Thursday, February 05, 2009

Neurodiversity Bloggers Panic Over CNN Autism 911 Reporting

Two prominent and generally polite Neurodiversity autism bloggers have weighed in on CNN's excellent Autism 911 series. Predictably they tried to bury with diversions both the negative behaviors of some persons with autism disorders and the effectiveness ofABA as an autism intervention that the CNN reporting showed the world.

Lisa Rudy, at autism.about.com is a very polite and respectful Neurodiversity blogger. I read her views frequently and respect them although we differ, for her conscientiousness and civility. In her reaction to the CNN story, How much should autism therapy cost? Share your opinion, she focused not on the gains realized by the autistic girl, and her family, but on the reported costs of the effective treatment.

Kristina Chew is another generally polite Neurodiversity blogger, (although her standards have declined as she has enmeshed her views more deeply in rigid ND ideology, as seen in her frequent attacks on Jenny McCarthy). Ms Chew now blogs on the Change.org ASAN/Neurodiversity "autism" page.

In her reaction to the CNN coverage of the Bilson's and the benefits their daughter received from ABA intervention The Long Haul: On "Autism 911" Ms. Chew casts aspersions about the "troubled history" of ABA an allusion to the use of aversives, now no longer generally used in ABA therapy. While she acknowledges that her son has benefited from ABA she feels the need to emphasize the negative saying there is much to criticize about ABA, without offering any specifics. Ms. Chew had to make negative allusions to pander to the Neurodiversity readership that has followed her from Autism Vox to Change.org. But she is misleading parents of newly diagnosed autistic children looking for effective autism interventions with her selective, non-specific, negative commentary about ABA, .

My son will soon turn 13. He was assessed at age 2 so I have been in it for "the long haul" ; as long as Ms Chew. ABA was not widely available in this area when Conor was diagnosed. With other parents I fought for development of ABA training programs and provision of pre-school and school based ABA programs. Conor has benefited from ABA. And will continue to benefit from ABA.

I will not cast unspecified negative allusions about ABA to pander to a misguided Neurodiversity following. I can't do that because I am in it for the long haul, not for me, but for Conor.





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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is really nice information of Autism in New Brunswick

Anonymous said...

I am a fan of aba as well. My 6 year old is doing so well with it :)