Thoughts on ABA?

[Skittlebisquit]

Its a path to the secret heart for me, like an anthem. I won. Sort of. I lost alot though. You have to pay for the victories, there is a cost.

 

[GrownupGirl]

I hate everything and anything to do with ABA. If a so-called therapy punished blind people for being unable to see, everyone would flip out. So what makes them think it's okay when it's autistic people?

 

[ZebraAutismo]

I have no personal experience but think it’s sounds cruel and dangerous. Theirs a lot of warning about that and other un tested thearpy at the autism clinic I go to.

 

[Meistersinger]

Exactly! I'm glad you didn't experience that, I hope the world opens its eyes on this and hopefully more and more parents will drop it for good. I kinda feel tempted to spam every autism-parenthood page out there just to aware the parents on the whole deal. It infuriates me that such practices take place and especially under the 'disguise' they put up to fool parents.

I grew up in a very fundamentalist church. Their belief in child raising was, at the time, and, I suspect, still is, even more extreme than Ivor Lovass’ principles of ABA, in that it applies to ALL children, as well as those of Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family: in order to raise a child, you must break their will and spirit in the same way you break a horse: with cruelty as well as physical, mental, and emotional punishment, as this is the ONLY way to make the child bend to the parent’s will, as well as the will of JHWH.

And people wonder why I hate myself...

 

[OnyxM]

I grew up in a very fundamentalist church. Their belief in child raising was, at the time, and, I suspect, still is, even more extreme than Ivor Lovass’ principles of ABA, in that it applies to ALL children, as well as those of Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family: in order to raise a child, you must break their will and spirit in the same way you break a horse: with cruelty as well as physical, mental, and emotional punishment, as this is the ONLY way to make the child bend to the parent’s will, as well as the will of JHWH.

And people wonder why I hate myself...

My goodness..that sounds horrific! I know there are a lot of ..'religious subgroups' in America and I've heard lots about them but it's even worse learning how someone experienced it from inside. I'm really sorry you went through that..I don't know what on earth makes them have those beliefs and where they find these..'ideas' (definitely not where they think), but they sure don't make ANY sense in any way and I hope you can soon recover as much as possible or at least realize that none of this had anything to do with you :/ My best wishes to you friend!

 

[Meistersinger]

My goodness..that sounds horrific! I know there are a lot of ..'religious subgroups' in America and I've heard lots about them but it's even worse learning how someone experienced it from inside. I'm really sorry you went through that..I don't know what on earth makes them have those beliefs and where they find these..'ideas' (definitely not where they think), but they sure don't make ANY sense in any way and I hope you can soon recover as much as possible or at least realize that none of this had anything to do with you :/ My best wishes to you friend!

it also didn’t help giving among the Amish and Mennonites of Central PA, where the standard of discipline was, and still is, “spare the rod, spoil the child.”

It also didn’t help that both of my parents (both now deceased) came broken and abusive families. Mom’s side of the family was the worst of the lot. Both her father and her grandfather were the town drunks. To make matters even worse, her grandfather ran a speakeasy. Her mother, at least, didn’t drink. However, they were both very abusive, physically, verbally, mentally, and emotionally. It also didn’t help that he saw action in WW II. Although she was never diagnosed, I suspect she was bipolar, as you had to walk on eggshells around her constantly, else you might have a marble rolling pin aimed and thrown at your head. Her favorite disciplinary tool was anything she could get her hands on. Even the smallest infraction sent her on a tirade.

I suspect she was also an unwanted child, as her father gave her as little attention as possible. He gave all the attention to her younger brother, who eventually became his drinking buddy. This neglect from him even extended to me and my brothers and sister (who died as a toddler before she could understand how toxic that her maternal grandparents could be), since, when it came to birthdays and holidays, we got next to nothing, while my cousins got all the best toys, clothing, etc. Both her parents died of dementia.

