Submitted by Ductomaniac t3_10wgrhp in WorcesterMA
georgelopezshowlover t1_j7p5iw1 wrote
Reply to comment by Puzzleheaded-Phase70 in Autism and Schools by Ductomaniac
I can guarantee you’ve never taught special education. If we want students to fail in the real world that IN NO WAY will magically change to know “how to function with autistic differences,” then we can do it your way. We can’t even see people of color as equals in this society. Cmon now, be realistic.
Puzzleheaded-Phase70 t1_j7pay06 wrote
I can guarantee that you're the kind of special education teacher that made my life and many of my autistic friends' lives horrible.
georgelopezshowlover t1_j7pikei wrote
I would also say that you are obviously on the mild side of the spectrum for autism. You may not have needed ABA and it’s unfair when all students with autism are shoved into one classroom. I do things differently. It’s also apparent that, if your lives were horrible, then ABA was not used correctly. The focus is positive reinforcement. Many teachers are so used to using negative reinforcement that the switch is hard. But again, ABA used in the way it’s supposed to be is immensely helpful.
georgelopezshowlover t1_j7pi73u wrote
We all have bad teachers, I get it. That doesn’t mean we need to get rid of something that helps the majority.
Puzzleheaded-Phase70 t1_j7rdwrh wrote
Please please please start listening to actual autistic adults (and kids, for that matter).
The overwhelming majority of the community condemns most special education programs, and especially and ABA as fundamentally abusive, and mostly pointless. Most autistic adults, including myself, have spent years undoing what they were "taught" in social ed programs in order to become both more healthy and more able.
SomeHomeOwner t1_j7qx9he wrote
Your chip on your shoulder stemming from your own personal bad experiences is clouding your judgement and making you a liability to those in the autistic community looking for guidance. Your bias is a serious problem that could be potentially harmful to those in need.
Puzzleheaded-Phase70 t1_j7rf0su wrote
I learned this viewpoint FROM autistic people other than myself.
My parents did a different wrong thing - they "mainstreamed" me with zero supports and didn't even tell me about my own (bad) diagnosis. I've been trying to catch up my whole life.
SomeHomeOwner t1_j7vbk2i wrote
You said it yourself. You had a bad experience because you were not exposed to the best supports, and you had an extenuating situation of your own family basically sabotaging you. Don't get me wrong.. the issue here is way beyond you yourself.. I'm not saying you're somehow damaged goods.. but the advice you give is very jaded and is over-compensating sharply in what is now generally considered the wrong direction. Is every program great? No, of course not. But telling someone to shun all of the orgs out there and just go with homeschooling and social isolation and hope that society as a whole suddenly just changes direction to accommodate those with ASD is incredibly short sighted. It's a two way street. Society DOES need to better accommodate ASD and actually all types of differences in general.. but those with ASD should also be assisted to better acclimate to the society in which we all live.
Puzzleheaded-Phase70 t1_j7web3q wrote
You're acting like I'm a lone wolf on this topic, which means you haven't been listening to actual autistics. Including right here on this thread, because I'm not the only one.
SomeHomeOwner t1_j7zvy0i wrote
You're deeply in the minority. It's really not even close. You're too jaded to see the big picture.
Puzzleheaded-Phase70 t1_j82hvb1 wrote
You're too bound up in your personal worldview to that it's not the only one.
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