tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5426050656197929065.post1192187522921960610..comments2024-03-19T18:36:41.875-04:00Comments on Yes, That Too: Advice to the parentsAlyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06413844178426365789noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5426050656197929065.post-21611052851374790722013-06-01T22:37:08.983-04:002013-06-01T22:37:08.983-04:00Very thoughtful blog. Inspired me to add my own ...Very thoughtful blog. Inspired me to add my own experience at http://hansaspergerjunior.blogspot.com/2013/06/supporting-your-children-with-aspergers.htmlAsperger+https://www.blogger.com/profile/14446659806594105724noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5426050656197929065.post-77953142208827422172013-06-01T21:46:12.708-04:002013-06-01T21:46:12.708-04:00In the 60s precocious loners were considered prett...In the 60s precocious loners were considered pretty typical in my family. So i was helped but not changed. Listened to but not told. Got married at 28, started communication counseling at 35 but only diagnosed after 50. <br /><br />Biggest regret that I never was given the insight into my own situation in a positive uplifting manner - like "some things will take more time. but you'll get there". Would have taken care of lots of worry <br /><br />Do what you should do with all kids: encouragement is the best medicin. with lots of that you can make many mistakes. Asperger+https://www.blogger.com/profile/14446659806594105724noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5426050656197929065.post-29353331197414211732013-06-01T19:49:34.319-04:002013-06-01T19:49:34.319-04:00THANK YOU for noting "Applied Behavioral Ana...THANK YOU for noting "Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) is not a therapy itself, and the therapies based off it range from very good from very bad, as do the practitioners. One parent talks about how she uses ABA here, and it's one example of using it safely and helpfully."<br /><br />I am an autistic adult and 2 of my 3 kids are autistic. Because of negative attention ABA receives, I never looked into it. However, after trying several schooling types for my 9 - now 10yo son who needs more supports, we tried homeschool, private/Montessori and public w/horribly poor results. The worst of which was his dissatisfaction. So we tried a school that uses ABA - positive reinforcement model. I had many meetings with the school admin and staff, visits, etc... before enrolling him. I was adamant that punishment play no part and made it very clear that my son did not need 'fixing.' That he be allowed to be his amazing autistic self. Admin assured me that this was their philosophy, so we enrolled him last fall. Stimming is acceptable, eye contact is not forced, and punishment is never a reinforcer. It is the only school my son has happily gone to. He uses some language, but was able to choose his communication device (iPad) and Apps and he is being taught to use them. Which made us ecstatic - other school wanted to use only ST and we were never given option of Asst Tech. At his new school, he has shown more progress socially and academically than in any other setting we tried. Most importantly: HE likes it there! HE is happy there :)<br /><br />So I wanted to thank you for pointing out that ABA based therapies used safely and helpfully, and with good practitioners, can be a good thing. In our son's case he is happier and much more self-confident than he's ever been! Renee Salashttp://srsalas.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5426050656197929065.post-36946691217831698262012-12-01T16:54:29.932-05:002012-12-01T16:54:29.932-05:00^Word. We're people, not time bombs..
Another...^Word. We're people, not time bombs..<br /><br />Another thing that stuck out for me was people and supports. What never occurs to most people is that neurotypical people also use supports! The self-proclaimed "autism community" doesn't seem to have the empathy/theory of mind/honesty to appreciate this. What makes the "able" so able? It's simply that those considered "able" are those whose needs have been best anticipated and provided for by their society. We autistics often have different, less common needs. They are functioning in their ideal environment, and we are dealing with one that is far from ideal or easy from us. High-functioning neurotypicals don't have to ask for additional supports because they are automatically given what they need - but apparently, it is burdensome (and this is elevated to an issue of morality! whence comes the eugenic talk) for the rest of us to reasonably expect most of our needs to be met, to have an environment we can live in without undue difficulty.<br /><br />They talk about the cost of having autistics in a society. What is never mentioned is the payoff that comes from providing us with the tools we need - the astonishing, earth-shaking contributions autistics make (and have always made) to every field, from art to philosophy to medicine to science to spirituality. They don't bother to consider how much it would benefit themselves, even, if more of us were able to be in environments that support and foster our abilities. They are too busy being scared of us.. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5426050656197929065.post-25965344302334850952012-09-01T11:58:11.577-04:002012-09-01T11:58:11.577-04:00Wow--YES to the "safe to leave alone."
...Wow--YES to the "safe to leave alone."<br /><br />I was completely fine being left alone for short periods of time (half an hour or so) when I was 5 or 6. SOME autistic kids have no sense of danger or boundaries, but this is not universal; autism is not a synonym for "no sense of caution or personal safety." There are parents online who generalize about this, and I find it really dangerous to kids for whom it's not true...who in fact have over-developed senses of fear and caution, who would benefit from the responsibility for themselves or engaging in healthy exploration. It's a recipe for a child never having any privacy or alone-time, which are necessary to learning to be responsible for yourself. You just have to be familiar with your own kid's level of good sense.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com