How is ABA harmful?

September 15, 2006

I keep reading that ABA can be harmful for apraxic kids. Could someone

please elaborate?

September 15, 2006

Strict ABA can be very demanding on a non verbal child. Depending on who you get

for home services or who works for your child. They may not be aware of what

special needs your child might have and use the inconsistancies against them,

creating a hostal enviorment for your child.

My daughter has a teacher that did strict ABA and on one occasion she asked

him for a stress reliever toy she called it a baby. The next time she wanted it

she didn't call it anything. She pointed to it. Put his hand on it. Did

everything she could think of non verrbally to get her wants known. He just kept

saying to her, what is it?? over and over. She couldn't retriecve the word baby

and he refused to give it to her causing her to have a meltdown for 4 days over

that stupid toy. We told him not to come back.

We do use ABA with her but with a more relaxed version. We use the token board

and the re-enforcers but we are not on a strict schedual. We try to make it as

flexable as possible.

Just make sure that the instructor is knowledgeable on everything about your

child so that what happened to us doesn't happen to you. Good luck.

S.

---------------------------------

Get your own web address for just $1.99/1st yr. We'll help. Small

Business.

September 16, 2006

> I keep reading that ABA can be harmful for apraxic kids. Could

someone

> please elaborate?

Since your message is so short -I thought I'd put the question on

top since my answer is so long. (good if you need to pull out

anything from here to help -much is in one place)

It's hard to know where to start so I'll just start here: There's a

huge difference in a child that needs speech therapy that may

include strengthening, motor planning techniques etc. to 'teach'

them how to talk, and using either positive (or God forbid) negative

behavioral techniques (rewards, punishments) to 'encourage' speech.

What if such child already 'desperately wants to talk...to the point

of frustration -but just can't? What happens when you add strict

behavioral methods to " get " them to talk? You risk creating

secondary to the diagnosis psychological problems such as

who developed post traumatic stress from ABA

http://www.cherab.org/news/.html , damage to that child's

self esteem, or at least even more severe frustration. Or check the

archives -you may as one family from Jersey found -video tape a

therapy session that puts that therapist in jail. (see aversive

techniques below)

This topic creates much stir because there are wonderful ABA

therapists and for those children that require or need it, it has

been a lifesaver. And then there are those who have children with

autism and apraxia who have awesome therapists that use modified ABA

with great results -but in those cases the ABA therapist is aware of

the child's inabilities.

Problem is that is not always the case...too many apraxic children

are diagnosed with " PDD NOS " and provided ABA therapy as the way to

get that child to talk when that approach is not appropriate and may

be detrimental as I'll explain. I had my son Tanner pulled from his

preschool placement and placed in out of district placement due to

inappropriate behavioral techniques. Parents come to CHERAB all the

time desperate for help on this topic. For example from just

yesterday....(if anyone here is from Tennessee -or anywhere near

there -please let me know because this parent is willing to drive,

or even fly for help for her child. She has already contacted Dr.

Agin after I provided her number, but perhaps someone here has

someone in the meantime that is closer?)

" I called the CHERUB number because I am getting desperate as we

don't have a diagnosis, he is in EI (he's 3) but they are treating

him behaviorally and acting like he is autistic when I know good and

well that he isn't. He has been in a classroom for 3 weeks with all

autistic kids and they have completely messed up his sensory diet so

badly that we feel we are right back to where we were before we

began OT. I kept him out of school and took him to a private co-

treat today and he was practically catatonic and almost vomited

while in the swing. I was horrified. Even his private speech

therapist, who is the best in our area, is treating him as if he is

autistic even though she admits that I could be right about my

belief that he is apraxic with sensory integration issues. She also

tells me she would treat him differently if he were diagnosed as

such. Which is why I have to find an MD who knows about apraxia and

is willing to look at other things besides ASD.

So, just add me to the list of mothers who, for some reason, have to

go through this hazing before finding what is right for our precious

ones. "

If this message horrifies you answer her here so she can read it.

