Show HN: A curated list of tech related to Autism Spectrum Disorder(ASD) | Hacker News Reader

Show HN: A curated list of tech related to Autism Spectrum Disorder(ASD)

github.com

33 pointshbcondo7144 comments

A lot of this is based on ABA, which is a outdated and abusive "therapy" that entirely focuses on getting autistic people to conform to "acting normal" and it doesn't engage with their quality-of-life or wellbeing at all. Proceed at your own risk.

>that entirely focuses on getting autistic people to conform to "acting normal"

There is no reason why ABA has to be used for that purpose, it's just a technique to modify behaviour, it can potentially be used for good.

The problem I have more with ABA is the utter lack of ethical oversight amongst its practitioners, such as trade organisations continued acceptance of the Judge Rotenberg Center[1] who tortures its patients[2] according to the UN. I am generally concerned that this is a treatment ONLY used on autistic children since that makes the potential for abuse far higher, since they're "others".

[1] https://www.abainternational.org/events/program-details/even...

[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOBRhxlQgy8

Sorry to hear, our personal experience with ABA isn't really what you are describing. I also don't think ABA is outdated given the new software available and also because most child psychologists, pediatric neurologists, BCBAs and more still recommend and really emphasize ABA for Early Intervention today because it "has significantly more published scientific support than any other form of educational therapy."[1]

There are certainly alternatives to ABA such as Floortime[2] and now that it is accepted by insurance in some states[3], caregivers and their children have more options thankfully. I would have put these links on the repo but I didn't see any "tech" companies / software for it. Please submit a PR if you know of any!

[1] https://autism.org/advice-for-parents/#educational-behaviora...

[2] https://www.icdl.com

[3] https://sd25.senate.ca.gov/news/2023-10-11/portantino’s-auti...

What does "scientific support" mean? Something can be scientifically supported and still harmful. It's scientifically supported that when the Judge Rotenberg Center electroshocks it patients it does make them more complaint. I would be a science denier if I said otherwise. That doesn't make it good.

The problem people have with ABA is the lack of any real ethical oversight, not the notion that it's scientifically proven to be effective. I notice whenever I go onto communities of ABA practitioners they're constantly complaining about the companies they work for abusing them, but they're also simultaneously adamant that the "kiddos" are treated with the utmost ethical standards.

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