Is This ABA?

DepictDave

DepictDave

Active member
Has ABA changed/improved recently? The reason I ask is because my wife's friend has a little boy who's diagnosed autistic and she says he's having ABA, but the way she describes it doesn't sound like ABA at all. Admittedly I don't know the ins and outs but it sounds like it's reward-based rather than punishment based and is very gentle in encouraging him to do little tasks like passing things to his mum etc.

It doesn't sound anything like the ABA that we all hear about so I'm guessing it's either one of two scenarios;
Either ABA has changed drastically, or
It's not ABA at all.

I'm keen to know what you guys think!
 
That sounds like ABA to me, I believe there are different levels depending on the individual shrink that does it.
to me it never feels real and kind of confuses me further about other people- The things I have learned to do/the behaviors I don’t do through ABA.
ive had the form they don’t like to admit exists-the punishing form of ABA multiple times as an adult,like for example,refusing to move or eat When I was told-I was pinned down and put into isolation,but they further confused me by getting Me chips at night from the chippy when they had a chippy night (because I cleaned the chairs for the staff so I coud stay in the main area later than 10pm),why woud they buy me chips as a reward when they tried to force Me to eat when everyone else is eating?

In another service (both services were for severe or profound autistics,most also with severe or profound LD,my LD is diagnosed mild) the ABA training stopped me from attending my horse riding therapy sessions if I showed any “negative” behaviors,to them continuous head banging was seen as bad and not sensory seeking at any point,biting myself was bad, pacing was bad,tearing up my shirts was seen as bad and not looked into why I may be (I was having A lot of epileptic activity which caused agitation and other issues, and I hated wearing clothing and still do).

one time,for four years,I actually stopped eating completely to have some control over my life instead of being controlled by other people In that manner,I was put on liquid food and very close to being forced to have a PEG tube fitted.
 
The first thing I would ask about any suggested therapy or therapeutic method is: is this designed to change the autist to be more acceptable to the NT majority, or does it seek to help the autist themselves?
 
This is gentle ABA. ABA in it’s traditional, Lovaas torture inspired form is more obviously abusive but this is just as bad. I’ve seen it practiced and it turns my stomach. The rewards they’re offering are usually something the child cares deeply about, up to and including food, communication devices and affection. Depending on the clinic they may only use special interests/screen time/less significant treats. Depending on the form they refuse to consider the child’s inner life in any way that can’t be easily quantified and graded. The other forms don’t even make an attempt to consider the child’s emotions.

What you are seeing is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Traditional ABA looks too much like abuse to the parent so ABA had to find a way to make it palatable, put distance between themselves and the punishments they’re known for. They made a form that touched on emotion in a way that runs from completely meaningless to outright dangerous, they replaced aversives with a reward system that crushes children’s curiosity and independence (they don’t explore to explore now they’re an arcade token and prompt dependent to do things). It’s still the same lessons, the same outcome. A traumatized shell of an autistic child 9/10 times.

Any therapy that treats behavior as a thing to be modified and controlled and not a valid form of communication is dangerous. Anything involving coercion is dangerous. ABA, even gentle ABA, is extremely dangerous and damaging.

I don’t blame your friend, if it’s marketed anything like it is here (the chemo of autism, success stories featuring the removal of dx from the child, only evidence based therapy (which is a lie, there are minimal studies in ABA that had both academic rigor and full-disclosure of significant conflicts of interest and there are so many other therapies that aren’t abusive and have science to back them that actually help autistics live comfortably in the world), than she was almost certainly convinced this was the best thing for her child and it would be the most horrible, cruelest most neglectful thing she could ever do if she didn’t let gentle ABA crush his autistic soul so he could be made to mask better.
 
