Petition to Ban ABA in the UK

[Joshua the Writer]

Hey, I just noticed this petition to ban ABA therapy from the UK and I am unable to sign it myself because I am an American.

If you are from the UK, please sign and share. If you're not from the UK, simply just share this.

 

[Thinx]

I've signed and I ll send on the link to some others, when I m using my laptop tomorrow, my tablet won't send it... ABA seems mainly to aim to encourage masking, and as such is not really a therapy.

 

[Varzar]

ABA Therapy: How It Works, Examples, Cost, Controversy

What about the controversy surrounding ABA?

ABA has been the topic of debate in recent years. But much of this controversy stems from the way ABA used to be done.

In previous decades, it typically involved up to 40 hours of therapy each week. Much of this time was spent completing tasks while sitting at a desk or table. Punishment was often used to address unwanted behaviors. And emphasis was often placed on making children more neurotypical or “normal.”

Today, people are increasingly recognizing the value of neurodiversity, which refers to the diverse ways the human brain can function. In response, ASD treatment is moving away from trying to “fix” people with ASD.

Instead, treatment focuses on changing behaviors that cause difficulty, allowing children to develop the skills and strengths necessary for a fulfilling, independent life. Unwanted behavior is generally ignored by therapists today, rather than punished.

Is it still bad? I didn't know what ABA was, so I googled, and this is what I found.
Thought I'd share, and maybe see where the discussion goes.

 

[Joshua the Writer]

ABA Therapy: How It Works, Examples, Cost, Controversy



Is it still bad? I didn't know what ABA was, so I googled, and this is what I found.
Thought I'd share, and maybe see where the discussion goes.

That article appears to be very pro-aba so I am sure that it is not actually accurate. Plus the ABA industry is getting smart to survive nowadays. They will hide their true intent.

All ABA is harmful. It uses the same tactics as gay conversion therapy.

ABA has also been proven NOT to work multiple times.

5 Important Reasons Even "New ABA" is Problematic & Hurts Autistics

ABA Treats a Problem Your Child Doesn’t Have

 

[GrownupGirl]

Why can't ABA be banned everywhere? When are Canada and the US going to wake up an realize ABA is evil? But then again, they've barely woken up about other kinds of hatred.

 

[Judge]

Personally I equate ABA to governments trying to "brainwash" suspects in their custody.

Though in all fairness I'm not a fan of CBT either. However I recognize it works for some, not for others. But ABA? Really? Yeah, good analogy to gay conversion therapy.

 

[Varzar]

How does ABA differ from CBT?
They kind of sound like the same thing to me. But I know some of the adults on this forum have gone for CBT to help them in life.

Also, I personally don't see AS as a disability, but I know some people on here do.
A lot of the arguments against these therapies seems to be that they are trying to "fix something that ain't broke". But, if there is not therapy to help AS people fit into the otherwise NT world, are we not just leaving these children to suffer later on when they can't get jobs, or make friends, cause they don't know the right things to say? If I hadn't learned myself to act more like NTs growing up, I imagine my life would be much more difficult.
Is there some therapy that *is* good for AS children? If so, what makes it better than this?

It currently seems like a catch-22. Give AS children therapy, but then we are trying to change them to "fit in", or just appreciate who they are but set them up for a difficult life ahead where the adult world won't be flexible enough to accommodate them.

 

[Judge]

How does ABA differ from CBT?
They kind of sound like the same thing to me.

Good question. Perhaps comes down to a "degree of persuasion". The difference between say waterboarding and using electrical current to get desired results.

Am I being faceitious? Not sure....

 

[Joshua the Writer]

Personally I equate ABA to governments trying to "brainwash" suspects in their custody.

Though in all fairness I'm not a fan of CBT either. However I recognize it works for some, not for others. But ABA? Really? Yeah, good analogy to gay conversion therapy.

It's made by the same guy who did gay conversion therapy.

 

[Fino]

Maybe it's done differently in different places, but ABA is great where I live.

 

[Bort]

How does ABA differ from CBT?
They kind of sound like the same thing to me. But I know some of the adults on this forum have gone for CBT to help them in life.

I think ABA is more about conditioning someone on the spectrum to behave a certain way, while CBT is more about changing your thought process to be less negative.

 

[Bort]

It's made by the same guy who did gay conversion therapy.

Hmm, I'm not sure about that. It seems like ABA is attributed to O. Ivar Lovass.

 

[Thinx]

Hmm, I'm not sure about that. It seems like ABA is attributed to O. Ivar Lovass.

Lovaas funded, supervised and collaborated with his student George Rekers, working with him on what was called the Feminine boy project, which used Lovas's techniques to try to eradicate so called feminine behaviours in boys. Rekers and Lovaas co-authored the study. This was the precursor to gay conversion therapies then developed by Rekers. Lovaas catalogued and developed interventions into the sexual and gender non-conforming identities and behaviours of young people.

In relation to autism, Lovaas noted that "You start pretty much from scratch when you work with an autistic child. You have a person in the physical sense - they have hair, a nose and a mouth - but they are not people in the psychological sense. One way to look at the job of helping autistic kids is to see it as a matter of constructing a person."

 

[Joshua the Writer]

l You have a person in the physical sense - they have hair, a nose and a mouth - but they are not people in the psychological sense. One way to look at the job of helping autistic kids is to see it as a matter of constructing a person.

This quote is yikes. Just. Holy crap.

 

[Joshua the Writer]

Maybe it's done differently in different places, but ABA is great where I live.

All ABA is bad.

 

[Bort]

Lovaas funded, supervised and collaborated with his student George Rekers, working with him on what was called the Feminine boy project, which used Lovas's techniques to try to eradicate so called feminine behaviours in boys. Rekers and Lovaas co-authored the study. This was the precursor to gay conversion therapies then developed by Rekers. Lovaas catalogued and developed interventions into the sexual and gender non-conforming identities and behaviours of young people.

In relation to autism, Lovaas noted that "You start pretty much from scratch when you work with an autistic child. You have a person in the physical sense - they have hair, a nose and a mouth - but they are not people in the psychological sense. One way to look at the job of helping autistic kids is to see it as a matter of constructing a person."

Interesting (but unfortunate). Thanks for letting me know!

 

[ZebraAutismo]

I thought it was banned I’ll definitely be signing. Their is actually posters advertising against it my NHS Autism services .

 

[Varzar]

All ABA is bad.

I really wish you could substantiate that opinion better by answering some of the questions I posed.

Currently, the only argument I've seen is, "It's made by the same guy who did gay conversion therapy.", which is an ad hominem argument, so isn't terribly meaningful to me.

I'm not trying to argue that this therapy is good, as I don't really know all that much about it, and have never personally experienced it. But I'd love some logically sound, non-opinion, arguments to support either side, so I can actually form my own viewpoint on the subject.

 

[Joshua the Writer]

I really wish you could substantiate that opinion better by answering some of the questions I posed.

Currently, the only argument I've seen is, "It's made by the same guy who did gay conversion therapy.", which is an ad hominem argument, so isn't terribly meaningful to me.

I'm not trying to argue that this therapy is good, as I don't really know all that much about it, and have never personally experienced it. But I'd love some logically sound, non-opinion, arguments to support either side, so I can actually form my own viewpoint on the subject.

I already did basically. Look at the links I gave.

 

[VictorR]

We teased him when the psychology department students voted him “Male Chauvinist Pig.” He could not have been more delighted by the designation.

It is normal for someone to be proud to be branded as a “Male Chauvinist Pig”?