Agree. I saw some increased negative behaviors with one of the aides although it really wasn't her fault and she was working really hard, just more of that my child didn't seem to vibe with her and was getting frustrated. I pointed it out and she was replaced eventually with another aide that was great even though she was new to the company. Eventually she quit and things got chaotic so we switched companies altogether and this new place is awesome.

I have read the opinions and tried to have conversations with actually autistic people regarding their experiences with ABA and my takeaway from has been the same as another response-that these people were on the higher functioning end of the spectrum and probably experienced ABA in it's infancy when the therapy looked a lot different than it does today, or they have been parents who read that ABA is bad and have never tried or even looked into it further. The things that they have described as cruel are things I have never seen done with my child, and even the things that she does not like about therapy are done in her own best interest to manage her violent, dangerous and unhygienic behaviors. For those of us with children with profound end of the spectrum, the progress can be slow but meaningful. I am very involved in her programming and for 2 years it was done in-house and I was present for it all. I do believe that it is her best chance for any sort of life outside of a care home where she will be drugged, lonely and potentially abused, so let anyone judge me for my choice, I don't care. I would recommend it to anyone who can't seem to find a way to help their child. Don't believe what you read. The modern approach focuses on communication and play-based learning. Frequent breaks are given, no restraint is used and goals update weekly and sometimes even daily depending on the needs of the child and the challenges they need to overcome. And if you don't like something, say something and your child's therapist will take a different approach or drop the idea altogether. I will say that she is also in speech therapy and in OT with a sensory focus to help further our goals for her, and at home she gets our total undivided attention with many cuddles and minimal work to give her a break. We just try to keep up with her school learning as best we can for consistency. She may never be normal but her life has been improving with the new skills she is learning and the new things we are practicing with her that we have been coached on. Her biting, head-banging and extended destructive tantrums have decreased while her communication and play skills have increased. It works. Research backs it. Insurance usually covers it. You can quit if you want to. You have nothing to lose trying it. You're wasting time if you wait.

@A MyAutismTeam Member good points don’t waste time waiting- and I would add- don’t be afraid to get rid of the bad aides or the ones who just don’t click with your child or you get bad vibes about. There was an OT once who said to him in a nasty voice “you don’t talk to me like that or I will hang up and end this session” (was on Zoom). After hearing that, I picked up the phone and requested a change, and switched to a nicer more patient OT. And I have done it with aides, no matter how many others were telling me how great they are. If I saw him getting more frustrated and more aggressive, and they were claiming it was him, I trusted my gut and switched to nicer more patient aides.

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A MyAutis...

@A MyAutismTeam Member maybe you could tell us what some of the autistics adults have told you about their experiences?

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A MyAutis...

"Personally, from the autistic individuals that I know who are adults now have had nothing good to say about it."

Usually people with that opinion are higher functioning and ABA was probably a waste of time for them. They speak for themselves and believe in self advocating. When they start trashing Autism Speaks I tune out because I've heard their point of view before and my daughter will never be able to write well enough to write a complaint. My daughter has been in ABA for 6 years and she would like to just sit and stare at her tablet or phone but that's not interacting with people. ABA was the only therapy that has some studies behind it. Other people make claims but they don't have much science behind it. There's a lot of people with cures and therapy for desperate people with deep pockets.