Education of People with Autism

[JAREDMICHALLE]

I'm autistic,and really I'm a lot smarter than I would seem at first.You just have to get to know me a bit.

[Amilee84]

Then I found your videos and a whole new scenery opened up for me. You are absolutely right; there aren't enough testimonies from people who actually were born with these disabilities. It's like they only give you the DOCTOR's perspective; THEIR take on the subject, which is a shame.

Unfortunately I don't know enough about ABA to comment on that... I'll try to document myself a little! But I liked how you explained the pro and cons, it came off as a really balanced and comprehensive overview.

[gorramdoll]

wow, I'm glad. I feel like I don't really have enough experience to do a good overview though. I mean, I've only spent time in two places (a disorganized class for autistic kids, and a very strict, ABA-based school for autistic kids where I've watched a lot of ABA) and not for that long.

But, yeah--there are enough classically autistic people who get language and would be able to discuss this stuff. And I don't think the opinions of Asperger's people should be totally ignored either.

[Amilee84]

THANK YOU for posting this.

I've been studying Sign Language for a while, and of course I came across many books about language acquisition in children with disabilities; they were mainly focused on how to teach communication to children with different degrees of autism.

[dietcokewithcherry]

Discouraging someone from seeming autistic in my eyes is like telling a gay person to live a heterosexual life just because it's 'more acceptable'. And I believe 'more acceptable' in many cases is just a less harsh way of phrasing 'more accesible' to people who can't or won't conform to an autistic mindset to any degree at all.

The main thing in educating someone, whether they're autistic or not, is that they need to be respected as an individual in order to comfortably process information.

[dietcokewithcherry]

The issue in ABA as well as most other educational approaches towards autism is the lack of understanding from professionals, not from autism itself and all the scholarly knowledge surrounding it, but from the way it functions within people on the spectrum. In order to achieve an effective and fair method of teaching autistics, the higher functioning corner of the spectrum needs to be acknowledged more as a means of gaining expertise from an inside perspective.

[dietcokewithcherry]

Another issue I've had lately is the fear inflicted upon higher functioning autistics by society and, even more so, by professionals. I could name eight people in my personal environment who are higher functioning, on the spectrum, and working in a situation where they witness misunderstanding in working with lower-functioning (mostly non-verbal) autistics--

[dietcokewithcherry]

but they don't speak up towards the professionals because of the way higher functioning people have been undervalued for so long and are almost made to believe their understanding of autism isn't worthy

[dietcokewithcherry]

Higher functioning people on the spectrum need to overcome their fear of standing up for those who need it, and 'experts' need to overcome their fear of admitting that their scholarly knowledge alone is usually insufficient and that applying the insight of higher functioning autistics would be a good way of shaping education of autistic people and decreasing the amount of misunderstanding within it.

[dietcokewithcherry]

Misunderstanding, more often than not, leads to mistreatment. And if that isn't acknowledged and dealt with appropriately, ultimately we could call that abuse.

I doubt I make much sense, but it makes me angry.

[gorramdoll]

argh...I know I should probably say something at the school I'm interning at. But also, I really do admire them a ton and I'm just a kid. Even my mom says I should say something, though.

The other day the head of the school was explaining to me why they force mouthwash into a kid's mouth when he stims too much (it was vocalizing, so I can see why that wasn't so good during a lesson, maybe? but I know they also do that if he's vocalizing during his free time which is unfair).

[dietcokewithcherry]

Maybe you should, but you'd have to do it in your own time and you'd have to find someone open-minded enough to listen. I'd probably try to write a balanced essay before my departure, but I can't really see what your situation is like, and I trust you'd make the best choice yourself.

Maybe you are just a kid, but you're a kid with at least some answers. Don't undervalue yourself. I think you're pretty much amazing. I cried my eyes out in a recent music video of yours in which you stimmed, haha.

[dietcokewithcherry]

Anyway, I hope you didn't feel like I was attacking you. I honestly wasn't. You seem wise enough to weigh out the cons and pros of saying something at the school you're interning at, and to do whatever's best. Not attacking you at all. Just attacking ..the world.

[gorramdoll]

Oh no, I didn't think you were attacking me at all! And I'm sorry the video made you cry. I'm just sort of rediscovering stimming as a coping mechanism instead of, like I said, a kind of bulimia. And I think it's partly seeing kids not being allowed to do it that made me realize how important it was.

Anyway when she was talking to me she said, "We don't know why he does this, but he must be getting some kind of reinforcement" so they're doing all this stuff, and she demonstrated what his stim

[gorramdoll]

used to be like and how they've removed elements of it (I think it was vocalizing with rocking and moving his hand back a certain way, and now it's just vocalizing).

and I just wanted to be like...um, there are ASD people who talk. For example, the person sitting in your office right now. And there are autistic kids in THIS VERY SCHOOL who have developed good language. ASK THEM WHY THEY STIM.

[gorramdoll]

oh, when you were interning with the kid from your song, was in a school setting, or what?

[dietcokewithcherry]

I stimmed in one of my videos and I deleted it and never put it up, because I thought no one would want to see it. But I loved it in your video, so if I cried it was in a good way. :-)

I know what you mean about realising the importance of it from seeing how others aren't allowed; it makes you think. I didn't speak up about the kid from my song much, to be honest, because I knew I couldn't phrase it in an acceptable manner.

[dietcokewithcherry]

An example of when I did say something was when he had one of his bad/agressive days (I have a few scars from having worked with him actually). His 'mentor' said "Ohmygod he's really suffering from his autism today isn't he?" and I got angry and said "Really? To be honest, I think he's suffering from your fucking stupidity" -- that nearly got me fired. I'm no good at containing my anger. Oh and it was not in a school setting, it was an 'activity group' for severely mentally disabled kids.

[dietcokewithcherry]

Does the head of this school know about your Aspergers? I think you mentioned once or twice that none of them knew? Either way, I get your drift. The answers are all out there somewhere, professionals really just need to open their minds and see it. I know must of them have the best intentions, so I don't hold anything against them per say, but I'm still waiting for the day higher functioning autistics are acknowledged more. You're doing a good job vlogging on youtube, don't stop. Ever. :-)

[gorramdoll]

That's so awesome that you said that!

she asked if I had an autistic person in my family when I was interviewing, and I said my dad and I had AS, but then my mom spoke to her once when she tried to call me about scheduling, and mentioned that I had AS, and she apparently didn't know? so...yeah.

thanks you should do more talking videos too.