Hi there! ABA Therapist here

Post Reply New Topic

Hey guys! I am so glad to have been told about this website and to join! I am currently an ABA Therapist and a Registered Behavior Technician. I also just was accepted into Graduate School for A MS in ABA with emphasis of Autism. I plan to open my own company up for Self injurious and High Magnitude Behaviors.

I so wish ABA was used to amend the behaviour of the bullies who bully AS people.. it is a huge problem for our neurodiverse community. The effects of bullying are highly injurious, and the targeting of AS people is cruel.

Brilliant, B19.

Welcome. I really hope you use these boards to listen to autistic people. We have a LOT to say about how we were treated in school, and behaviorism in general.

I was a special educator. I used to specialize in kids with behavior issues and autism. I really wanted to help. I wanted to be different and to change the system so that it would be kinder to people with disabilities. It's a really tough topic, because I wound up hitting my head against the wall a lot. It was like, by emphasizing with the children, I was routing for the wrong team. Like if I went to a Yankees game and routed for the Red Sox. It shouldn't be that way, but that is my experience.

So, I really wish you well. And I hope you stay long enough to get a feeling for what might be going on in your student's heads when they self injure. If you can manage to get beyond all that ABA training you've been exposed to, and recognize the human behind the self-injury, you'll have the opportunity to do a world of good.

Yes yes I joined this to understand my clients and those who I will come across with SIBs better. I have worked with quite a few that have SIBs and would love to understand them more. If I pursue my PhD, SIBs is definitely one of the topics I would choose to write about. I am not here judge but to listen because my experience with those who have SIBs have been pure success. A little personal info about myself....I have been in the past and more recently displaying SIBs because I want to simply escape/avoid situations in my life that hurt worse than my physical pain I cause upon myself.

And B19....I just wrote a reply to your comment....but don't see it -_- basically bottom line is that I WILL NEVER and WONT allow any kind of bullying when I am around. I have a sibling with Downsyndrome and I know first hard what it's like to experience others bullying individuals whit Special Needs. Hope this helps.

Behaviourism is in essence, reductive, and at its worst, harmful and dehumanising. Skinner's "Beyond Freedom and Dignity" is IMO the most repugnant book any psychologist has ever written. Admittedly, I have very strong views about it. In the part these were shaped by a personal witnessing of Lovaas continually slapping a 12 year old non-consenting child in a vicious way in front of an audience of psychologists, of which I was one. I can't help but wish that you had come here first, and sought to learn more about AS people, before you chose to pursue it, really.

Last year we had a thread here focused on the toxic message from an ABA practitioner who advanced "ten reasons" why bullying is good for autistic children. That went down like a cup of vomit, as you might imagine, and the idea of that person providing "therapeutic ABA" for non consenting children really distressed me.

I studied behaviourism for 3 years because it was a core part of the psychology curriculum of that time, and the arrogance of the behaviourist doctrine and its claims to be "the real psychology" diminished any respect I might have had, as well as the emphatic dogma. What I have heard from ABA practitioners since has not much amended this, because in my view it is disrespectful of the people subjected to it, and the fervid support of ABA by Autism Speaks has made the brand even more toxic to many of us here.

We have heard apologia for it, on many occasions, and there is probably nothing new to be said along those lines, so I can only urge you to be aware that your enthusiasm for this kind of practice is not viewed very favourably here. We have also had explored the frailty of the "evidence based" claims, on a number of occasions, and the examination reveals a rather more mixed view than ABA practitioners and enthusiasts assert.

However if you have come to learn and listen rather than proselytise, then good for you.

It bothers me greatly that people automatically assume I am here to be someone I'm not. I am not getting into details because I am sick of being bashed but I know what I am and what I do and what I love in my life. I know the accomplishments I've made and how many lives I've helped better. I am sorry for those who have come and tried to act better than you guys.

I did assume you were here as an ABA therapist, from your thread title. And my remarks were made in that context.

There are issues on which you could enlighten me, and I would appreciate your feedback. It's this: during your training as an ABA student, were you taught the "cons" or only the "pros"? And if you were taught about the cons, then which cons, and how were they explained (or were they glibly explained away)? And was there any wider context than ABA provided, such as humanistic perspectives? Was there any input from the AS community?

For a very different perspective, this article is reflective and aligns somewhat with my own views:
https://sociallyanxiousadvocate.wordpre ... -left-aba/

No I was explaining what I do I wasn't trying to be like ahhh I am an ABA therapist blah blah blah.

Let me explain my background. How I got to where I am today. I interviewed for a job as a Paraprofessional 3 years ago not knowing that I had mentioned ABA. When I got offered the job as an ABA IA, I had no idea what I was doing or what I was going to do but I took the job. I worked as an ABA IA for 2 years in that time the only two training's I took were verbal ABA and Fundamentals of ABA. Yes I know about Skinner and the four functions of behavior. From there my second year working as an Aid, I applied for the job as an ABA Therapist and from there I worked two jobs. Ive had a multitude of clients and students and I have seen quite a few behaviors. I am not going to go on about them and my accomplishments because you don't want to hear it.

So soon after I started working as a Therapist, I received my RBT certification. The training was 40 hours and it just touched the basics of ABA. And its been a just over a year now at my company. I am now working toward an BCabA. I will say that one of my first ever clients still calls his ABA therapists my name and I haven't been his therapist for MONTHS now because he moved. Why is that? Can you tell me?

I joined this because someone told about it awhile ago and I just got around to joining because ive been busy. Do I want to hear the stories and help and reach out to anyone looking for it? YES. Do I want to listen and hear what members of this community have to say? YES.

SO Ill step back and listen and read and if I offer advice, itll be private because Ill only say something if I feel its necessary and needed.

Interesting welcome to forum. I think I will enjoy hearing from you share your knowledge, experience and insight on this topic.

Also from your experience how well are autistic children with having to manage with having do this therapy long hours each day?

Come on people this is a chance to learn a little something here.

Im going to admit that my clients who are in school and have therapy after, it's overwhelming and daunting and a lot to ask for which is why I do my best to make it fun and not seem like "therapy".

Why do you ask?

I can't imagine what it must be like to have to do all that work to fit in.

What kinds of things do you do to make the experience more enjoyable for autistic children.

I ask because I am on the spectrum and have Asperger's Syndrome. I was wondering because I have always been curious about how these therapies work and the pay offs they give.

I tried to warn you that this would happen, Krelliot. I know you didn't see my warning as kind, but it was meant to be.

It's kind of like a bull in a china shop. It doesn't mean to cause harm, but by its very nature of having horns and stuff, if its not super careful, there's broken china everywhere and people start getting cut.