"The spoon treatment"...?!

[4gottenLoreKali]

First of all, forgive me if this thread is in the wrong section, or potentially triggering for some members. I create this thread out of legitimate confusion and curiosity, and would not want to interrupt the positive environment of this forum. I just want to stay on the safe side.

With that, the crux of my thread. I have another tab open of an article about Playboy model Jenny McCarthy. I'm sure some of you may know of her; unfortunately it appears to me that she's propagating blatant quackery and the silencing of the Autistic people. When I scanned the section of the article concerning her autism "activism", my disgust and concern was interrupted by a genuine "WTH" moment.

"In addition to conventional, intensive Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) therapy, McCarthy tried for her son a gluten-free and casein-free diet, hyperbaric oxygen chambers, chelation, aromatherapies, electromagnetics, spoons rubbed on his body, multivitamin therapy, B-12 shots, and numerous prescription drugs."

Umm... what. all of these "treatments" are troubling and cringe-worthy, but this spoon treatment almost made me laugh out loud. That's just bizarre; it reminds me of something straight out of the doctrine of Scientology. (Or at least something that a mother in the 19th century would do.) I had never heard of this being used.

Interestingly, I follow some autism advocacy blogs on Tumblr and vaguely recall them reblogging a post from (what I assume to be) the parent of a child on the spectrum regarding how they're "all out of spoons" or something to that effect. A connection instantly fired off in my head. I have a number of questions.

What I want to know, first of all, is the exact nature of this treatment and the mechanism by which it intends to "treat" autism. I'm just taking a wild guess here, but could it be that the kid is freaking out and the spoon rubbing against his skin is some kind of sensory / psychological calming agent for him?

Secondly, how prevalent is this technique? Perhaps some people could share some stories of this technique used on them by their parents or caretakers, and the effect it had.

In addition, where did this originate from? Was it written in a "Parenting of Kids With Autism for Dummies" book somewhere (or obscure farmer's almanac for that matter...), did it originate on some random parenting forum, or (by some odd chance) does it have some empirical, clinical credibility?

And finally. Why in the world does it have to be a spoon? For all I care, you could just give the kid a blanket or cuddle him if he wanted to.

I'd like to close with this statement. Autism can not, and should not be "cured", because that implies the eradication of the condition entirely; which includes all the passions, quirks and nuances that separate people on the spectrum with neurotypicals. Instead, I firmly believe that the most effective "treatment" for the behavioral complications that arise from autism are equipping the child with the capacity to express his or her needs in a clear manner, and, above all else, listening to them.

What a radical idea! Trying to get to the bottom of the problem, taking the affected party's feelings and experience into account, and improving the situation. Human worth and dignity can, and should be recognized.

If you made it this far, thank you all for putting up with all my wordy rambling. I hope you got something out of this post, and I look forward to your responses.

 

[ancusmitis]

The spoon treatment is definitely out of nowhere, lol. As for being "all out of spoons," it's a metaphore used to explain invisible disabilities to people. Measure your personal energy that you can use to do things in spoons. Social interaction takes a certain number of spoons, and so does physical activity and so on. Most people have a given number of spoons. Some people might have fewer. Or possibly more. People with, say, chronic pain have to use some of their spoons to deal with the pain on top of everything else, so they run out more quickly. Social interaction including speaking requires more spoons for some autistics, while others have to spend spoons on noticing things that it wouldn't ordinarily occur to them to watch for. So even if you don't carry around some obvious symbol of disability like a cane or a wheelchair, it still "counts" as being disabled because you have to budget your spoons in a way most people don't have to.

 

[4gottenLoreKali]

Wow, I had never heard of that metaphor. Shows how out-of-the-loop I am. Thanks for the info.

 

[ancusmitis]

Wow, I had never heard of that metaphor. Shows how out-of-the-loop I am. Thanks for the info.

I don't think you're out-of-the-loop. I remember seeing it a long time ago when I was obsessively reading every (anti-cure) autism blog I could get my hands on. It didn't come from an explanation of autism either, and I cannot remember the ultimate source of it, nor my own proximal source. Otherwise I would give a full citation in MLA format (well, no, but you see what I mean).

 

[Beverly]

Here's a link to the spoon metaphor: Luna Lindsey: Splines Theory: A Spoons Metaphor for Autism

As for using real spoon, that's the first I've heard of that. Maybe it has something do with balancing a person's energy, psychic healing sort of stuff. Possibly along the lines of chakras, chi, reiki, those sorts of things.