Dad’s side of the family was a bit better, but not by much. His father was humping another woman on the side. He left his wife holding the bag and penniless, with my dad and 5 brothers and sisters. The closest I could describe dad would be as a sociopathic narcissist. He got mom pregnant with me, primarily so she could escape her father’s abuse. Both families were constantly at war with each other: His mother though he married beneath his station by marrying the daughter of the town drunk, and her mother thought dad was a jackass (which he proved to me quite a few times, by getting his jollies by embarrassing me every chance he got. No matter what I achieved, he would find a way to tear me down and make me feel worthless. It was the same with his siblings, except maybe his next to youngest sister (who married a farmer)and his youngest brother (who worked bot both Caterpillar, and later Harley Davidson, after Caterpillar closed their York, PA plant, primarily to spite the United Autoworkers Union, even though the York plant was their most cost-efficient plant.). That brother eventually retired from Harley, and eventually achieved his dream of becoming a cowboy, since he bought a small horse farm and raised palominos.)

knowin what was going on between both families, is it any wonder mom and dad wanted no parts of either family, nor wanted me or my brothers to have friends of either sex? I was so despised by people where I grew up, I locked myself in my room most of the time. Dad would always heckle me about never showing interest in a girl, until I actually started to show interest in one girl, at which he’d turn on me and beat the living daylights out of me. The one time I did bring a girl into their house (only because she was my accompanist, and I was doing solo work in a church service that evening), Dad did his usual thing, insulting me until I felt 2mm tall, then mom took over cursing out the girl for even agreeing to be my accompianist. Needless to say, the girl let me know she would never accompany me again, let alone ever see me again.

I also had trouble with 3 girl Hans in town, all 3 games were made up of sisters from their respective families. 1 group would get physically abusive, the second group would try to get their hands down my pants, and the third group would be mentally, emotionally and verbally abusive. When I’d say something to my parents about what was happening, they would blame me for allowing it happen, then they would beat the living daylights out of me. (Now you know why I don’t trust anyone, and am paranoid as all hell. I’m surprised I’m even writing this, after all the crap I put up with when I posted this on the Haven over on Wrong Planet.)

The paranoia and the insults by my dad, in particular, lasted through college. The few times mom and dad came on campus, Dad would always criticize something about my professors. He criticized the marching band director as a gay faggot for carting a purse on his shoulder (and that is a direct quote.). That so-called purse was a carrying case for a half-inch open reel video tape deck, since the director recorded all the show, fur use in teaching marching band techniques. Didn’t matter to dad, he still considered the band director to be a faggot! It was even worse with the choir director: dad considered him to have a load of human excrement in his pants, and was lazy for sitting down and directing the choir, even after I explained to dad that the choir director had just come back that semester from medical leave and had heart surgery. Didn’t matter to dad: this guy was still a lazy bum.

Now you know why I never married, suffer from PTSD, and, along with Autism and bipolar I, seldom leave my living space (it’s even locked when I am at home.), and am extremely paranoid.

 

[4gottenLoreKali]

For all of the abuse I have endured and the ensuing trauma, some of it targeted on account of my Asperger's, I am fortunate to say I have never endured this barbaric "therapy" first-hand. It amazes me that my mommy dearest, the prototypical Karen and Autism Mom, AKA Oskar Dirlewanger reincarnated, never considered ABA. I guess she preferred to enact those methods "up close and personal", with no need for board certification... therefore I have no frame of reference.

All I can really say is something that's become a broken record by this point: future centuries will (hopefully) regard this era's "scientific consensus" on autism similar to how we look back on the "treatment" endorsed by psychiatrists in the Antebellum South for the fictional mental illness of drapetomania in enslaved persons.

Knowing their field's track record, it makes perfect sense that shrinks would look to Samuel Cartwright's model for influence in developing this trauma gauntlet and psychological torture regimen, as a means of converting LGBT people and those on the spectrum into presenting as "normal".

 

[Booknerd515]

Pretty sure I might have went through some behavioral training when I was younger to get me to act more normal because I remember being told to act more normal and less autistic. I don't like ABA.

 

[OnyxM]

Pretty sure I might have went through some behavioral training when I was younger to get me to act more normal because I remember being told to act more normal and less autistic. I don't like ABA.

''Act more normal''..THIS is normal to US. Like seriously..I'm sorry you went through that

 

[OnyxM]

it also didn’t help giving among the Amish and Mennonites of Central PA, where the standard of discipline was, and still is, “spare the rod, spoil the child.”

It also didn’t help that both of my parents (both now deceased) came broken and abusive families. Mom’s side of the family was the worst of the lot. Both her father and her grandfather were the town drunks. To make matters even worse, her grandfather ran a speakeasy. Her mother, at least, didn’t drink. However, they were both very abusive, physically, verbally, mentally, and emotionally. It also didn’t help that he saw action in WW II. Although she was never diagnosed, I suspect she was bipolar, as you had to walk on eggshells around her constantly, else you might have a marble rolling pin aimed and thrown at your head. Her favorite disciplinary tool was anything she could get her hands on. Even the smallest infraction sent her on a tirade.

