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A Controversial Autism Treatment Is About to Become a Big Business

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Re: A Controversial Autism Treatment Is About to Become a Big Business

#61
post #12

Horrific. Autism is about neural difference not deficiency . The problem is neurotypical societies pathologising and disabling neurodivergent people. What this article discusses is analogous to treatment for homosexuality. Shame on you, Duke university.

"It is estimated that 25% to 50% of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) never develop spoken language beyond a few words or utterances." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonverbal_autism

Trying to help these mute children gain speech. Horrific.

Re: A Controversial Autism Treatment Is About to Become a Big Business

#62
post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Like with ADHD, the benefit of a diagnosis is usually more 1-on-1 time with a teacher, which leads to better scholastic outcomes regardless of if the underlying issue is truly present.

> Like with ADHD, the benefit of a diagnosis is usually more 1-on-1 time with a teacher Funny, they wanted to put me on Ritalin, not give me more 1-on-1 time.

I wish I had been on ritalin at school. As an adult I have found my ability to retain, recall, and communicate information is so much stronger when I am on ritalin than when I am not. But, alas, I was not and here I am, decades later, trying to decide whether the expense of gaining a degree would be repaid with my remaining years in the workforce.

Re: A Controversial Autism Treatment Is About to Become a Big Business

#63
post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My son's speech therapist described ABA as horse breaking, and the (way more humane) approach she uses as horse whispering. The approach she uses is JASPER: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34348479/ Edit: a part of the criticism I've heard for ABA is that it doesn't generalise, so kids know how to function only in a very limited set of circumstances and are often frozen with anxiety outside of them. It is also an all…

That's definitely true re: all consuming. It literally became my mom's entire purpose, and from the moment she woke up to the moment she went to bed she was working to get her daughter to talk.

I'm in a similar mindset but won't do ABA - my son is minimally verbal but has come along at a gentle pace since we started. I'm quietly confident that just engaging him and building his joint attention will do the right thing.

Re: A Controversial Autism Treatment Is About to Become a Big Business

#64
post #34

Wtf, how is it legal to charge people thousands of dollars for a medical treatment that has no evidence it does anything. Seems like the worst kind of predatory business.

Better to try and do something than end up with a rart after doing nothing.

This is exactly the kind of thinking these people count on.

Re: A Controversial Autism Treatment Is About to Become a Big Business

#65
post #34

Wtf, how is it legal to charge people thousands of dollars for a medical treatment that has no evidence it does anything. Seems like the worst kind of predatory business.

Better to try and do something than end up with a rart after doing nothing.

Dispicable language. 'Rart' has no place on HN.
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