@autistic-af
I wanted to reply to your tags on that one post for the article about the (lack of) efficacy of ABA. It’s me, though, so this is going to be a wall of text and out of respect I’m not adding this to the notes of an important thread.
I believe you when you say your parents truly, and with the best compassion in the world, believed the therapy you went to as a child was “beneficial.”
Success for these kinds of treatments are measured on three different types of outcomes
Usefulness and comfort to the patient.
Usefulness and reduction of effort to the parents or other people in direct authority to patient.
Matching the expected behaviors of the surrounding culture - that is, “fits in.”
Traditionally, sadly, the primary viewpoint of ABA therapy is that achieving success in points 2 and 3 obviously means success for point 1.
I mean, obviously.
…..
Except in the wealth of experiences from other minority groups, look at (non radical) feminism and replace “parents” with “spouse” for point 2 for an easy case study.
The thing is, “fitting in” with “expected behaviors” and making life “easier” for the people in authority over you….
Doesn’t actually mean you’re living your best life.
Just that you’re not upsetting the people with power.
Now, and this is important, society as a whole lies about this.
We see this regularly, of course, and there’s never ending cycles of pushback between disenfranchised groups and the existing status quo over this.
But even seeing it play out in our own lives… If you do manage to at least break even in the status quo, it’s easy to slip into the complacency of believing the lie of “fitting in.”
That of your child who is struggling just - stops looking like they’re struggling, obviously they’re doing better.
The sad thing is, however, ABA and related philosophies sees “stops struggling” as the end goal.
It doesn’t matter why the patient has “stopped,” it just matters that it happens.
Compliancy, over actual healing.
And so, the patients are literally forced to lie for self protection.
You can’t show struggling, because you’re only going to be punished more for struggling.
You have to accept being broken, as the only alternative to being regularly hurt on top of being broke.
And parents who mean well? Parents we love, who honestly want the best for us, who we see hurting when we are hurting?????????
Well, one thing ABA teaches is how to lie about suffering.
And so, while it was happening, a child in ABA has every single reason in the universe to not tell their loving, well meaning parents that that are being made to hate themselves.
And this ends up with neurotypical people in authority - especially Applied Behavior Analysts- to think it worked.
Achieving compliance meant success, so obviously the patient is also now able to lead their best life.
Which is also why people who do mean well but have been experiencing the system from the professional end honestly believe it has been helpful, and the people complaining are either an insignificant minority or have ulterior motives.
Success was achieved. They saw it.
You have to convince them that, well….
Testimonies under torture usually can’t be trusted.