I suspect she was also an unwanted child, as her father gave her as little attention as possible. He gave all the attention to her younger brother, who eventually became his drinking buddy. This neglect from him even extended to me and my brothers and sister (who died as a toddler before she could understand how toxic that her maternal grandparents could be), since, when it came to birthdays and holidays, we got next to nothing, while my cousins got all the best toys, clothing, etc. Both her parents died of dementia.

Dad’s side of the family was a bit better, but not by much. His father was humping another woman on the side. He left his wife holding the bag and penniless, with my dad and 5 brothers and sisters. The closest I could describe dad would be as a sociopathic narcissist. He got mom pregnant with me, primarily so she could escape her father’s abuse. Both families were constantly at war with each other: His mother though he married beneath his station by marrying the daughter of the town drunk, and her mother thought dad was a jackass (which he proved to me quite a few times, by getting his jollies by embarrassing me every chance he got. No matter what I achieved, he would find a way to tear me down and make me feel worthless. It was the same with his siblings, except maybe his next to youngest sister (who married a farmer)and his youngest brother (who worked bot both Caterpillar, and later Harley Davidson, after Caterpillar closed their York, PA plant, primarily to spite the United Autoworkers Union, even though the York plant was their most cost-efficient plant.). That brother eventually retired from Harley, and eventually achieved his dream of becoming a cowboy, since he bought a small horse farm and raised palominos.)

knowin what was going on between both families, is it any wonder mom and dad wanted no parts of either family, nor wanted me or my brothers to have friends of either sex? I was so despised by people where I grew up, I locked myself in my room most of the time. Dad would always heckle me about never showing interest in a girl, until I actually started to show interest in one girl, at which he’d turn on me and beat the living daylights out of me. The one time I did bring a girl into their house (only because she was my accompanist, and I was doing solo work in a church service that evening), Dad did his usual thing, insulting me until I felt 2mm tall, then mom took over cursing out the girl for even agreeing to be my accompianist. Needless to say, the girl let me know she would never accompany me again, let alone ever see me again.

I also had trouble with 3 girl Hans in town, all 3 games were made up of sisters from their respective families. 1 group would get physically abusive, the second group would try to get their hands down my pants, and the third group would be mentally, emotionally and verbally abusive. When I’d say something to my parents about what was happening, they would blame me for allowing it happen, then they would beat the living daylights out of me. (Now you know why I don’t trust anyone, and am paranoid as all hell. I’m surprised I’m even writing this, after all the crap I put up with when I posted this on the Haven over on Wrong Planet.)

The paranoia and the insults by my dad, in particular, lasted through college. The few times mom and dad came on campus, Dad would always criticize something about my professors. He criticized the marching band director as a gay faggot for carting a purse on his shoulder (and that is a direct quote.). That so-called purse was a carrying case for a half-inch open reel video tape deck, since the director recorded all the show, fur use in teaching marching band techniques. Didn’t matter to dad, he still considered the band director to be a faggot! It was even worse with the choir director: dad considered him to have a load of human excrement in his pants, and was lazy for sitting down and directing the choir, even after I explained to dad that the choir director had just come back that semester from medical leave and had heart surgery. Didn’t matter to dad: this guy was still a lazy bum.

Now you know why I never married, suffer from PTSD, and, along with Autism and bipolar I, seldom leave my living space (it’s even locked when I am at home.), and am extremely paranoid.

I'm really sorry you had to go through all this stuff friend >< I wish you recovery and healing, in whatever way comes Don't lose your hope, think of everything you went through to be here now.

 

[Au Naturel]

psychologist rewarded "good" behaviors with such things as candy and praise, and punished "bad" ones with "aversives" that consisted of such things as pinches and sharp slap

That teaches people to show off their good behavior in order to maximize rewards and to get sneaky about bad behavior.

I rarely got any rewards. Parents thought one shouldn't be rewarded just for doing what they ought to be doing. But I did get very crafty about concealing the naughty things.

 

[Au Naturel]

....."some day, I'll be, big enough that you can't hurt me..."
.." all you're going to be is mean.."
It was a song on the radio, forever ago, when everyone was still around, before the longbreaking and the silence. Its raining again here. Always the rain