

[@rosettasavana1314]

I love your channel. My daugther has serve austim she is 3 years old and my son that 6 year old and has sensory disorder just love your channel

[@Autmazing]

Thank you! I'm so glad you found us!

[@josiehumphreys1404]

I work for a company called Centria. I just started as a behavior technician and some of the stories I’ve been reading have been the exact opposite of what I’ve been trained to do. This video is old so I guess I have to assume regulations on this kind of therapy has changed.

[@Autmazing]

Nope. The basis of ABA is bad. Over 90% of autistics think so. It’s not evidence based in any meaningful way. If you want to damage children and inflict damage on them then keep on believing that. But when the overwhelming majority in a group tells you something like this, you should listen.

[@momteacherlessons7296]

I know it's old but look into dir floortime by Stanley Greenspan

[@malazansapper]

yes: cost for hiding. remembering being so tired: asking for bed.

[@shanesorensen7878]

Has ABA ever set anyone up to be groomed it did it to me for certain and that’s how a predator took advantage of me. Anyone else had this experience.

[@HarpyNeal]

I went through ABA in the late 60s it was Hell I would NEVER let any child of mind go through it if I had any kids. ABA to me is wrong bad for kids should be outlawed.

[@SockHiggins]

Exactly like my friend is mad stupid after he started using lancer in aba

[@Hispanocel]

LOL

[@jshir17]

Good for you!

[@rahelgerbrezgabeher6701]

Betful family God bless you and your family 🙏💕

[@iloveweiwei2000]

Hi, thanks for this video.I am wondering, do you think all the success and positive change you saw after pulling out of ABA could have resulted in the skills built during the time spent with ABA therapy? For example the behaviors decreased and communication increased, since the child learned in ABA to not communicate with tantrum/eloping? to instead tell what is upsetting them? I would really appreciate a reply. Thanks for sharing!

[@breakingboardrooms1778]

Well, if it had been aba, why weren't they using those skills before leaving, and why didn't they lose those skills that were no longer being reinforced?

[@RH117]

Of course every single ad is directly related to the video title promoting ABA. Yes I would get KZbin Premium except that I do not want to put more money KZbin and Google's parent company Alphabet.

[@Stettafire]

I have KZbin prenium. I think sometimes you need to bite the bullet. A bit like how my union membership money goes to a political party. I hate all political parties so I'd prefer this not to be the case. But as a member of a union I'm in a much safer place. I can't cope with certain ads on KZbin since I have CPTSD. So I've decided paying for premium is the lesser of the evils.

[@jjgdenisrobert]

ABA is nothing but obedience training. We’re not dogs.

[@Autmazing]

Agreed.

[@wearesolarfarmers]

I j7st filled 9ut the paper for aba, and I am going to use aba.

[@The_Vanished]

People need to start understanding that there’s monotropic and polytropic minds. The reason “Autistic” aka monotropic people have so many mental disorders is because we are being overwhelmed with sensory input and it actually fractures our brains. Certain areas no longer connect in the way they are naturally supposed to. We need to take care of our own, we need to educate our own, we need to define our own. We have people like Einstein, hell Even both George h w bush sr and George W bush are most likely monotropic aka autistic people.

[@julierushing2903]

I’ve found all of the negative behaviors come from stress and aba increases their stress

[@kizkuto]

kizaru mains after watching this

[@ardhyalimosunu1307]

Do u mind if i ask you, whether ur kids hv high function or low function autism? I hv twin daughters that soon will start aba..n im still worried whether its the right choice or not

[@Autmazing]

Our two daughters who were in ABA both had high levels of care needs. One is almost five and still does not speak. The other at ten has words (mostly only nouns, not verbs or other parts of speech) but can't be understood by most people. She has a communication device she's learning how to use. When out in public she has to have someone holding on to her had all times so she doesn't bolt. She doesn't have any real sense of danger. We have a lot of day in the life sort of videos (if you go to the main channel page and playlists they're all under "complete day in the life" if you want to see them, where you can kind of get an idea what the girls are like now. When both were diagnosed the reports did say "severe" although I usually try to avoid functioning labels. I hope that helps answer your question.

[@ardhyalimosunu1307]

@@Autmazing thank u for replying..one of my twins doesnt hv any sense of danger either..we went to the park n she almost jumped into the lake, n yeah, my twins also have words but mostly are nouns too..