She is a new member that just joined, and she will probably answer

you offlist -but I hope that she feels comfortable to speak about

this here too. The more we talk about this -the more aware we all

are -the less severe negative stories we'll hear about.

Here are articles posted about another member here who's

child's " therapist " is going to jail. We have to as a group feel

free to discuss this here. We all know silence is NOT golden. For

the good ABA therapists...and most important for the sake of the

children -something has to be done about this!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~start of archive

Admitted Child Abuser to Be Sentenced Friday, June 2, for Abusing Dy

" webewords " webewords@...

Wed May 31, 2006 1:21 pm

Admitted child abuser Zucker-Klein of 30 Vista Trail, Wayne,

NJ,

will be sentenced to jail for endangering the welfare of a child for

abusing a dyspraxic, nonverbal child she was tutoring at his home in

Westwood, NJ.

Under the guise of " behaviorism, " she subjected him to poking with a

pen, slapping on the head, yanking his head back by his hair,

punching

him, putting a bag over his head, among other things, for taking too

long to answer (using an augmentive device) a question or for getting

an answer wrong. The parents caught her on tape.

The sentencing will be at 9 a.m. Friday, June 2, 2006, in the court

of

Judge Roma, 4th Floor, Bergen County Courthouse in

Hackensack,

NJ. Any sympathetic parent who is nearby may want to be there for

support.

