- Hey everybody, today I'm gonna address
four common missteps and misconceptions
about autism spectrum disorder or ASD.
Some of these are missteps that I have made before
and learned from,
and others are totally new to me and possibly you,
but as you know, my goal is always to learn more,
to do better, and tell you about it along the way.
And know that we are all still learning.
So if you disagree or wish that I had included another one,
feel free to let us know in those comments
down below so that we can all learn together.
And many of you let me know
that you prefer identity-first language
instead of what I was taught, which is person-first,
meaning it's preferred for me to say an autistic person
rather than a person with autism.
So, I will do my best to use this language
throughout the video.
Okay. Let's get into it.
And I also wanna say a huge thank you
to KiwiCo for sponsoring this video.
The first thing I want to address is ABA
or applied behavior analysis therapy,
and how hurtful it can be to autistic children.
And I'm gonna be honest.
ABA was the only form of therapy that I was taught
for those with autism spectrum disorder.
And it works by slowly conditioning children to behave
in certain ways, by using reinforcement or punishment.
It's touted as effective and research-based.
And there are no shortage of parents sharing stories
about how ABA helped their child communicate more clearly
or socialize better in school.
However, when I mentioned this as a treatment option
in my video a few years back about ASD,
many of you were upset.
So, I started looking into it
so that I could better understand the problems
that there could be with ABA
and why it may not be the best option for everyone.
For starters, it is true
that parents who have a toddler newly diagnosed with ASD
can feel a lot of pressure to put them in to ABA,
being told by professionals
that if they don't, their child doesn't stand a chance.
It can feel predatory.
And many of you have told me that it only pushes you to act
in ways that are acceptable for those without ASD,
even if you don't understand
why you're doing those things at all.
Meaning that ABA can work with children
to get them to make or hold eye contact;
say good morning, how are you to people at school.
But, we don't really know why we're doing those things
or what purpose it serves.
In a way, ABA teaches children to mask
or mimic neuro-typical people.
As a therapist, I can see both sides of this.
On one hand, we, as parents or caregivers,
can want the best for our children
and want them to socialize
and do the things that other children are doing.
And in our hurry to get them help,
we can fail to acknowledge them,
accept what's different, and work with them.
On the other hand, if we are the child,
and we are conditioned to go against what feels right to us,
constantly being told that the way we interact
and self-soothe is either weird, bad, or not acceptable,
it's no surprise that ABA therapy
would feel traumatizing and hurtful.
It could lead to symptoms of anxiety or depression,
maybe even eating disorders
or self-injurious behavior.
Feeling heard, understood, and accepted for who we are
is important to all children, and without it,
our relationship with ourselves and our world
can be hindered.
Now, obviously there is no way for me to include
all the information, controversy, and upset
surrounding ABA therapy,
so feel free to leave any constructive feedback
or insight in the comments down below.
I'm just doing my best to explain what it is,
why parents choose it,
and the ways in which it can be harmful.
Without sponsors like KiwiCo,
channels like this wouldn't be possible.
One of my close friends has an autistic son
and he has loved Kiwi crates for years.
It has been wonderful seeing him get into his crates.
One time, he put together a model of the solar system.
And another time he built a catapult.
KiwiCo's unique products are great for kids
and adults of all ages and all abilities.
Every kit comes with easy to follow,
step-by-step instructions,
engaging content, and all of the materials needed.
It can help develop hand-eye coordination,
fine motor skills, and an understanding
of cause and effect with these hands-on project kits.
Each box comes with all the supplies needed
for that month's project, so no extra runs to the store;
detailed, kid-friendly instructions,
and an educational magazine
filled with content to learn even more
about the crate's theme.
I got to try out the Maker Marbling
and Tinker Walking Robot crates,
and I still can't believe
that I actually made a walking robot; super cool.
And you can get 50% off your first month
of any crate by going to Kiwico.com/kati.
And it is linked below in the description.
You're doing it!
Next, I wanna address a misstep
that I've made: functioning labels.
As a mental health professional,
I was taught to address most things
with regard to how much it affects
someone's ability to function.