I think you know as well as I how far fetch SOME celebrities can go when it comes to holistic "medicine." Some of it is very bizarre, unheard of but one so called guru of some sort says it works in this or that far off country and, the next thing you know a celebrity is trying that treatment because either conventional medicine has failed, or they choose not to use conventional medicine at all and, more mundane natural healing has not been effective.

The latest fads of that super diet fruit and, using two over the counter beauty creams to get results similar to a surgical face lift come to mind. I doubt either is as fast and effective as they claim but that's the latest fads.

 

[The Phantom]

If I were you, I wouldn't give the function behind the spoon treatment that much credit in regards to working with the sensory aspects of autism. It does sound a lot like some treatment from the 19th century, very much so. In fact, I read a lot of medieval/dark ages horror and fantasy fiction, and let me just say that rubbing spoons over a childs body to rid them of autism sounds like an exorcism lol. Humour aside that's really weird and unfortunate. Not to mention plain confusing. Like I said, I doubt it's to do with SPD. It's probably like those wacko treatments used to 'rid' people of homosexuality or any other things considered diseases in the past. Although that was a smart guess that I wouldn't have thought of. I might do some research on the matter.

 

[4gottenLoreKali]

If I were you, I wouldn't give the function behind the spoon treatment that much credit in regards to working with the sensory aspects of autism. It does sound a lot like some treatment from the 19th century, very much so. In fact, I read a lot of medieval/dark ages horror and fantasy fiction, and let me just say that rubbing spoons over a childs body to rid them of autism sounds like an exorcism lol. Humour aside that's really weird and unfortunate. Not to mention plain confusing. Like I said, I doubt it's to do with SPD. It's probably like those wacko treatments used to 'rid' people of homosexuality or any other things considered diseases in the past. Although that was a smart guess that I wouldn't have thought of. I might do some research on the matter.

Thank you all for your insights. Don't get me wrong, I'm not giving this whackjob treatment any credibility, especially not now considering how you connected it with middle ages exorcisms...

On a more serious note, it's sad and infuriating that some unfortunate individuals seek to hold humanity back with their outlandish and sometimes downright sadistic ways of "treating" conditions that should not even be regarded as undesirable in the fist place. What is more troubling is that this seems to be not just a freak occasional occurrence, but a pervasive trend...

I'll step down from my soapbox now. Thanks once again.

 

[Epicurean Pariah]

The spoon treatment is definitely out of nowhere, lol. As for being "all out of spoons," it's a metaphore used to explain invisible disabilities to people. Measure your personal energy that you can use to do things in spoons. Social interaction takes a certain number of spoons, and so does physical activity and so on. Most people have a given number of spoons. Some people might have fewer. Or possibly more. People with, say, chronic pain have to use some of their spoons to deal with the pain on top of everything else, so they run out more quickly. Social interaction including speaking requires more spoons for some autistics, while others have to spend spoons on noticing things that it wouldn't ordinarily occur to them to watch for. So even if you don't carry around some obvious symbol of disability like a cane or a wheelchair, it still "counts" as being disabled because you have to budget your spoons in a way most people don't have to.

I remember the post of a gal that used spoons to demonstrate how she budgeted her energy to do challenging activities that wore her out when she had no "spoons" remaining.
I think we are on the same page.

 

[SignOfLazarus]

The original "Spoon theory" came out of a woman with lupus having a morning conversation with her friend, when her friend basically asked "how hard is it?" [the meaning, not the exact words].

Sorry forgot to add- that's the conversation, Epicurean Pariah

 

[Epicurean Pariah]

The original "Spoon theory" came out of a woman with lupus having a morning conversation with her friend, when her friend basically asked "how hard is it?" [the meaning, not the exact words].

Sorry forgot to add- that's the conversation, Epicurean Pariah

SoL, thank you, exactly correct.

 

[Epicurean Pariah]

Thank you all for your insights. Don't get me wrong, I'm not giving this whackjob treatment any credibility, especially not now considering how you connected it with middle ages exorcisms...

On a more serious note, it's sad and infuriating that some unfortunate individuals seek to hold humanity back with their outlandish and sometimes downright sadistic ways of "treating" conditions that should not even be regarded as undesirable in the fist place. What is more troubling is that this seems to be not just a freak occasional occurrence, but a pervasive trend...

I'll step down from my soapbox now. Thanks once again.

NotImportant, hmm low battery.
The thought expressed by several folks, Dostoevsky I think for one pop to mind.
One can determine the merit of a civilization, ( culture, society) by the condition that the least of the citizens ( oldsters, prisoners, the sick and poor) live in.
Jesus said the same thing, and he hangs his head and cries.