This messages is posted by relatives of the victim, who wish to

remain

anonymous. I ask the several members who may know our email address

to

keep our names secret. "

~~~~~~~~~~~end of archive

=====

September 16, 2006

.....(if anyone here is from Tennessee -or anywhere near

there -please let me know because this parent is willing to drive,

or even fly for help for her child. She has already contacted Dr.

Agin after I provided her number, but perhaps someone here has

someone in the meantime that is closer?)

Hey - I am in TN - near Knoxville - I am confused by your comment -

Does Dr. Agin provide services here? If so - I would certainly like to see

her...

My youngest one was dx as autistic - and apraxic - but i think he is more

apraxic than anything - with maybe a few autistic behaviors. i sure would

like a clear cut dx. he does receive aba - and i am assuming we have a

great teacher as kaden has made HUGE progress....

renee and the amazing zoocrew

September 16, 2006

I don't agree with this. ABA, or any therapy, can be harmful if you

have a bad provider. Go with a reputable provider and make sure you

are comfortable with a therapist before leaving them alone with your

child. A well-trained, experienced ABA therapist should definitely

know how to work with a non-verbal child effectively. Both my children

have benefitted from ABA a great deal.

>

> I keep reading that ABA can be harmful for apraxic kids. Could someone

> please elaborate?

>

September 16, 2006

Thank you ! You seem to be interpreting my desparation

appropriately, as it is intense.

My name is and my son's name is Elliott (3 yrs, 2 mos).

We've been trying to find help for my boy since the beginning of this

year. I am a little intimated by the whole web chat thing not out of

fear, but that the comprehensive story of our journey is so long

already I don't feel I have the time to be thorough enough when

writing it (and no one would have time to read it!). So I've just

been trying to read as much archival posts as I could (gosh, there's

a lot!) and now I'm to the point where I can throw out questions to

things that I'm still not completely understanding. But now I'm just

throwing caution to the wind and getting out here - thanks for

welcoming me, .

Thankfully, I do not think any harm has been caused by ABA...so far.

They have just been doing piddly little activities with him that he

just breezes through. No one has yet tried to get him to talk. He

is so motivated to speak and tries so hard with me, but he goes to ST

and just clams up. Probably because they are treating him as if he

has social behavior issues associated with ASD (inconsistent eye-

gaze, inattentiveness). He is NOT ASD. He does better in OT/ST co-

treats when his sensory needs are being met. Appropriate OT has

changed our lives. I alone have been successful in his beginning to

use word approximations. He'll try to say anything that I ask him

to. He signs very well (always has) and we rarely have frustration

tantrums (I guess I'm a really good interpreter of Elliott-ese). And

he understands absolutely everything we say.

But because I am " just his mother " , and not a PhD or MD,

the " professionals " working with him won't change their minds until I

get an official dx. Elliott's pediatrician agrees with me, he does

not think he is ASD. He has just recently entered the public spec ed

preschool and while I had high hopes that they would be helpful,

things have gone horribly wrong. They have put him in a class with

all ASD kids and completely messed up his sensory diet. He is

classified as Language and Speech impaired, but they are planning to

do further evaluation to see if THEY want to change that to ASD. I

gave consent for the evaluation but will probably revoke consent next

week. The director of the preschool said if his pediatrician could

not present another neurological dx that would explain Elliott's

disabilities, then ASD it would be. I had just finished reading The

Late Talker when she told me this and I asked, " What if he is

apraxic? " and she said, " Apraxia is not a neurological disorder " !!!!

(I think I told this story in a previous post). So you can see what

I am up against. And I know where this is headed. We will pull him

out if they try to classify him as ASD.

We live in Knoxville, TN. I am desparate to find a good

diagnostician who is knowledgable about apraxia with associated SI

and will be willing to consider that in Elliott's case. I will be

floored if he is dx with ASD and would require many, many opinions

before I believed it. He just doesn't fit the criteria.

is right, I am willing to travel anywhere for a fair

evaluation. I do not think I can get that in Knoxville. This sweet

child has travelled by air quite a bit and I can fly him anywhere.

I know I didn't cover our whole story, so if anyone has further

questions - let me know - online or offline is fine. Thanks.

>

> > I keep reading that ABA can be harmful for apraxic kids. Could

> someone

> > please elaborate?

>

> Since your message is so short -I thought I'd put the question on

> top since my answer is so long. (good if you need to pull out

> anything from here to help -much is in one place)

>

> It's hard to know where to start so I'll just start here: There's a

> huge difference in a child that needs speech therapy that may

> include strengthening, motor planning techniques etc. to 'teach'