And when it comes to the DSM and things like that,
functionality is usually part of the diagnostic criteria.
So, that's how we tend to talk about things.
However, many of you have let me know
that when it comes to ASD, and many other issues,
but we're just gonna stick with ASD
for the sake of this video,
functioning labels can be very hurtful.
It can make those of us labeled as, quote unquote,
high functioning, put off getting support;
think that they aren't deserving of it;
or even struggle to get the help that they truly need.
It can also be harmful to those who could be labeled
as, quote unquote, lower functioning,
because that can make them feel lesser than;
worse off; or harm our self-esteem.
And so much more.
Therefore, I'm going to try my best to not use terms
like these when talking about autism.
And I hope that you will too.
Instead, I'm gonna talk about autism as a whole.
How it can affect each person differently,
because we know everyone's experience
is going to be different.
And I will ask questions, let others educate me
about how it affects them and how they feel about it.
And with that in mind,
I've also heard from many of you
that people saying things like, they look autistic;
or, you know, everyone is a little bit autistic;
are not helpful either,
since every autistic person is different,
and claiming that everyone has it isn't true,
and can feel very invalidating
to those who are.
The next misconception or group of issues
that I wanna talk about
is in relation to Autism Awareness Month,
which we're in right now.
Also the color blue, and the puzzle piece.
Now, all of this was news to me.
So if I misspeak, please let me know.
Again, I'm learning along with all of you right now,
but from what you've told me,
calling April Autism Awareness Month isn't right,
because awareness makes it sound like it's an illness
that needs curing, when it doesn't.
And we should instead say Autism Acceptance Month,
which I understand.
However, to be honest, I never thought of awareness
as a medical term or linked to anything like that.
I just thought the goal would be to get more people
to understand it and know how to properly talk about it.
So maybe we could call it Autism Education Month
or something like that, but I'm open to whatever.
As long as people keep seeking to understand,
help, and accept it.
Okay. Now the color blue.
It is believed that the color blue was picked
way back in the day,
because they used to think the only boys were autistic.
And we now know that that isn't true at all.
And that's why many prefer the color red,
since it represents all autistics.
And finally, the puzzle piece isn't accepted
by many because it's used to symbolize
that there is a piece missing within autistic people.
And I think we can all agree
that that sentiment would definitely be hurtful and untrue.
Instead, many prefer to use a gold
or a rainbow infinity symbol,
because it encapsulates the vast spectrum that is autism,
and how differently autism can present itself
from person to person.
Now, as I said, I didn't know this prior to reaching out
to our community and chatting with many of you about this.
So, I hope that I explained this properly,
and I would love to know
if any of you knew about this before.
And if so, what else should we know?
The last thing I wanna address
is the common misconception that autistics lack empathy.
Now, I can only assume that this comes from the fact
that many autistics find it difficult
to understand social cues
and to navigate social interactions.
This can mean that eye contact isn't made.
We could be perceived as not being interested
even if we are, and people can assume
that we don't care because we aren't showing them that we do
in the way that they're expecting.
This misconception, to me,
is kind of borne out of lack of mutual
understanding and communication.
Remember, relationships are two-way streets.
There's going to have to be some give and take,
and conversation about any issues that arise.
Those of us who aren't autistic
are going to need to understand how
our autistic friends and family interact.
What's difficult for them,
and ways in which it could affect our relationship.
And those of us who are autistic
should be open to educating those around them,
letting them know that we do, in fact,
have feelings and empathy.
We just may not express them
in the way another person would.
We need to be okay with having conversations about this,
checking in, making sure that we aren't misunderstanding
as a result of our differences.
I always think the more that we can talk about things
and seek to understand each other,
the better off we will all be.
There are so many other missteps,
misconceptions, and myths out there about autism,
but that's all that I have time for today.
I hope you found this interesting and as helpful as I did.
And again, please leave any insights, feedback,
or other miscommunications or misconceptions
in the comments down below.
Oh, and some great organizations that are actually run
by autistic people are The Autistic Self-Advocacy Network,
or ASAN; and the Autistic Women
and Nonbinary Network, the AWN.
Have a wonderful week and I will see you next time. Bye.