This picture was taken the day Isla “graduated” from her ABA clinic.
Let’s start with the basics.
Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) therapy is an evidence-based therapy treatment for autism. It is administered and supervised by a Board Certified Behavioral Analyst (BCBA) usually in a clinic setting. The United States Surgeon General recommends two years of aggressive ABA therapy for forty hours per week upon initial autism diagnosis.
Isla had one-on-one ABA therapy for 2 ½ years provided by several BCBAs and therapists within two different clinic settings.
As parents we had weekly to bi-weekly parent trainings where we reviewed Isla’s progress and set goals and learned many of the strategies I shared with you in the post before this.
ABA therapy changed us. It’s that simple.
What is not that simple is that if you were to google Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) and ABA, you would find that most parents and families have found that ABA therapy was not flexible enough for their child with PDA.
When we started ABA therapy I did not know that Isla had PDA. It wasn’t until Isla had completed ABA therapy and was in public school that I began to even question an alternative or additional diagnosis.
BUT if you were to ask one of the many ABA therapists that worked with Isla for 2 ½ years, including the BCBA of 20+ years, no one had seen a kiddo like Isla. She presented with very unique challenges that were not lining up with the standard autistic tendencies while other tendencies lined up with autism perfectly. Now looking back, we all know why.
PDA.
Call it luck, call it a blessing, call it fate, call it God’s favor… however you word it… the only reason ABA worked for Isla was because the therapists who worked with her had big, big hearts and a whole lot of common sense.
The super old and traditional ABA models were very stringent and strict and wouldn’t change or adjust to the child’s needs or goals. Yes that happened BUT that was YEARS AGO.
Just like most things in the medical and clinical world, ABA has evolved. Bright, compassionate people have adjusted it, tweaked it for each child.
THAT IS THE WHOLE POINT of ABA therapy… to create a personalized, unique plan for each child to help them with their individualized needs and goals.
One of the first articles I wrote that made it to national blogs and websites mentioned that we had Isla in ABA therapy. There were hundreds of great, amazing comments and messages but then one person wrote that because we had Isla in ABA therapy we were “abusive” parents.
I still remember the way my body physically reacted to those words.
Abusive. Abuse.
We are a family with a daughter that will never be what society considers a “normal” child. She will never act or talk like anybody her age. This is a reality that my husband and I have not only accepted, but we have embraced. We are a family that has spent years praying, crying, begging, and searching for answers and help. We are a family that has been to hundreds of appointments for behavioral specialists, speech therapists, occupational therapists, neurologists, psychologists, MRIs, EEGs, brain mapping, genetics tests, allergy tests, and ADHD tests. We are a family that has moved away from our home, church, schools, jobs, friends and extended family to find special care and schooling for our daughter to help her reach her fullest potential. We are a family that has been to more ARD meetings to count and attended parent trainings weekly for years. We are a family that has had to empty our savings account several times within 10 years and all of this NOT for the sake of sacrifice but ONLY for LOVE. Just because of super deep, incredibly fierce LOVE.
How cruel is it to tell a family like this—with a beautiful, innocent girl like this—that what they decided was best for her… what they decided after extensive research was her best shot at helping her gain independence and confidence… is abuse.
NO.
Just NO.
Wrongo!
I have heard my friends and family and followers tell me that they were told by either a teacher or therapist or doctor or friend or family member that ABA is abuse and not to try it.
STOP. DO NOT SAY THIS TO FAMILIES. THIS IS WRONG.
Families like ours DESERVE CHOICES.
You do not have to choose ABA therapy for your child but if you do, NO ONE should tell you you are wrong.
Special needs families do not deserve judgement and harassment from anyone.
They are all doing their best with the resources they have.
And guess what? That internet troll who wrote those sick words, “abuse” and “abusive”, may have had a horrible experience with ABA in the past because keep in mind that ANY kind of therapy… speech, occupational, physical and behavioral can be abusive if done incorrectly and/or by someone who is unkind.
ABA therapy is not an end-all fix-all. It is a game-changer when done correctly by licensed, experienced, KIND people.
Recently more and more states are approving ABA to be covered by Medicaid programs including Texas. ABA clinics will begin to be overwhelmed. New ABA clinics will be popping up left and right. New therapists and new BCBAs will join the workforce. As a parent you will have to be vigilant and ask the right questions about training, licensure, background checks, and get history from the Texas State Board of BCBAs, etc.
Also, keep in mind the whole picture.
People, we are not talking about teaching a kid to say “please” and “thank you”. We are talking about ABA helping to teach LIFE-ALTERING skills like using a toilet, holding a cup, learning how to communicate, coping with sensory overload to be able to enjoy the company of siblings. All of the things we enjoy with no effort my daughter deserves too.
Do the research on each clinic and on each BCBA. You will find the great ones because I did.
Lastly let’s talk about schools. True ABA therapy with extensive data collection and one-on-one scenarios is not realistic for an overwhelmed school district to implement for all of their students with autism. BUT the foundational model, the ideas, the strategies, the investigative mind, the compassionate heart, the patient hands and determined spirit can exist in any classroom… ABA or not.