> them how to talk, and using either positive (or God forbid) negative

> behavioral techniques (rewards, punishments) to 'encourage' speech.

> What if such child already 'desperately wants to talk...to the point

> of frustration -but just can't? What happens when you add strict

> behavioral methods to " get " them to talk? You risk creating

> secondary to the diagnosis psychological problems such as

> who developed post traumatic stress from ABA

> http://www.cherab.org/news/.html , damage to that child's

> self esteem, or at least even more severe frustration. Or check the

> archives -you may as one family from Jersey found -video tape a

> therapy session that puts that therapist in jail. (see aversive

> techniques below)

>

> This topic creates much stir because there are wonderful ABA

> therapists and for those children that require or need it, it has

> been a lifesaver. And then there are those who have children with

> autism and apraxia who have awesome therapists that use modified ABA

> with great results -but in those cases the ABA therapist is aware of

> the child's inabilities.

>

> Problem is that is not always the case...too many apraxic children

> are diagnosed with " PDD NOS " and provided ABA therapy as the way to

> get that child to talk when that approach is not appropriate and may

> be detrimental as I'll explain. I had my son Tanner pulled from his

> preschool placement and placed in out of district placement due to

> inappropriate behavioral techniques. Parents come to CHERAB all the

> time desperate for help on this topic. For example from just

> yesterday....(if anyone here is from Tennessee -or anywhere near

> there -please let me know because this parent is willing to drive,

> or even fly for help for her child. She has already contacted Dr.

> Agin after I provided her number, but perhaps someone here has

> someone in the meantime that is closer?)

>

> " I called the CHERUB number because I am getting desperate as we

> don't have a diagnosis, he is in EI (he's 3) but they are treating

> him behaviorally and acting like he is autistic when I know good and

> well that he isn't. He has been in a classroom for 3 weeks with all

> autistic kids and they have completely messed up his sensory diet so

> badly that we feel we are right back to where we were before we

> began OT. I kept him out of school and took him to a private co-

> treat today and he was practically catatonic and almost vomited

> while in the swing. I was horrified. Even his private speech

> therapist, who is the best in our area, is treating him as if he is

> autistic even though she admits that I could be right about my

> belief that he is apraxic with sensory integration issues. She also

> tells me she would treat him differently if he were diagnosed as

> such. Which is why I have to find an MD who knows about apraxia and

> is willing to look at other things besides ASD.

>

> So, just add me to the list of mothers who, for some reason, have to

> go through this hazing before finding what is right for our precious

> ones. "

>

> If this message horrifies you answer her here so she can read it.

> She is a new member that just joined, and she will probably answer

> you offlist -but I hope that she feels comfortable to speak about

> this here too. The more we talk about this -the more aware we all

> are -the less severe negative stories we'll hear about.

>

> Here are articles posted about another member here who's

> child's " therapist " is going to jail. We have to as a group feel

> free to discuss this here. We all know silence is NOT golden. For

> the good ABA therapists...and most important for the sake of the

> children -something has to be done about this!

>

> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~start of archive

>

> Admitted Child Abuser to Be Sentenced Friday, June 2, for Abusing Dy

> " webewords " webewords@...

> Wed May 31, 2006 1:21 pm

>

> Admitted child abuser Zucker-Klein of 30 Vista Trail, Wayne,

> NJ,

> will be sentenced to jail for endangering the welfare of a child for

> abusing a dyspraxic, nonverbal child she was tutoring at his home in

> Westwood, NJ.

>

> Under the guise of " behaviorism, " she subjected him to poking with a

> pen, slapping on the head, yanking his head back by his hair,

> punching

> him, putting a bag over his head, among other things, for taking too

> long to answer (using an augmentive device) a question or for

getting

> an answer wrong. The parents caught her on tape.

>

> The sentencing will be at 9 a.m. Friday, June 2, 2006, in the court

> of

> Judge Roma, 4th Floor, Bergen County Courthouse in

> Hackensack,

> NJ. Any sympathetic parent who is nearby may want to be there for

> support.

>

> This messages is posted by relatives of the victim, who wish to

> remain

> anonymous. I ask the several members who may know our email address

> to

> keep our names secret. "

>

> ~~~~~~~~~~~end of archive

>

> =====

>

September 16, 2006

No, this is - the one considering seeing Dr. Agin. She doesn't

provide services here in TN - I'm planning to possibly go to NYC to

see her.

>

> ....(if anyone here is from Tennessee -or anywhere near

> there -please let me know because this parent is willing to drive,

> or even fly for help for her child. She has already contacted Dr.

> Agin after I provided her number, but perhaps someone here has

