AUTISM/ASPERGER'S SYNDROME ADVOCACY

Do not see my disability as the problem. Recognize that my disability is an attribute. Do not see my disability as a deficit. It is you who see me as deviant and helpless. Do not try to fix me because I am not broken. Support me. I can make my contribution to the community in my own way. Do not see me as your client. I am your fellow citizen. See me as your neighbor. Remember, none of us can be self-sufficient. Do not try to modify my behavior. Be still and listen. What you define as inappropriate may be my attempt to communicate with you in the only way I can. Do not try to change me. You have no right. Help me to learn what I want to know. Do not hide your uncertainty behind 'professional' distance. Be a person who listens and does not take my struggle away from me by trying to make it all better. Do not use theories and strategies on me. Be with me. And when we struggle with each other, Let that give rise to self-reflection. Do not try to control me. I have a right to my power as a person. What you call noncompliance or manipulation may actually be the only way I can exert some control over my life. Do not teach me to be obedient, submissive, and polite. I need to feel entitled to say 'no' if I am to protect myself. Do not be charitable towards me. The last thing this world needs is another Jerry Lewis. Be my ally as I fight against those who exploit me for their own gratification. Do not try to be my friend. I deserve more than that. Get to know me. We may become friends. Do not help me, even if it does make you feel good. Ask me if I need your help. Let me show you how you can best assist me. Do not admire me. A desire to live a full life does not warrant adoration. Respect me, for respect presumes equity. Do not tell, teach, and lead. Listen, support, and follow. Do not work on me. Work with me.


Not surprisingly, a great deal of enthusiasm was generated by these reports, and demand for ABA programs modeled after the YAP (Young Autism Project) has grown rapidly since their publication. Unlike other treatment or educational programs, the YAP offered not only the possibility of significant improvement in functioning, but also suggested that a substantial number of autistic youngsters could achieve completely normal functioning. Several commentators, however, raised serious concerns about the conclusions reached by Lovaas (1987) and McEachlin et al. (1993). Schopler, Short, and Mesibov (1989) noted that the outcome measures employed, IQ and school placement, might not reflect true overall functional changes. Increases in IQ scores, for example, could reflect increased compliance with testing rather than true changes in intellectual abilities, and school mainstreaming may be more a function of parental and therapist advocacy and changing school policies than increased educational functioning per se. In addition, Schopler et al. argued that the participants in the YAP study appeared to be relatively high-functioning individuals with good prognosis, and were unrepresentative of the larger population of autistic children. Most importantly, they pointed out that the study design was not a true experiment, as subjects were not randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups. They suggested that the procedures for assigning subjects to groups likely resulted in important differences between the experimental and control conditions that may have contributed to the observed outcome differences. Schopler et al. (1989) concluded that that "it is not possible to determine the effects of this intervention" from this study (p. 164). Others subsequently raised similar criticisms. Gresham and MacMillan (1997, 1998) expanded on the threats to both internal and external validity raised by Schopler et al. (1989) and called for "healthy skepticism" in evaluating the claims of the YAP studies. Mesibov (1993) expressed concerns about pretreatment differences between the experimental and control groups, and about the many domains of functioning in which deficits commonly associated with autism (e.g., social interactions and conceptual abilities) that were not assessed. Mundy (1993) raised similar concerns, noting that many high-functioning autistic individuals achieve IQ levels in the normal range, thereby raising questions about the use of IQ scores to measure "recovery" from autism.


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Entering Their Imaginative World
New Jersey Protection and Advocacy
Asperger's links
Daniel S. vs. Scranton School District Court case
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Asperger's test



Play Therapy

Benefits of a Relationship Based Approach

Useful texts related to autism/Asperger's

Learning Styles

Processing Difficulties

Gluten/Casein Free Diet

Dietary Interventions