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Autistic Individual performing Behavior Intervention. Any thoughts?

D

DreamEagle

Well-Known Member
Hello everyone! I just wanted to reach out to the community because I'd like to share my line of work and some of my successes, concerns, and thoughts. I am a behavior interventionist that utilizes ABA methods and I really enjoy working with all of my clients. They are mostly children diagnosed with Autism, like me. Some can be low functioning, while others are high functioning. Sometimes I feel like I get discouraged because as an individual diagnosed with Autism, I feel like I don't give my clients the proper service that they need. On top of that, I feel that some of the parents that I work with can be judgmental of my work ethic, and that can really put me in a negative vibe because I do all that I can to help their child yet I feel like some parents expect a different style from me, even if I can make a connection with the child and do all that I can to give behavior therapy to my clients. Sometimes I feel that the parents detect my gift, without me even telling the parents or anybody else of my condition EVER. Fortunately, I have a really supportive supervisor and some parents that I work with support me as well. Sometimes I feel like disclosing my condition but at the same time I don't want to. Does anyone have any thoughts or advice that I can use?
 
I teach autistic students have done for 10 year or more i tell parents i have Aspergers to make them feel more settled and i also tell some of my asperger students to give them an insite if you like that with the right support there are goals you can achieve oh and welcome by the way so yes i would tell parents
 
My experience has shown me that because you share in the truth and the pain and the joy that is autism, you have an understanding of it on a level that is far above what those without could ever achieve. The books I read about it, gave me information. But the books that were true accounts of people with, moved me from looking at a bunch of information about it in denial to a logical understanding that I definitely have it. And so I believe that you are the better teacher for it.
In regard to disclosure, we may not have responsibility to and often times it is easy to feel less confident. Autism is simply a way of labeling for the purpose of understanding, how a certain group of people behave.
I believe that the best teachers out there are the ones who care the most and it sounds to me like you are one.
I also believe that by following your heart you will know if, and you will know when.
Peace
 
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I used to enroll in a psychology course because I want to be a clinical psychologist. I expect to work with clients with autism, and help myself better. I do not see anything wrong with someone having autism trying to do something that helps people like them. It was unfortunate that I dropped out of the course :(

Just do what you can do. You have the experience of crawling out of your little world and reaching out. You can bring your personal 'feel' to others like you. :)
 
Thanks everyone. Sometimes I can feel a bit discouraged but I'm glad to have read everyone's experiences, thoughts, and support on this thread. This is a field I plan on staying for years to come and wish to help people with Autism or with special needs as much as I can
 
My experience growing up in the 1960's as a person with emotional/perceptual disabilities (they didn't call it autism then) was that I felt very much that the adults around me (teachers, parents, counselors) were more interested in making me a docile, passive, obedient little girl than actually preparing me for life. There was a lot of micromanaging of my behavior and words, yet as I got older no one seemed interested in helping me make the transition to being an independently functioning adult. It was almost like, "you are on your own now." When I needed help, when I wanted help, it wasn't there.

I am wondering if you are running into this sort of attitude, that you want to empower your students because you know as an autistic person what challenges they will face, but that the powers that be around you do not want this because it is too threatening. There is a reluctance in our society to talk about what happens when autistic children grow up. I have had parents tell me that they are concerned that the school seems to be more interested in controlling their "problem" child than actually teaching him or her real skills he or she will need later on in life. Yes, autistic kids do need to learn that some behaviors aren't acceptable, but they also need to learn how to problem-solve, be proactive, think for themselves, and not just passively do what someone in authority tells them to. Because there are people that will exploit that passivity and obedience.
 
Spinning Compass said:
My experience growing up in the 1960's as a person with emotional/perceptual disabilities (they didn't call it autism then) was that I felt very much that the adults around me (teachers, parents, counselors) were more interested in making me a docile, passive, obedient little girl than actually preparing me for life. There was a lot of micromanaging of my behavior and words, yet as I got older no one seemed interested in helping me make the transition to being an independently functioning adult. It was almost like, "you are on your own now." When I needed help, when I wanted help, it wasn't there.

I am wondering if you are running into this sort of attitude, that you want to empower your students because you know as an autistic person what challenges they will face, but that the powers that be around you do not want this because it is too threatening. There is a reluctance in our society to talk about what happens when autistic children grow up. I have had parents tell me that they are concerned that the school seems to be more interested in controlling their "problem" child than actually teaching him or her real skills he or she will need later on in life. Yes, autistic kids do need to learn that some behaviors aren't acceptable, but they also need to learn how to problem-solve, be proactive, think for themselves, and not just passively do what someone in authority tells them to. Because there are people that will exploit that passivity and obedience.
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I have worked in schools and they are definitely interested more in controlling children than in anything else. Children, whether NT or AS are not "taught real skills he or she will need in later life." The big focus is keeping the school running smoothly.
 
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