 

[Beverly]

I suppose we can be glad we aren't being rounded up and burned at the stake, suffocated in a gas chamber or some such and, that the worst of it is misguided attempts to find a cure for a variation that is not a disease. At least I've not hear of anyone trying trepanning in a few centuries.

As to the merit of our civilization - what merit? (rhetorical)

 

[SignOfLazarus]

NotImportant, hmm low battery.
The thought expressed by several folks, Dostoevsky I think for one pop to mind.
One can determine the merit of a civilization, ( culture, society) by the condition that the least of the citizens ( oldsters, prisoners, the sick and poor) live in.
Jesus said the same thing, and he hangs his head and cries.

Right- I like the application to a person, but same idea: one can tell a lot about a person by how he treats his lessers and those who serve no benefit to him.

 

[The Phantom]

Thank you all for your insights. Don't get me wrong, I'm not giving this whackjob treatment any credibility, especially not now considering how you connected it with middle ages exorcisms...

On a more serious note, it's sad and infuriating that some unfortunate individuals seek to hold humanity back with their outlandish and sometimes downright sadistic ways of "treating" conditions that should not even be regarded as undesirable in the fist place. What is more troubling is that this seems to be not just a freak occasional occurrence, but a pervasive trend...

I'll step down from my soapbox now. Thanks once again.

Your welcome. I'm sure that exorcism analogy was insightful LOL.

but yes, it's especially disheartening to see people wanting to treat autism. Not just for the child in question. Even for the parent. Don't get me wrong, I'm not condoning that. But I can imagine the parent might feel that they've failed, and they wish their child to have a normal life. Though sadly it's not the case for everyone. The problem is not in the attempt, I believe, but rather the way of going about it. Of course I rather not sugercoat and I think we all know there are some downsides to Autism. But the supposed "cure" should only be to help the autistic child in question overcome their learning, developmental, and social disabilities, and then let them continue on with their life as they are. The autistic mind in itself does not need a cure, considering the brilliant things that have come from it in the past. We just need to help those on the spectrum along with the things autism can disable, considering the other aspects of the child are usually far more developed. That's just my opinion though.

 

[4gottenLoreKali]

I suppose we can be glad we aren't being rounded up and burned at the stake, suffocated in a gas chamber or some such and, that the worst of it is misguided attempts to find a cure for a variation that is not a disease. At least I've not hear of anyone trying trepanning in a few centuries.

I appreciate your outlook, seeing on the positive.

(Also, as an aside, I had not known what "trepanning" was until a few minutes ago; I looked it up out of curiosity based on your mention of the practice. And I'll say that it's pretty brutal; I'd be very surprised if some brutal death metal band didn't right a song about it.)

 

[Epicurean Pariah]

I suppose we can be glad we aren't being rounded up and burned at the stake, suffocated in a gas chamber or some such and, that the worst of it is misguided attempts to find a cure for a variation that is not a disease. At least I've not hear of anyone trying trepanning in a few centuries.

As to the merit of our civilization - what merit? (rhetorical)

As to the merit of our civilization - what merit? (rhetorical)[/QUOTE]

Beverly, no trepanning for centuries!
Curses the Amazon drone just dropped off my order, a book, (archaic form of paper media), "self trepanation for dummies."

 

[Epicurean Pariah]

Right- I like the application to a person, but same idea: one can tell a lot about a person by how he treats his lessers and those who serve no benefit to him.

SoL, oh, all things considered, who is a lesser and who serves no benefit.
For example, I am very old, a dithering dodderer.
Of no use to anyone, but I have donated any useful organs for helping others. Yup !
One brain, like new, seldom used, make offer!

 

[SignOfLazarus]

SoL, oh, all things considered, who is a lesser and who serves no benefit.
For example, I am very old, a dithering dodderer.
Of no use to anyone, but I have donated any useful organs for helping others. Yup !
One brain, like new, seldom used, make offer!

It's an idea and way of being, not an absolute

Also- I'm an organ donor and plan to donate my brain to whoever wants it haha [mostly whoever]

 

[4gottenLoreKali]

I guess the questions I had in my original post are moot now considering that your responses are far more fulfilling and sufficient. Feel free to disregard them.

Additionally I was informed by a mod that discussion of the vaccine controversy is forbidden. While I am enjoying this discussion, I feel that it has the potential to cross over into that territory. I would respect their wishes. Thank you.

 

[SignOfLazarus]

hehehe :]