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Roughly speaking, there are two categories of autistic children. The therapy is focussed on autistic people who need care 24/7. The therapy doesn't seem to fit

Roughly speaking, there are two categories of autistic children. The therapy is focussed on autistic people who need care 24/7. The therapy doesn't seem to fit autistic children who are verbal but have issues with social skills. The latter group had some bad experiences with this kind of one-size-fits-all therapy. But the argument is made that the therapy isn't totally inhumane/worthless as it does help 'severe' autism cases.

resoluteteeth 3y ago
> Roughly speaking, there are two categories of autistic children. The therapy is focussed on autistic people who need care 24/7. The therapy doesn't seem to fit autistic children who are verbal but have issues with social skills. > The latter group had some bad experiences with this kind of one-size-fits-all therapy. But the argument is made that the therapy isn't totally inhumane/worthless as it does help 'severe' autism cases. That makes sense, but the article seems to imply that a lot of this therapy is focused on correcting "traits that may be socially stigmatizing but are harmless unto themselves, such as fidgeting, avoiding eye contact, or stereotypic behaviors commonly known as stimming—rocking, hand-flapping, and so forth." I can't imagine that spending a lot of time correcting minor, harmless, socially unacceptable behaviors would be that beneficial for nonverbal people who need 24/7 care, and if it is seen as inhumane or worthless for "autistic children who are verbal but have issues with social skills" perhaps it needs to be revamped to focus on the parts of it that are useful for more severe cases?
hooverd 3y ago
And from the article, it doesn't help that the pioneers of ABA had roughly the same compassion for their subjects as Josef Mengele. Ze beatings will continue until the social skills improve (and we get rid of the homosexuality)!
- bitwize 3y ago
  Funny you should mention Mengele: it's come out that Hans Asperger was a Nazi sympathizer, and had some of the worst cases of children with autism-like symptoms sent to Spiegelgrund to be killed because he couldn't train them to conform to the Nazi collectivist ideal. We on the spectrum have had to deal with the cruelty of certain doctors and therapists when it turns out we don't fit into their Procrustean beds since we were first identified. Asperger's counterpart Leo Kanner, also an Austrian, helped Jewish doctors escape the Nazis to the USA. So he's... kind of a hero.

resoluteteeth 3y ago

> Roughly speaking, there are two categories of autistic children. The therapy is focussed on autistic people who need care 24/7. The therapy doesn't seem to fit autistic children who are verbal but have issues with social skills. > The latter group had some bad experiences with this kind of one-size-fits-all therapy. But the argument is made that the therapy isn't totally inhumane/worthless as it does help 'severe' autism cases. That makes sense, but the article seems to imply that a lot of this therapy is focused on correcting "traits that may be socially stigmatizing but are harmless unto themselves, such as fidgeting, avoiding eye contact, or stereotypic behaviors commonly known as stimming—rocking, hand-flapping, and so forth." I can't imagine that spending a lot of time correcting minor, harmless, socially unacceptable behaviors would be that beneficial for nonverbal people who need 24/7 care, and if it is seen as inhumane or worthless for "autistic children who are verbal but have issues with social skills" perhaps it needs to be revamped to focus on the parts of it that are useful for more severe cases?

hooverd 3y ago

And from the article, it doesn't help that the pioneers of ABA had roughly the same compassion for their subjects as Josef Mengele. Ze beatings will continue until the social skills improve (and we get rid of the homosexuality)!

bitwize 3y ago
Funny you should mention Mengele: it's come out that Hans Asperger was a Nazi sympathizer, and had some of the worst cases of children with autism-like symptoms sent to Spiegelgrund to be killed because he couldn't train them to conform to the Nazi collectivist ideal. We on the spectrum have had to deal with the cruelty of certain doctors and therapists when it turns out we don't fit into their Procrustean beds since we were first identified. Asperger's counterpart Leo Kanner, also an Austrian, helped Jewish doctors escape the Nazis to the USA. So he's... kind of a hero.