> someone in the meantime that is closer?)

>

> Hey - I am in TN - near Knoxville - I am confused by your

comment -

> Does Dr. Agin provide services here? If so - I would certainly

like to see

> her...

>

> My youngest one was dx as autistic - and apraxic - but i think he

is more

> apraxic than anything - with maybe a few autistic behaviors. i

sure would

> like a clear cut dx. he does receive aba - and i am assuming we

have a

> great teacher as kaden has made HUGE progress....

>

> renee and the amazing zoocrew

>

September 16, 2006

" Apraxia is not a neurological disorder " !!!!

I think I would have to reply, " and YOU are not a neurologist! Or an

MD or qualified in ANY way to diagnose ANY child. " How frustrating

and outragous!!!

> >

> > > I keep reading that ABA can be harmful for apraxic kids. Could

> > someone

> > > please elaborate?

> >

> > Since your message is so short -I thought I'd put the question on

> > top since my answer is so long. (good if you need to pull out

> > anything from here to help -much is in one place)

> >

> > It's hard to know where to start so I'll just start here:

There's a

> > huge difference in a child that needs speech therapy that may

> > include strengthening, motor planning techniques etc. to 'teach'

> > them how to talk, and using either positive (or God forbid)

negative

> > behavioral techniques (rewards, punishments) to 'encourage'

speech.

> > What if such child already 'desperately wants to talk...to the

point

> > of frustration -but just can't? What happens when you add strict

> > behavioral methods to " get " them to talk? You risk creating

> > secondary to the diagnosis psychological problems such as

> > who developed post traumatic stress from ABA

> > http://www.cherab.org/news/.html , damage to that child's

> > self esteem, or at least even more severe frustration. Or check

the

> > archives -you may as one family from Jersey found -video tape a

> > therapy session that puts that therapist in jail. (see aversive

> > techniques below)

> >

> > This topic creates much stir because there are wonderful ABA

> > therapists and for those children that require or need it, it has

> > been a lifesaver. And then there are those who have children

with

> > autism and apraxia who have awesome therapists that use modified

ABA

> > with great results -but in those cases the ABA therapist is

aware of

> > the child's inabilities.

> >

> > Problem is that is not always the case...too many apraxic

children

> > are diagnosed with " PDD NOS " and provided ABA therapy as the way

to

> > get that child to talk when that approach is not appropriate and

may

> > be detrimental as I'll explain. I had my son Tanner pulled from

his

> > preschool placement and placed in out of district placement due

to

> > inappropriate behavioral techniques. Parents come to CHERAB all

the

> > time desperate for help on this topic. For example from just

> > yesterday....(if anyone here is from Tennessee -or anywhere near

> > there -please let me know because this parent is willing to

drive,

> > or even fly for help for her child. She has already contacted

Dr.

> > Agin after I provided her number, but perhaps someone here has

> > someone in the meantime that is closer?)

> >

> > " I called the CHERUB number because I am getting desperate as we

> > don't have a diagnosis, he is in EI (he's 3) but they are

treating

> > him behaviorally and acting like he is autistic when I know good

and

> > well that he isn't. He has been in a classroom for 3 weeks with

all

> > autistic kids and they have completely messed up his sensory

diet so

> > badly that we feel we are right back to where we were before we

> > began OT. I kept him out of school and took him to a private co-

> > treat today and he was practically catatonic and almost vomited

> > while in the swing. I was horrified. Even his private speech

> > therapist, who is the best in our area, is treating him as if he

is

> > autistic even though she admits that I could be right about my

> > belief that he is apraxic with sensory integration issues. She

also

> > tells me she would treat him differently if he were diagnosed as

> > such. Which is why I have to find an MD who knows about apraxia

and

> > is willing to look at other things besides ASD.

> >

> > So, just add me to the list of mothers who, for some reason,

have to

> > go through this hazing before finding what is right for our

precious

> > ones. "

> >

> > If this message horrifies you answer her here so she can read it.

> > She is a new member that just joined, and she will probably

answer

> > you offlist -but I hope that she feels comfortable to speak about

> > this here too. The more we talk about this -the more aware we

all

> > are -the less severe negative stories we'll hear about.

> >

> > Here are articles posted about another member here who's

> > child's " therapist " is going to jail. We have to as a group feel

> > free to discuss this here. We all know silence is NOT golden.

For

> > the good ABA therapists...and most important for the sake of the

> > children -something has to be done about this!

> >

> > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~start of archive

> >

> > Admitted Child Abuser to Be Sentenced Friday, June 2, for

Abusing Dy

> > " webewords " webewords@

> > Wed May 31, 2006 1:21 pm

> >

> > Admitted child abuser Zucker-Klein of 30 Vista Trail,

