I think ABA is kind of shortsighted and shallow. It may make things appear better in the short term, but there's often negative long term effects. Even if it's not abusive it might cause psychological problems in the future. I'll just post a link about ABA. The Autism Crisis: Entirely different due to ABA
That testimonial does seem to be an example of ABA applied ineffectively..if a behaviour is helpful (even as a RESULT of the autism, like the hyperlexia) by principle it should not be eradicated. You're supposed to play to the child's strengths to improve on other skills, not replace skills that are helpful. As you said, even with the symptoms gone, an autistic child will always have a different way of perceiving and approaching things and this needs to be accommodated during and post-therapy. I do appreciate your point of view. We did veer a bit off topic and I still stand by the fact that autism is by no means a "meaningless diagnosis".
That was just one article. Even though I never went through ABA people liked to use behaviorism on me because of one stupid label. I'm extremely messed up because of behaviorism. I always try to stop behaviors that might make me look remotely autistic. I avoided doing math because I thought it made me look autistic, I tried to be straight because I thought having no interest in guys made me look autistic and I avoid talking about my interests because I'm scared that my interests make me seem autistic. I don't think I'm truly autistic. I think my autistic-like traits are caused by OCD and ADHD traits. I appeared to have language issues, but I think that's because I spoke Spanish at home. I think autism is a meaningful diagnosis for people who have symptoms that are caused by autism for sure. I don't think its meaningful for people like me, who's symptoms might be caused by other stuff. I'm also lacking some important autistic traits.
I'm sorry to hear that but honestly, none of those are traits specific to or indicating autism and shouldn't be seen as such. Some autistic people may excel in certain areas like math but that is not part of the criteria for autism, it just happens to accompany it sometimes. There is a difference between being unable to communicate with people in a functional way and not being interested in a certain gender (or any). Proper behavioural therapy would not be focusing on any of those behaviours which are not harmful let alone "autistic" behaviours at all. And you therefore should not feel the need to suppress those behaviours. Yes, if you were diagnosed as autistic simply because you were good at math and had certain interests, you may well have been misdiagnosed. There is a clear criteria for austistic spectrum disorder and that is not it.
I kind of was diagnosed for stupid reasons. My parents basically lied about who I am to the person who diagnosed me. I wasn't even in the room and they still diagnosed me. When they actually saw me they noticed that I was nothing like my parents described me as. Over the years mental health professionals doubted my diagnosis. At first I thought they were ignorant, but now I agree with them. I also got punished as a kid for doing harmless stuff like playing on spinny chairs. My sister also played on spinny chairs, no one cared. Now I want to prove to people I'm not autistic. Now I'm scared that doubting my sexuality makes me look autistic. Mainly because I've heard that sexual confusion is linked with autism.
It's not a meaningless diagnosis. It's something that has affected me every single day of my life. I fall on the side of the sprectrum where I can function and do stuff. I've had difficulties in learning and socializing with people, so it's nice to know what's causing it so that I know how to improve myself and deal with it.
No. That's like saying is bipolar a meaningless diagnosis just because everyone misunderstands it to mean 'constant moodiness' which is something almost every teenager has. Just because people have the wrong idea of what something is doesn't mean it doesn't truly exist. I have autism. It's more than just being shy and introverted. It means that I can't make eye contact, that I obsess over things to an extreme, that I lack cognitive empathy which can make me look cold, that I have serious sensory issues that affect my entire life and can break down when my senses are disrupted. That I don't just have social issues but self-care issues as well (I couldn't even fully tie my shoes or shower until I was a teenager). It's not supposed to be a common disorder; there's more to it than meets the eye.
As I stated before, I have Aspergers, and I'm floored by some of the responses in this thread. I'm just lazy? I wrote a blog post about how it effects my life, which can be read here.
