CW: Post discusses ABA and possibly Trauma, internalized ableism
Hello there! I’m currently researching the issue of ABA. I’m reading a lot about the criticisms, but most of the resources I found so far are (likely) made by level 1 autistics. As level 2 and level 3 autistics are not as well represented within autism self-advocacy, I would like to understand their position better on the topic. A usual defense for ABA is that it can help high-support-needs autistics to learn important skills, but I would like to read about that from an autistic perspective.
So if there are resources on the subject you can recommend, I’ll be grateful! thank you
edit: I’m updating because users in this thread changed my view on this issue. I’ve been caught up in functioning label, which at the end of the day “levels” of autism still are. Here is what changed my mind:
Those needs you are looking for in an autistic person are completely and utterly irrelevant to you as a reader of their experience, and as far as you’re concerned any or all of the people who have already written about their experience of ABA fit in to your narrow and ignorant category, they just didn’t mention it because again - it isn’t fucking relevant.
There is no reason for me to specifically look for “level 2 or 3” autistics since their experiences are valid, regardless of them disclosing their support needs. It is ableist to expect them to disclose to me how “disabled” they are in order for me to validate their experience. Thanks @[email protected] and @[email protected] for helping me understand this. So in a way I found the answers I was looking for, and now I have some thinking to do
So those are all me. ABA still sucks. Im okay with admitting that, but I would think that you’d have to be pretty vulnerable to share that info, and not everyone is there. Maybe you have received perspectives from people with those issues who have chosen to not communicate those aspects of their selves.
Right? It’s like this person is looking for some messed up twist on inspiration porn/voyeuristic experience where they need to read about how hard a person might find to wipe their ass before they’ll consider their experience relevant, it’s such bizarre, and ableist, gatekeeping…
ouch, that hurts. But point taken.
you are right. It is inconsiderate of me to expect people to disclose vulnerabilities in order to have their perspectives validated. I wouldn’t want to be treated that way either.