[@har-binger7645]

Brown bay area autistic high school sophomore here: Look personally my support needs are farily minimal and i can communicate pretty well or eloquently most of the time ( the pandemic has not made stuff better for me/i worry that my communication and sensory management ability has gone down) And for what it is worth i Greatly recommend you do NOT enroll your kid in aba. Im not saying do nothing, and i dont know much of anything about you/ your kid or your situation (duh right) Firstly the instagram (and other platforms) account the “autisticats” do great work explaing stuff and it is run by like three and a half autistics so please check that out. Second aba is basicly the autistic version of gay conversion therapy, which is tourture. Third, your kid aint ever gonna be “normal” and thats something that must be accepted to make progress (if only as a working thesis!) Not saying don’t help your kid to manage life and blend in a bit when needed (kids particulary elementary kids can be cruel) just focus that time, energy ( and presumably un-loaned cash) into figuring out other stuff. I know most if the above amounts to “no aba” and “find autistic run resources” but im not really equiped and educated for more so here are some resources Any autistic org with a puzzle piece or solely blue logo is no good, esp “autism speaks” (a known hate group) Asan or the autistic self advocacy network The autisticats Auti-biographical. Hope this helps

[@ardhyalimosunu1307]

@@har-binger7645 thank u so much for the reply..it helps me so much to understand my twins, and to love them more

[@hannahbarden8033]

I respect that you're doing your research before making the final decision. Definitely avoid ABA. There are much more enriching and accommodating ways of giving autistics tools to navigate life. 🌼✨🧡

[@jlb1799]

Thank you for this. We are so desperate to help our kids, and sometimes it's hard to know what to do.

[@effie3798]

Thank you for this. You helped me make my decision. 😊no ABA

[@wetherabble8031]

From what I've seen of ABA videos, even the "good" ABA videos have a tone about them that sounds more like "how to train your dog." They're all a little gross feeling to me. I don't know if it's all bad, there's probably some level of "tough love" to learn functioning in society. But at the cost of being degraded and traumatized into suppressing your spirit... too much.

[@wickjezek5093]

I'm a dog trainer ABA is more akin to obedience training than a behavioral approach. They use the same language but different approaches.

[@t_money1850]

Does Aba help speech at all?

[@Autmazing]

Our now six year old was in ABA for two years and she is still non-speaking.

[@Stettafire]

No. There is, however, seperate speech therapy you can do. ABA was hell for me but speech therapy was great

[@averyamador5549]

I work in ABA and do not agree that ABA is for everyone or every child, but personally for me I am not there to change a child but help them function and be able to express themself in ways were they're able to get the help or whatever they need. I wish ABA wasn't looked down upon by everyone because not all clinics or people who work in ABA are horrible or places traumatizing kids. I love each of my kids and just want to see them function and enjoy life without the major speed bumps or people letting them just "get by" and exist.

[@sarachristine2434]

Thank you :) The stories are awful truly scary stuff!

[@hannahbarden8033]

Ok but the thing is that ABA is aimed at getting autistic people to communicate in ways deemed acceptable by us neurotypicals rather than teaching life skills that will actually improve their well-being and providing accommodating support... Unless your ABA is somehow different?

[@vanesnickerdoodle6707]

@@hannahbarden8033 at my company, we focus on progress rather than communication. We leave communication really up to the speech therapists, but if they’re using PECS we further teach them to use those if that’s what was recommended. We focus more on self regulation and being able to understand your own emotions as well as life skills like getting dressed, eating with utensils, learning to write, etc. also parents have to approve all the programs before anything starts, which I hope is a standard but idk. We also have a teen girl who wants a dog but is afraid of animals and asked us to help her with that. Once they start to have their own opinions, the BCBA has those conversations to modify things with student and parent. Also we have a couple BCBAs who are autistic, so I really don’t understand when people say all ABA is bad when it really feels like it’s dependent on what parents approve/ask for and the company values. I know some parents have asked for their kids to stop stimming, which is fucked up.

[@GhostIntoTheFog]

You’re a conversion therapist. Own it or find another line of work (preferably the latter).

[@tasha7480]

Everyone’s child is different and everyone’s experience is different and ABA has been so great for my son.

[@mitchy4227]

I think when you say "everyone's experience" it truly means.. the caregivers experience. At it's core ABA is teaching autistic people to "act" neurotypical and I promise it causes long-term trauma. No autistic run(meaning, literally run by autistic people for autistic people) organization is going in support of ABA therapy. There is a reason for that and if more people would just listen the world would be a better place for us.

[@Stettafire]

You shouldn't speak for your son. Should let him speak. Too many "autistic parents" speak for their kids while their kids suffer

[@staciaprivate5083]

This is awesome. I’m glad you posted your experience. ABA is definitely helping my son to express his frustrations better…. he’s not tired from having tantrums at school any more, and he adores the RBT. When she’s not around, I’m noticing the changes too. He’s more patient and calm. I’ve noticed that ABA works better in some cases. My son has Aspergers and his life has drastically improved in the past three months. It’s important that there are resources to help parents figure out what’s best for their child because each child is unique.

[@GhostIntoTheFog]

Going with the “it’s not right for everyone” and “parents need options” talking point, eh? BTW, it’s unethical to leave a post about ABA and not disclose that you’re studying to become a BCBA. Also BTW, Asperger’s syndrome doesn’t exist. Your child is autistic. Own that fact. (And no, I don’t care if he was diagnosed prior to 2013. Asperger’s is not a recognized medical condition under the current revision of the DSM or ICD.

[@StaciBaybie]

@@GhostIntoTheFog I’m not studying to become an ABA therapist. 2. I’m aware Aspergers is autism however many others in the comments used the same verbiage. 3. You thought you did something there however it doesn’t take away from the fact that it saved my son’s life. That’ll be all.