Another gripe with psychology. ADHD? It's a disease, not a set of habitual behaviors, dontcha know? How about children who were never taught delayed gratification or discipline, and raised on a healthy diet of pop culture, television, soda, state education and nil parenting. But why challenge any of that when we can just slap a label on the children, sedate and subject them to the same shit instead of, you know, questioning the insanity of the status quo? I feel for you. It sounds like your parents had to work hard and probably long hours to pay for ends - meet, therefore you were neglected. A neglected child won't by him/herself learn delayed gratification, socialization skills, coping mechanisms etc. So rather than pony up and admit it's probably their own shortcomings as parents that are causing these behavioral maladaptions, they quickly try to label these traits as a disease. And it's more to relieve their own guilt and absolve themselves of any responsibility than it is scientifically - based reasoning. But as I said before, Autism is most certainly not one of those cases. Not to say it can't be misdiagnosed, but it's probably the most studied neurodevelopmental disorder today.
It absolutely isn't a meaningless diagnosis. I haven't experienced meeting anyone who I've thought had been falsely diagnosed. I'm not an expert in the field and don't really have the right to make that assumption anyway. I have, however, met many people (including family) who have been significantly affected by this disability and bravely struggle every day to manage it. They all have my utmost respect.
Sepulse, the thread has gone from you asking whether autism is a "meaningless" diagnosis to you arguing with every person that points out real autism is and how it affects people. That isn't OK. Behavioral treatment for autism (particularly for those at the high functioning end of the spectrum) is extremely effective. One of our former staffers was identified with Asperger's at an early age, his parents got him excellent treatment, and the combination of the treatment and his awareness of where his deficits are has had a dramatic impact on his life, to the point where his Asperger's has a pretty minimal impact on his life As far as it being a spectral disorder... Most every disorder or condition impacts people on a spectrum. People can have very mild anxiety or PTSD that causes problems only in rare circumstances, while other people have the same problem that makes any sort of normal functioning a struggle. Same with physical illness such as diabetes or MS; the depth of the disability varies dramatically from one individual to another. It's extremely disrespectful to those who are touched by autism to devalue the diagnosis, claim it's an improper label, argue that having a spectrum of effect devalues the diagnosis or anything else that devalues the struggles that people living with it have.
Autism is a valid and meaningful disgnosis.. I think the issue is people self diagnosing using the internet. I was diagnosed with Aspergers in 1994 when I was 7, and at that time, most people had never heard of it. My younger brother got diagnosed with severe autism the next year. I can tell you that they affect both our lives even today. I have had behavioural therapy and it doesn't affect me now as much as when I was younger, but it still affects me sometimes. It is more than just being shy and introverted.
Autism is a spectrum, which means because someone's autism is different than the ones you're familiar with doesn't mean it's false. Autism is not merely.being shy or nerdy or obsessive. Autism is my not being able to stop chewing on my collars (still fighting this good fight at fourteen) and having constant social isolation because of it . Autism is my cousin not being able to talk until age 5. Autism is the girl at my school with one ear who rides a tricycle around the school screaming nonsense words. Autism is my friend's brother who has explosive outbursts at school and has had to be carried out, while he also skipped two grades. Autism is the little boy who could never talk and never will. Autism is so many things; it's a spectrum everyone's on. Those who are noticeably wired differently get labelled, and that's not bad. I would have never learned to tie my shoes without OT from my school.
Frequent misdiagnosis may cheapen the reaction of those who hear it, but it is absolutely real. I get the feeling the OP has never been close to anyone who is inhibited by autism. People with the condition couldn't just "snap out of it" because it is a different mental state. It's not necessarily an objective "weakness" like mental retardation; they just think differently. But it is an impairment when these people are required to be a part of society which has trouble getting on their level and vice-versa. And rather than dismiss their struggle as "a meaningless diagnosis" that's used for any kid who acts up, we should give them the attention they deserve.
No, but autism tends to be overdiagnosed. Hell, it's happened to me before. When I was young, the doctors thought I had autism, but I just had a speech disorder. How the hell did they even come to that conclusion?
