We need to talk about Kupferstein. Let’s preface this by saying that I fully support further research on ABA’s effects on the living beings these strategies are used on – human or otherwise. Most human services, such as medical and psychology, make sure to examine side effects on any treatment…
Tag: do better
TW: Descriptions of harmful practices. This might come as a shock, but I don’t have much of a history of behaving in ways neurotypical people would expect. I know. Take all the time you need with that. Over time, I’ve suspected this might be part of the reason I can…
Recently, ABAI released a statement in response to the avalanche of criticism they’ve received for constantly increasing the Judge Rotenberg Center’s presence at the annual conference. Specifically, about their lack of action in response to the serious concerns about the JRC, and overall sketchy practices. The response itself can be…
Many a caregiver of autistic kids will proudly declare that they don’t treat their child any differently than they would if they weren’t autistic. Especially if they have more than 1 child, at least one of whom is neurotypical, they will often provide several examples of how they will put…
CW: Ableism, mention of suicide, sexism, hate symbols, sexual assault It’s that time again: Upon the end of March the world will swarm with blue lights and puzzle pieces, dedicating the entire month of April to Autism Awareness Month. Depending on your corner of social media, you will probably see…
One of the most “annoying” stereotypes about ABA is that it’s robotic. BCBAs and therapists are portrayed as unemotional beings walking around with our clipboards watching with deadpan expressions as a toddler cries. Many of us find this description deeply offensive and launch into a pedantic explanation for how inaccurate…
Health insurance. The one thing all providers in America can agree on. I’ve yet to meet a single provider in any field that has any kind words to spare for it. In the 10+ years I’ve been in the field, I’ve watched health insurance pull our hands farther and farther…
CW: ableism, suicide ABA with autistic children was literally created with the goal of making them “indistinguishable from their typically developing peers.” With the focus being only on observable and measurable behaviors to outsiders, the radical behaviorist roots of ABA as a therapy for autism becomes questionable at best. In…
This post is in response to the announcement shown below from ABA International’s Facebook page on 9/7/2021. The announcement came as a bit of a surprise, to me at least, considering how long the autistic and ABA Reform communities have been reaching out to them to say or do– well,…
https://www.chalkbeat.org/2021/3/19/22339228/intellectual-disabilities-challenging-curriculum I came across this article and wanted to highlight it here. Because it deserves a click and your full attention, I will be discussing it with the assumption that you’ve read it and will not be summarizing it. In this article and the related one about The Celery Story…