something about aba therapy that i feel is worth noting:
aba therapists are the only type of therapists in the united states that are not required to have a college degree in order to practice. the vast majority of aba therapists i've met don't have one.
then what are the requirements, you may ask?
be at least 18. have a high school diploma. complete a few hours of general training.
that's it.
they're also allowed to teach your child literally whatever they want. i saw a video of someone the other day who was put thru aba as a child. they were obsessed with the color blue, so what did the aba therapist do? gave every child in their class except them a blue piece of paper for weeks until they stopped crying about it. aka, until they were too numb to the emotional pain of being left out to react anymore.
i guess the end goal was to make them...not like...the color blue anymore? like, seriously. what was the point of that???
they teach children to smile on command even when they don't feel happy. they teach autistic children not to stim - something that has been proven not only beneficial but necessary for autistic people's wellbeing.
they can withhold water, food, or affection from your child until the child complies with whatever behavior they want them to complete. i wish i was joking.
this is literal child abuse.
the only therapy that does not require a degree to practice, abusive as hell, manipulative, they are literally allowed to teach your child whatever the hell they want...and yet it's also the only therapy for autistic children that is covered by most insurance companies.
make it make sense.
When you watch ABA training in action, you realize that it’s dog training. It’s dog training a human child who can’t advocate for better treatment or more respect. I hate it with every fiber of my being.
PEOPLE ARE LITERALLY TREATING OTHER PEOPLE WORSE THAN DOGS AND ITS COVERED BY INSURANCE