Hi there! ABA Therapist here

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WP makes it clear that it is a neurodiverse support site. ABA is not a very good fit for that, unfortunately, and in the past ABA practitioners have come here not to learn but to tout their services, which is a very poor fit IMO. That is not to say that they all do, though ABA is still a poor fit here. Ableist therapies are hard to reconcile with neurodiverse perspectives and principles.

I personally think its a good idea that we get to hear from a range of perspectives. Though I guess with ABA you may find it to be a little different like a practitioner might be offensive and patronizing to the forum. Am I right?

We have heard those perspectives already, here and elsewhere, indeed we are bombarded by them on the internet. ABA therapists are in business, and that is their choice, though this forum is about life on the spectrum, as it is lived, basically, recognising the diversity in the spectrum, and that is why WP is such a unique place.

Yea it kind of reminds me of an experience I had on another forum, basically I can across a big long rant about someone talking about how autistic people are incapable of work and degrading them saying they were slave to their emotions. I recently confronted the person on it and am still in the midst of it.

Good for you, S. Goodnight, I am going to bed now.

I didn't expect to wake up to all I those replies. And thank you for your thoughts and experienecs..

I do want you to ask yourself why would someone choose to work with indivuals on the spectrum but not only that but want to work specifically with those who have SIBs or HMBs? If my science and theories I choose to study and all are flawed or "wrong" ? Why would I choose to be in a field like that if it was all bad and not good?

You want us to try to interpret your thoughts? Isn't that just asking to get all offended when we get it wrong?

...reading this again.... the phrase "I want you to ask yourself..." That's how an instructor speaks to their students. You're thinking that WE'RE all wrong. And that if we think about it, we will change our minds and see it your way?

That's an interesting way to come at a new community.

My personal take on your behavior, I think I stated this before: Because of my own experience as a special educator, I assume that you have a lot in common with me. That you want to do well and you want to do right by your kids, but that you have been educated in ways that aren't really productive. Your head is full of "facts" about behavior challenged kids and "facts" about what works that aren't really true. I'm assuming that your coming here was because you actually do care. But you did come in "like a bull in a china shop."

You came in identifying yourself as an ABA practitioner before we knew anything else about you. I think this means that you assumed that we would LOVE a new ABA practitioner in our midst? That we would be, well... damaged somehow and that it would be OK to speak to us like you know and we don't. Like when you say things like "I want you to think [about what you've done.]" It implies that we're all up for being taught. When the reality is that most of us are here to teach. We're here to teach people like you, who are interested in being real with autistic people. And people like our younger selves, who haven't discovered the strength of who they are yet.

Your assumptions are killing me lol. Just Pm if you have a problem with me

They still only allow the comfort item when the child obeys. They only try to figure out what matters to the children so they can use it to manipulate them into compliance. Yes, some things have changed. Adversives are out, thank goodness. But the oppositional nature of ABA remains. Its still a matter of desires of the teacher verses the desires of the student.

Can we maybe NOT single out some autistic people as "severe" and therefore deserving of a different set of rules? If you listen to adults who are non-verbal or otherwise have significant autistic features, they hate it when we do this. It feels like they are being dehumanized. I would prefer that not to happen.

No. If you are going to mock me publicly, question my values and my intentions publicly, and imply that I am anything less than intelligent and knowledgeable on this subject, you can also have the response publicly.

And there it is lol more assumptions. Did I ever say anything about yours or anyone else's credibility and knowledge on any topic? NO!

I'm done. Bye

If you really care about working with autistic children, you should be much more open to the input of autistic adults (who grew up as autistic children and have a lifetime's worth of experience being autistic to teach you with) than you are showing here. For an educator, you seem very closed-minded and I think that is a dangerous way to be if you are working with kids. You say we are making assumptions about you, but it seems that you have made a series of assumptions about autistic people and we are not living up to those assumptions you made about us and that is upsetting you. I suggest you give some thought as to what you can do about that and how you need to educate yourself about autism not just in children but in adults.

If you continue down this road without taking into account any input from autistic adults to help you understand the autistic kids you work with (because we understand them better than you do, because we used to BE them) then I fear for the kids who will be subjected to your ABA.

Is this meant contemptuously and sarcastically? Because that's how it comes across, which is rather rude and dismissive. Now I am VERY concerned for the kids you might work with, if this is the attitude you take with autistic adults. The kids will pick up on your contempt for them, autistic children are much more perceptive of such things than most non-autistics give them credit for because you misinterpret the way they communicate and behave.

Please rethink your approach here.

I have worked with a lot of professionals (psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, etc.) who think they are superior to the people they claim to wish to help, and if that is your attitude all you will do is contribute harm to those children's lives. I really hope I am wrong about you, but your behaviour here demonstrates a lot of contempt for autistic people and a sense of superiority over them.

Rather ironic, that your behaviour gives you away as someone who fundamentally misunderstands the people you claim to want to help through behavourism.

Did I miss some new movement where saying "lol" is a respectful way to interact with people on the internet when we disagree with them?

Maybe it doesn't mean that you are laughing at me anymore? Maybe it means "lots of love?" Or it could mean "lions or lilies?"

I hope you don't laugh at autistic people in the real world. I can handle it. I'm 13 years your senior, and senior to you in our mutual profession, as well. But if you do that to a random autistic person, or heaven forbid one of your kids, you could really hurt their feelings.