Practices And Ideas Of ABA Therapy For Autistic Children

The reason why ABA therapy is widely considered abusive is that it promotes the idea that autistic children need to “blend in” with neurotypical children. This doesn’t necessarily mean that the intent of the therapist or parent is harmful, just that they need a perspective change. Autism looks different in everyone, and it’s up to both the parents and the therapist to find how each child learns best. It’s also up to them to find out what triggers meltdowns and prevent exposure to those triggers, rather than teaching them a new way to respond to them. This is what many ABA therapists fail to do. Some people may argue that the new methods of ABA therapy, which have eliminated the “punishment” aspect of learning and only use the reward system,

ABA therapy changes how the child acts by making them afraid to show their autistic traits. This is often referred to as “masking” in the autistic community. It’s mentally draining and forces the person to hide who they are. It’s part of the process that leads to PTSD and increased suicide rates. This research has proven that while the practices and ideas of ABA therapy are abusive and harmful to autistic children, this doesn’t mean the therapists have bad intentions. They’re doing what they believe is right even if they don’t know that it’s hurting the child. This is why many autistic advocates protest the use of ABA therapy, or at least ask for different methods to be used. Leanna Carollo recommends the use of Relationship Development Intervention as a healthier alternative to ABA therapy. Children are exposed to it more gradually than they are in ABA, and it focuses on games that the child is interested in and introduces another person to the situation. However, there is an extreme lack of research done on RDI, and it isn’t as widely insured as ABA. The lack of affordability in different types of care leads to hesitation in parents deciding to