Mendability... can you believe it?

Post Reply New Topic

Just followed an advertised link to find this...

http://www.mendability.com/

I mean WTF?!... just watch the video - and try not to stick an axe through the screen when it gets to the bit where they imply that we're handicapped or impaired and need fixing... oh, and also try not to swear and curse too loudly!

Sure, there are some aspects of my "condition" (if you really must call it that) that make things difficult for me and I agree with the idea that it's good to be kind to people and there are benefits to having close contact with those we love, but the overall position appears to be presented from the standpoint that people like me have nothing of use to contribute and that we all need "cured".
As far as I'm concerned, it seeks to completely invalidate my view of the world when I know damn well that my view is equally valid to that of any NT. They're not even remotely interested in my way of looking at the world .. and this so-called "self help" for cash BS stinks of an agenda that seeks to "cure" anybody they see as different.

Am I the only one who's pissed off by this?

Hmm... I might be paranoid, but I smell a hoax...

Looks like the site is referring to this guy.
http://www.faculty.uci.edu/scripts/UCIF ... FM?ID=2146

I'm having trouble seeing the specific connection between his work and the site, though.

I ran a few internet searches, and mendability.com only seems to pop up on a few websites.

Apparently, comments are also deactivated on their Youtube videos, which ought to raise a few red flags.

When I was younger my mother volunteered my brother and I for that kind of research.

They made us wear headphones and listen to the most annoying pieces of classical music for two hours a day, and we both were more irritable than usual.

Our sensory issues worsened.

So these guys can suck the "scientifically proven!" theory.

I did search for some their cited research on google scholar. The concept of "Environmental enrichment" seems to be a legitimate field of study. However the it connection to autism seems tenuous at best. Of all the papers they have listed there is only one that directly connects this field to autism. And I was unable to find it on google scholar. The site owner stated that the was one study soon to be released(probably the one that I couldn't find). And another study that in the works. It seems presumptuous to offer therapy based on only two studies that have yet to be released.

On the Quack-O-Meter I give them a 3 out of 10(when 1 is ABA and 10 is faith healing).

(BTW this is there Second Study. Comic Sans anyone?)


That may been true but you can comment on every page of there website. And by the nature of some of the comments (a crazy religious rant on the main page), it doesn't look like it censored. Which is surprising to me.

Hi guys!

I was looking for our site and saw this discussion. Thought I would thank Drifter for a very generous 3/10 Quack-O-meter. It's actually very nice considering we are such a young therapy.

Sorry to Keef for the offence. You are not the only one to point out how offensive it is to suggest that a cure is needed. The comments usually refered to either the name of the program (Mendability) and the cartoon we got produced to explain sensory enrichment, especially the examples we use to illustrate the body's self-healing mechanisms (broken leg, etc). At first I was baffled that one would not want help to get better. But then I started to see the condescending tone that we take some times talking about these "poor" autistic people. We're still working on our verbiage. Please don't hesitate to teach me.

Oh, and thanks for pointing out that Comments are turned off on our Youtube videos. Explains why we don't get comments like we do on our site. ;-)

Got to go now and figure out how to turn on commenting on Youtube.

Before I go, I do want to toot my horn. We do have a good option here with sensory enrichment. And what we charge is really symbolic, only to keep the doors open. I understand that we lack credibility for now, especially while we are waiting for the studies to be published. Watch for the June edition of Behavior Neuroscience. (You did not hear it from me...) But it's only the beginning. I'll see to it that we make this autism treatment better and better.

There! Off my soap box now. :-)