Reply to too much ABA therapy?

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Reply to "too much ABA therapy?"

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[quote=Anonymous]Well my view isn't as extreme as PP's but I do wonder exactly what you would be hoping to achieve with behaviorist interventions at the 20 hr/week level, with a kid who can talk and play but has trouble at school. As I understand it, ABA is pretty good at what it's designed for--modifying behavior. So if you have behaviors that absolutely have to be modified (eg, aggression, self-mutilation, etc.) then I'm sure it has its place. But it's not going to change the kid's neurology to make him not autistic anymore, and could easily become cruel if used to try and stamp out all behavioral manifestations of autism (eg, harmless stimming, abnormal eye contact, etc.). Read the new Steve Silberman book Neurotribes.  Lovaas's claim that 40 hours a week of ABA could make kids not autistic anymore was clearly a fraud. The thing that really helps these kids the most in the long run is understanding and compassionate teachers.  So I think you'd be better off figuring out  what is going wrong at school, finding a better school environment, and treating the ADHD he probably also has.  And if you need some ABA to address some problematic behaviors, that's ok within reason.  [/quote]

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