This week I focused on the contention surrounding ABA as a legitimate resource for autistic communities. Contention surrounding ABA protocol continues to nuance autism advocacy over time, especially within the division between autistic self-advocated and non-autistic parents (Rottier and Gernsbacher, 2020). During the 1990s, non-autistic parents and professionals spearheaded initial autism advocacy movements. The goals of related projects revolved around obtaining screening, early intervention, and finding a “cure” for autism. The focus on medicalizing neurobiological differences illustrates a key component of past and current rhetoric affiliated with non-autistic parents (Baker and Lang, 2017). ABA fits neatly within this category. Reviewing the website for the ABA company I worked for, I was immediately struck by the neurotypical language. Their commitment to “utilizing the most effective … teaching methodologies to bring about meaningful change in the lives of those we support” holds overtly saviorist overtones (Cultivate, 2022). Continuing my literature review, I found a variety of work by autistic scholars pointing out the problematic nature of enforcing neurotypical frameworks on individuals with neurodiverse identities (Feinberg and Vacca, 2000; Lynch, 2021; Nolan and McBride; 2015; Sandoval-Norton, 2019). Practices such as 40 hours of weekly programming, IQ measures of efficacy, prompt generalization, and downregulation of stemming behavior highlight particularly contentious issues. I plan to cite these works in my annotated bibliography and use them as a key component of my second art piece. Autism activism showcases the resistance of autistic scholars against the medicalization of autism. One historic clash between the Non-Autistic parent movement and Autistic self-advocacy groups featured autistic resistance against a New York billboard advertising Autism clinics which depicted autistic children as “being held hostage by a psychiatric disease”. This dispute embodies the conflict between neurotypical and neurodiverse frameworks. Over the upcoming weeks, I plan to expand upon this research.
Refrences
Baker, J. P., & Lang, B. (2017). Eugenics and the origins of autism. Pediatrics, 140(2).
Cultivate Behavioral Health and Education (2022) Who We Are.
Feinberg, E., & Vacca, J. (2000). The drama and trauma of creating policies on autism: Critical issues to consider in the new millennium. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 15(3), 130-137.
Lynch, C. L. (2021, August 13). Invisible abuse: Aba and the things only autistic people can see. The Autism Spectrum According to Autistic People. Retrieved May 8, 2022, from https://neuroclastic.com/invisible-abuse-aba-and-the-things-only-autistic-people-can-see/
Nolan, J., & McBride, M. (2015). Embodied semiosis: Autistic ‘stimming’ as sensory praxis. In International handbook of semiotics (pp. 1069-1078). Springer, Dordrecht.
Rottier, H., & Gernsbacher, M. A. (2020). Autistic adult and non-autistic parent advocates: Bridging the divide. In Disability alliances and allies. Emerald Publishing Limited.