#SayNoToABA

What neurotypical ABA therapy would look like:

Rewarding a child for not making eye contact.
Rewarding a child for stimming and taking the reward away when they don't stim anymore.

1/11

Expecting a child to hear the fluorescent lights buzzing, and "correcting" them when they don't by pointing to where the lights are and saying "ow! that hurts!"

And doing it over and over again until they do it themselves without prompting - only then do they get a reward.

2/11

Rewarding a child for looking away from you, and if they keep looking at you, you ignore what they say to you because they're not "listening with their ears."
Only listen to their needs when they orient their ear towards you, not their face, even if they're hungry.

3/11

Only let them play with their toys when they do all of the tasks above "correctly" and have the parents restrict access to toys, so the NT kid can only have them while they're in therapy to be used as a reward.

4/11

Ask them to tell you that the food they like to eat is "yucky" and if they eat the food they like, don't give them a reward.

Ask them to use sign language, and when they don't know how to sign and won't do it, take away the fun activity they were going to do next.

5/11

If they don't stim while doing a task, do hand-over-hand and make them flap because that's what you're "supposed" to do, that's how you're a good listener and student.

If they keep using metaphors or vague comments that aren't accurate, correct them & tell them "No."

6/11

If they are playing and "pretending" objects are not what they are, make them stop by taking their hands off the toy. Show them how to "play correctly" by lining up the toys, and if they don't do it, just keep showing them until they do. Make them do it over and over again.

7/11

Tell the parent that they're "playing incorrectly" and that the parent should reinforce "correct" play at home. Pretending objects aren't what they are is wrong, and it's not healthy development for growing neurotypical children.

8/11

If the neurotypical children become upset by any of this, don't listen to them, especially when they make eye contact with you, because they're not communicating correctly. They need to learn to communicate with their signs and be literal with their words to fit in.

9/11

If they're stressed out by what you're doing, just ignore them and keep reinforcing the task, such as lining up the toys. Make sure they don't get to do any "fun" activities that day like playing computer games or getting their comfort items.

10/11

This will ensure that the child enjoys the therapy at all times.

Ignoring them when they are upset will promote self-regulation and make sure they learn to do things correctly, because we'll give them attention and rewards when they do these things correctly.

11/11

@SNeurotypicals