Wayne,

> > NJ,

> > will be sentenced to jail for endangering the welfare of a child

for

> > abusing a dyspraxic, nonverbal child she was tutoring at his

home in

> > Westwood, NJ.

> >

> > Under the guise of " behaviorism, " she subjected him to poking

with a

> > pen, slapping on the head, yanking his head back by his hair,

> > punching

> > him, putting a bag over his head, among other things, for taking

too

> > long to answer (using an augmentive device) a question or for

> getting

> > an answer wrong. The parents caught her on tape.

> >

> > The sentencing will be at 9 a.m. Friday, June 2, 2006, in the

court

> > of

> > Judge Roma, 4th Floor, Bergen County Courthouse in

> > Hackensack,

> > NJ. Any sympathetic parent who is nearby may want to be there for

> > support.

> >

> > This messages is posted by relatives of the victim, who wish to

> > remain

> > anonymous. I ask the several members who may know our email

address

> > to

> > keep our names secret. "

> >

> > ~~~~~~~~~~~end of archive

> >

> > =====

> >

September 16, 2006

Besides the question of is it harmful, I think you need to consider is

it beneficial? I'm reading Dr Stanley Greenspan's book " The Child with

Special Needs " and as you may know, he has an alternate therapy called

Floortime and a more structured version (sort of his answer to ABA)

called Affect-Based Language Curriculum (ABLC). It's a really good

book and he describes his issues with ABA. Basically, he objects to

just teaching behaviors without the emotional context or intention

behind the actions. I won't try to explain it because I won't do it

justice, but here's an example. You can train a child to push a car

along the floor and go " vroom vroom " but this means nothing if it's

just a mechanical action, devoid of any pretending or imagination.

Greenspan would have you instead work with the child to first establish

intimacy with you, then two-way communication and gesturing, then

symbolic or imaginitive play and so on. ABA fans often sight that

it's " evidence based " and studies show it works, but there was only one

study (conducted by the two people who developed the therapy) that

showed promise, but it wasn't a clinical study. When one of those two

people tried to do a real clinical study, the results were not good.

Having said that, some people do really like this method and depending

on the quality of the therapist, some feel they get good results.

Nonetheless, I would read up on Greenspan's model because in my view,

ABA seems more surface, whereas Floortime seems to concentrate on

foundations.

>

> I keep reading that ABA can be harmful for apraxic kids. Could

someone

> please elaborate?

>

September 16, 2006

The ABA studies *were* well-done, and the Lovaas results have been

duplicated. When you read Greenspan's critique, keep in mind that he

is trying to convince you that his alternative is better. There is

solid evidence on the effectiveness of ABA, where there is none for

floortime. Children with autism need early effective therapy to do

well. I encourage any parent of a child with autism to do their own

research on the effectiveness of different therapies before deciding.

The choice of therapy makes a huge difference long-term in your

child's life. I have two children who were diagnosed with autism and

my youngest was also diagnosed with apraxia (she is now recovered from

both). We looked at the research before we decided how to treat our

kids, and it seemed obvious to me that ABA is the therapy of choice

for children with autism. It also helped my little one's apraxia. Even

the surgeon general's office recommends ABA for children with autism.

A good first book on ABA is Maurice's " Let Me Hear Your Voice. " If you

go to thoughtfulhouse.org, there is a good description of both ABA

(Thoughtful House offers ABA sevices through CARD) and treatments for

common medical problems of children with autism.

> >

> > I keep reading that ABA can be harmful for apraxic kids. Could

> someone

> > please elaborate?

> >

>

September 16, 2006

I don't think ABA is inherently harmful for anyone. ABA principles apply to

human behavior in general. ABA is a powerful tool and if used properly can

yield spectacular results. If used improperly, like any powerful tool, it can

be a negative. I think ABA generates a lot of emotion and strong opinions

because it is such a powerful tool. One thing to keep in mind is that many

think of ABA as DTT or table drills only. This is not the case as ABA can be

used to frame most any human behavior and can be applied in many flexible ways.

The verbal behavior style of ABA focuse on first creating positive interactions

with a learner and then slipping in work based on the person's motivations.

This form of ABA looks quite different then what most people think of when they

picture ABA therapy. My son is apraxic and autistic and much of what the SPL

therapists do could be termed ABA. Check out he verbal behavior and

groups as they cover ABA " vb style " .

Dave

September 16, 2006

The thing is - he is imaginative and we have an incredible bond. I

have never once felt that our relationship is odd, or unemotional.

He has always been a mama's boy, and, appropriately, as he got closer

to being 3 he started gravitating to daddy more, which thrilled my

husband, but he still wants me the most (which is fine by me:) He

