The Son-Rise Program

Post Reply New Topic

I strongly recommend you look up The Son-Rise Program. I think it's fantastic.

Then why are you so despondent if the program works so well?

Also, why do you think any of us want to follow any program? I find your post, as written, insulting.

Besides, I went to a Son Rise conference. I left in the middle. It was a bunch of pro-cure dribble. The NT brigade stopped me at the door, and wouldn't let me leave until I filled out their stupid questionnaire. It was horrible. They literally blocked me, and wouldn't let me pass. They had to make a scene, because I refused to give them my phone number, or e-mail for a free drawing to Son Rise Camp.

If you want to motivate us to look up this program, give us some information about it. The title gives no information, and you don't say anything else, nor give a link.

OP: Becareful who's advice you buy, because its what you'll sell on, please refer yourself to the most recent scientific studies on autism (particularly causes).

serenity: I thought Son-Rise was supposed to be about helping the autistic child develop skills by approaching them through their interests and obsessions, along with accepting their behaviour as functional from the child's perspective. At least that's how it was portrayed to me, though I guess the messenger might have added some of his own perspectives.

Serenity's post got me curious enough to look it up. (The original post did not.)

From looking at the website, I can't tell if it's a good program or not, but, it seems to be a program for helping someone with autism (usually a child, but can be adults), not something for a person with autism to use to help themselves. Thus, seems to me, it wouldn't be something that has something to offer most of us reading this.

It is, and that's the part that I like. The part that I don't like, is that you approach them by trying to see into their world, so that you can gain access to their attention, then change/recover them. The basic concept is actually a very good one, but the way they speak about autistics I felt was very insulting. The conferences are given by Mr. Kaufman himself, the guy that the program was designed for by his parents. He goes up there, puts on a show about how normal he is, and how your kid too can be as wonderfully normal, and functional as he. I don't believe in recovery, or cure. Though, I am not anti-therapy. Some of the basic principles that the program is based on are good, and I do use them with my nonverbal child.

Here ya go:
http://www.autismtreatmentcenter.org/

I think my mother looked at this program when it came out & did a slightly altered version to work with me...

The only Son Rise program I know if is a religious education program. They make curricula for homeschoolers, Sunday School and VBS. I'll look this up, but I'm not looking for a cure, unless it's a cure for some of the attendant problems my kids face (bi-polar for one thing).

Anything that has to do with a cure, or recovery, will not get my support.

Recovery is a pretty wide open word and has a lot of overlap with helping oneself to grow and develop as a person. I hope you aren't really opposed to growing and developing as a person. If so, how sad.

The definition of recovery:



None of that sounds postive, or like growing as a person.

I do recall one thing that struck me as abusive, which was the idea of keeping the child in the therapy room no matter what he or she did, tantrums, meltdowns, outbursts, panic attacks - the target was to keep the child in the room at all costs, including physically keeping them from getting to the door. And the therapy room is where the child is the majority of the day. Sounds like prison to me, and how terrible to never be left alone or allowed to wander even in the house!

As an addition, I'm not fond of the idea of the son being "recovered" either. It would be much less offensive to my sensibilities if they talked about gaining skills valuable in the outside world.

In a discussion with my father yesterday he casually pointed out that many therapies for autistic children seemed to be aimed at the parents' benefit; like making eye contact or "pulling the child out of the autistic world", "tearing down the walls" as they put it.

Locking a person up does sound very dangerous and abusive to me as well.

I do not have a big issue with some level of recovery or even "cure" in some cases where symptoms are really difficult for the person to bear. Therapies and treatments that help a person cope with social anxiety so they can pursue their goals and interests and be happier seem like a good option if they aren't abusive methods. I wouldn't want to cure my kids of AS, but if I could cure certain aspects that they find to be obstacles to meeting their own goals, I'm for it. My eldest said he doesn't want a cure for his visual stuff, and if that's how he feels I'm supporting him. If he could cure his mood stuff, he would and so would I.

I do see how parents with children with very extreme behaviors may feel they want a cure. I'm not completely comfortable with it, but I've seen kids who were constantly screaming and terrified and unable to communicate effectively. That must be very frustrating for parents. I can see why they would seek a cure at any cost, even if I think they may loose more than they gain at times.

There's a lot more to the word and how people use it than a dictionary definition. And one particular dictionary at that.

But, if you like definitions, here's another:

A return to normal health.

Or about about this one: the process of combating a disorder (as alcoholism) or a real or perceived problem

Notice that it doesn't even have to be a real problem.

Thus, like I said, a wide open word than can include a lot.

And, on a side note... personally, I think economic recovery sounds like a pretty positive thing. But, if you don't, okay.