This is unfortunately very true. I’ve read some papers on modern ABA, what they consider a good outcome can basically be summarized as we made a small child (usually) so terrified that they stopped engaging in normal behaviors/enjoyments and now look no different than NT children, except better behaved in some cases. There are a lot of issues inherent to all forms of ABA from prompt dependence, human rights violations, demands children always display signs of happiness no matter what they’re feeling, an ethics code that doesn’t differentiate between the person paying and the patient which could potentially, possibly maybe be fixed. But the whole point of the therapy is to force children to mask constantly. You can’t take that away and still have ABA.
 
Pattern-chaser said:
The first thing I would ask about any suggested therapy or therapeutic method is: is this designed to change the autist to be more acceptable to the NT majority, or does it seek to help the autist themselves?
Click to expand...
The problem with those behaviourist therapies which are apparenty seen as acceptable by removing punishment is that they haven't removed the punishment at all. Planned ignoring=abuse for autistic people of all ages. In fact its one of the most severe triggers. They can dress it up as palatable in their eyes but it aint.
 
Mask, a form of disguise or concealment usually worn over or in front of the face to hide the identity of a person and by its own features to establish another being. ... This essential characteristic of hiding and revealing personalities or moods is common to all masks. Here are some adjectives for mask: bland, official, tanned and forgettable, hairy orange, pleasant, optimistic, loose and pliable, savage, hairy, suave facial, devilish waxen, gory and devilish, hideous comic, still soft and liable, identical blank, true schizoid, tasteful, pleasant, carefully haughty, skillful
 
Fluffymainecoons said:
That sounds like ABA to me, I believe there are different levels depending on the individual shrink that does it.
to me it never feels real and kind of confuses me further about other people- The things I have learned to do/the behaviors I don’t do through ABA.
ive had the form they don’t like to admit exists-the punishing form of ABA multiple times as an adult,like for example,refusing to move or eat When I was told-I was pinned down and put into isolation,but they further confused me by getting Me chips at night from the chippy when they had a chippy night (because I cleaned the chairs for the staff so I coud stay in the main area later than 10pm),why woud they buy me chips as a reward when they tried to force Me to eat when everyone else is eating?

In another service (both services were for severe or profound autistics,most also with severe or profound LD,my LD is diagnosed mild) the ABA training stopped me from attending my horse riding therapy sessions if I showed any “negative” behaviors,to them continuous head banging was seen as bad and not sensory seeking at any point,biting myself was bad, pacing was bad,tearing up my shirts was seen as bad and not looked into why I may be (I was having A lot of epileptic activity which caused agitation and other issues, and I hated wearing clothing and still do).

For four years, I actually stopped eating completely to have some control over my life instead of being controlled by other people. During that difficult period, I explored support options like Achieving Stars Therapy, but I was eventually put on liquid food and came very close to being forced to have a PEG tube fitted.
Click to expand...
I think it's a bit of both. ABA has evolved quite a lot over the years, and many modern practitioners focus on positive reinforcement rather than punishment. The idea is to make learning enjoyable and help children develop practical skills at their own pace. Simple activities like passing objects, communicating needs, or following everyday routines can absolutely be part of ABA therapy. I think the important thing is finding a therapist who respects the child's comfort, individuality, and boundaries. Older descriptions of ABA don't necessarily reflect how every program is delivered today, although approaches can still vary significantly between providers.
 
HMMMMMM not sure I'd be comfortable knowing a friend had an autistic child they were subjecting to ABA... even if it's 'gentle' and 'positive reinforcement'...
 
The whole ethos behind ABA is, in my opinion, ableist. Unfortunately it's an industry that has wormed its way into the care profession, with Positive Behaviour Support being a mandatory training according to the Care Quality Commission. I attended PBS training because the charity I worked for at that time were opening a supported living and I was told that PBS wasn't ABA any more and I should attend the training to see what had changed. Spoiler: nothing has changed, the underpinning principles are still there - as some eloquently said above - it's all about comfort for others rather than for the individual. It's an absolute minefield. NICE guidelines say that it is inappropriate for autistic people without a learning difficulty. I would go further and say it needs to be dumped completely.