Autism Support South Lanarkshire

This is the child.

The one we say is too loud, too quiet, too distracted, too active, too shy, too stubborn, too immature, too disruptive, too slow...or just, too difficult.

You know the child. She’s the one who doesn’t fit neatly in the classroom box. The one we label a problem. The one we try to change.

But I can assure you this child doesn’t want to be a problem. See, it’s not that she doesn’t understand what is expected of her. She really does. It’s that she finds the path that leads to meeting those expectations suffocating.

We’ve set a single standard for what every child should learn, where and how they should learn it, when they should have it learned by, and how they need to go about proving that they have. This standard is non-negotiable and unrelenting for more than a decade. How a child performs against it becomes central to their life narrative, laying a permanent lens over how they see themselves among family, friends and their community. It becomes a key part of how other people describe them, and significantly affects their self-confidence and mental health as it weaves its way into the fabric of their lives.

This is the child who day after day, week after week, and year after year has to find a way to make things work in an environment that is completely at odds with the way her brain was wired before she was even born.

This child is not a problem. This child, just like the millions of others like her, does not need to change.

What we expect of her, however, does.

A good programme should look like
“A child enjoying their sessions with their tutor” ❤️

“We don’t recommend traditional/standard/pure ABA”

I often read sentences like this in evaluation reports, or families will tell me the pediatrician, or the Psychologist recommended ABA, but only “developmental, play based” ABA. Not “traditional” ABA.

I will try to keep this non-confusing, and not overly clinical: These sentiments reflect a lack of understanding about what ABA actually is. It’s the application of a science, to change a behavior.

That’s it.

There is no one way to do that, and no one way that should look.

Yes, when most consumers think of ABA they picture sitting at a small table with flashcards. The ABA Publicist has done a pretty crap job of showing the public what we actually do on a day-to-day basis. We should definitely fire her.

So when people say they don’t want “traditional” ABA, I see that as an opportunity to educate and inform. To explain that ABA is not one thing, it is actually incredibly vast. It is not one strategy, it is not pulling tricks out of a magical behavior sack, and it is not normalization 101. No.

A play- based session full of crawling on the floor and rolling out Play Dough is ABA.

So is a teacher using direct instruction in the classroom and comparing Spring data to Fall data to make teaching decisions.

So is a manager utilizing a data-based performance system to increase staff productivity.

So is a teen following a visual checklist to learn how to independently shower.

These are all examples of how ABA can look, or how it can be implemented with a client.
It is not just flashcards, gummi bears, and little tables.

To people who live outside of our world:

I have a favor to ask you.

When you see that child screaming uncontrollably on the floor of the supermarket.

Stop.

Pause.

And…

Before you blame the parents,

Before you shake your head in disgust,

Before you make snide comments about lack of discipline,

And most importantly, before you judge the child,

Stop.

And know that…

You may be seeing autism at its most challenging. It’s most confusing.

A child who may simply have seen, heard, or smelled something new and not quite right.

A teen who cannot communicate.

An adult who is overwhelmed.

A person who is trying so hard to live in a world that doesn’t understand them.

And they responded in the only way they know how.

And the parent, well, they are doing their absolute best to help their child through something really hard. And they are doing it with an audience. And under a microscope.

So, stop. Stop judging. Stop blaming. Stop shaming. And pause.

And…

Try to understand. Try to help if possible. Try to learn.

Give grace.

Or move on.

I love this perspective. Autism is a spectrum that encompasses an infinite variety of abilities and personalities and temperaments and interests and skills and circumstances. It is not static or one-dimensional. That’s why it’s called a spectrum. The challenges those living with autism and their families face, though, are often immense in a world where social ‘norms’ are designed to enforce conformity and corporate efficiency instead of embracing the vivid potential for growth and evolution and expression inherent in humanity and individuality.
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I have three children with sensory processing disorder — one moderate, one moderate to borderline severe, and one severe; two with autism; one with severe anxiety disorder; three with ADHD; and one with visual processing, audio processing, vestibular, and proprioceptive disorders, among other issues. All have their own unique challenges. And I have family members with autism and friends raising children with autism. I see the struggles they face, as well. So I certainly won’t deny or minimize the challenges living with autism presents. But reframing those challenges and struggles and bringing them into the natural spectrum of human experience is long overdue. We are all human. We are different. We are the same.
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Picking out our differences, whatever they may be, and putting them outside of our conception of human ‘norms’ is like picking out all the pieces in a kaleidoscope and leaving only one color, one size, one shape. Without all of the diversity of humankind and all of the vivid colors on the spectrum of ability and potential, it’s no longer a kaleidoscope at all. It’s just a hollow tube of rocks that don’t reflect the brilliant array of the human experience.
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So to all of the parents and families and friends living with and loving those with autism or any other color on the spectrum of humanity, and to those of you who are unique pieces in the kaleidoscope of humanity yourselves: I see you. I hear you. I am you. You are stunningly beautiful. And you belong.
- L.R.Knost
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🌍Raising Humans Kind: http://t.co/T8goym3P6Z 🌎
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Fighting a rare, incurable cancer, but I'm still here!💞 -L.R.

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This is an app which was designed by one of my ASD students! I’m so proud🤩

Bugaddy

I have t personally watched this but looks interesting

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