plays with cars, trucks and trains appropriately. He has his stuffed

animals " talk " to each other. He picks up the phone and pretends to

talk to someone on the other end. He stacks blocks as high as he can

reach and then hands them to me to go higher before they topple

over. He pretends to be Buzz Lightyear.

But get him into a room to evaluate him and he won't perform at all.

Of course we are talking about a room with a stranger, a hundred new

toys he's never seen before and, in one case, a rather impressive

Snoopy collection that he couldn't take his eyes off of (that's what

happened at his school speech evaluation). And they hand him a baby

doll and a spoon and ask him to feed the baby. We don't play with

baby dolls with him at home! He is our only child and he doesn't

have sister's baby doll laying around to pick up and feed! Geez!

What he won't do for his regular therapist is look at her

consistently, which she interprets as a social deficit as opposed to

a sensory issue. We have established that he is a sensory seeker and

is pretty much always in fight or flight mode. He is inconsistent at

home too, but when his sensory needs are being met he is, as I've

read here before, " so normal I could slap him " .

Our ABA experience thus far has just been about turn taking, " give

me___ " and " show me___ " , which he just breezes right through. He

isn't great at turn taking, but what 3 year old is?!

I'm really going to have to do some soul searching about our entire

therapy program right now. We had a really good groove going before

he started public preschool and now everything has gone to heck. I

don't think it is just the stress of a new routine, etc. I think it

is that he is being treated at a lower level than he is capable of

and he knows it coupled with a royally screwed up sensory diet. They

are using the picture (PECS?) system with him to show him when they

are going to transition to a different task and his teacher told me

that during the first week he would look at the picture of the next

area (in this example, it was the " blue table " ), and then look over

at the blue table. I asked her why she didn't just tell him it was

time to go to the blue table, because I know darn well that he would

understand her and do it. She said, no, he wasn't ready for that and

before she ever just talked to him she would first go to the next

level of pointing to the blue table and have him reference it. It is

simply amazing to me that she won't just try it, because I KNOW he

would do it. We don't use pictures at home and he follows commands

all day long (well, again, about as well as a 3 year follows

commands!)

When he was still 2 the early intervention people had told me that

the school system would take over the services he needs when he

turned 3 and my initial reaction was " No way " ! We have always

planned to send him to private school. But as he neared 3 and we had

not yet identified his sensory issues and it was so apparent

something was wrong I spoke with a couple of people who had good

experiences with the school, so we changed our minds and went through

the evaluation process, which was as a horrendously awful

experience. Now I know my initial gut feeling was right.

Sorry that was long, but all it takes right now is to just get me

started and everything starts flooding out. Thanks for listening and

responding.

> >

> > I keep reading that ABA can be harmful for apraxic kids. Could

> someone

> > please elaborate?

> >

>

September 16, 2006

We never used any negatives in her ABA program to encourage my

daughter to speak, nor are negative or punitive methods condoned by

any provider that I have any knowledge of. She always loved her ABA

sessions - our therapists made it a lot of fun for her. She needed the

intensity of it, and she was a lot less frustrated after even just six

months of ABA because she finally had some useful language that she

could use and be understood. We did offer her a variety of positive

reinforcement when she got something right though. Everyone likes to

be rewarded for doing something difficult.

The story of a therapist abusing a disabled child is shocking, but it

isn't a story about ABA. The abuse wasn't related to ABA. If you

contact any of the large providers - CARD, Lovaas LIFE Institute,

Autism Partnership - they will all tell you that they do not use

aversives and that they certainly do not abuse children. Children with

disabilities are more likely to be abused in a variety of settings,

including at school.

No reputable ABA therapist would condone poking, putting a bag over a

child's head, etc. That is abuse, not therapy. I encourage all parents

to make sure they are using a reputable provider, and to use a baby

monitor or videotaping to monitor their child's sessions, particularly

with new therapists. We all have to decide when and how much we trust

care providers and therapists with our kids, regardless if they are

babysitters, speech therapists, or ABA therapists. You will have to

consider these same issues if you hire someone to do any type of therapy.

There is a lot of prejudice against ABA from speech therapists and

those who promote alternatives like RDI and floortime. I hope that

parents will consider the evidence and not just listen to people who

are ill-informed or have their own agenda. Read the surgeon general's

statement and recommendation for ABA.