I need to hear input from all sides on IBI: the good, the bad, and the ugly. I would like to specify IBI for this thread, not ABA.
My son has Asperger's just as I and his older brother do. One of his several workers is encouraging IBI for him. As a functional, high functioning aspie who drives, has a job and family, etc, and who appreciates and values being mentally different from normals/NTs, I have really mixed feelings about IBI. If he gets it, I would want to be present...at least at the outset.
On the other hand, I wasn't diagnosed until my thirties, and life has been a constant uphill struggle for me. I would like for him to have the tools to get by in life a little easier...but....not at the expense of his integrity as a person.
Input, please.
Intensive Behavioral Intervention
This is what I found:
BBB AUTISM ONLINE SUPPORT NETWORK
HELP FOR PARENTS WITH CHILDREN WHO HAVE AN AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER (ASD) OR A PERVASIVE DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDER (PDD)
APPLIED BEHAVIORAL ANALYSIS (ABA)
ALSO KNOWN AS
INTENSIVE BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTION (IBI)
WHAT IS ABA/IBI?
Applied Behavior Analysis (also known as Intensive Behavioral Intervention or IBI) involves the breakdown of all skills into small, discrete tasks, taught in a highly structured and hierarchical manner. Central to the successful application of this method is the art of differential reinforcement. That is, the therapist, parent, or caregiver learns how to systematically reward or reinforce desired behavior, and ignore, redirect, or discourage inappropriate behaviors. Also central to any well-run behavioral program is the therapist’s close monitoring of what is working and what is not working. Data on all the child’s learning are recorded regularly, and the therapist adjusts the teaching programs and protocol with respect to what the data indicate about the child’s progress.
(Catherine Maurice, 1996)
that was interesting
It looks good, at least in theory. I think it would be important that the therapist and the client have good rapport because if we don't trust the therapist, compliance would be an issue.
ABA supposedly is different from IBI as IBI is supposedly the new, gentler form with no aversives. Whether or not this is factually true is up for debate in this thread.
More information on IBI/ABA:
THE MISBEHAVIOUR OF BEHAVIOURISTS
Ethical Challenges to the Autism-ABA Industry
by Michelle Dawson
Since the publication of O. Ivar Lovaas' landmark 1987 study, scientific and legal attention has been lavished on Applied Behaviour Analysis as an autism treatment. Dr Lovaas' supporters and opponents, whether principled or opportunist, have been loud, plentiful, prolific, and well-credentialed. But when it comes to the test of ethics, to allotting autistics rudimentary ethical consideration, all sides and factions for and against ABA have persistently and thoroughly failed.
In an investigation of this failure, diverse aspects of ethical standards in the autism-ABA industry are explored and compared. A framework emerges suggesting the nature and scope, as well as the causes and motives, of the unethical treatment of autistics. At the same time, a narrative emerges. It resonates with the past and current unethical treatment of other atypical human beings. Since ethics problems do not spontaneously resolve themselves, instead tending to accumulate and escalate, the interlocking framework and narrative are put to work. This results in specific ethical challenges, and some proposed remedies, for behaviourists of all kinds who have as their goal extinguishing autistic behaviour, and therefore autistic people...........
The whole article is much too long to post here (about 25 pages). It is a comprehensive overview of the ethics (or lack thereof) involved in ABA/IBI.
As a person who's been pressured to "change" just to please other people, I'd be somewhat wary and would want the whole thing explained in chapter and verse eg. how it is meant to work, who will do what, and how often and when. If anything sounds not quite right, keep on at them to explain it properly to your satisfaction.
His diagnosis is now official. I have decided against IBI.
I now face the tightrope walk between establishing necessary skills to function in life and maintaining aspie identity not only for him, but also the 7 yo.
I have observed and contemplated my eldest after my initial post on this thread, and come to the conclusion that he probably has shadow traits, not full blown aspiness. Perhaps I am mistaken...I will continue to observe him. He is social with one or two friends, and not obsessed over anything but Pokemon and Halo...though for a few years he talked about nothing but fishing. Yeah, I'm not sure.
I think the tightrope is the most important one any of us parents to an Aspie will ever walk.
I haven't done anything like ABA or IBI with my son, but as I was reading the information it dawned on me that I have a few skills I would consider it for: the ones on basic hygiene. That rises to the level of being important enough to consider something like that for. It affects so much: how he is perceived, his health, the health of those around him.
But with my son, nothing else, really. I can't imagine that sort of therapy solving his writing issues, not without mental torment, so what would be the point?
I had an obsession regarding ABA through the web some months ago.
I argumented for ABA at AFF, and against it on another forum - I often did that at that point of time when I was wondering about a controversy. I felt like I didn't know anything about ABA, still alot of people at AFF who I couldn't imagine had any experience with it had strongly held opinions against it, with the common argument - "It is like training a dog". When I learnt further, I found...
THAT NOT ALL ABA IS LIKE JUDGE ROTENBERG CENTER (shock!)
I think IBI very much depend of how it is done, what it is done for, and whether it is much point in it for the individual child. Kristina Chew at the
Autism Vox blog has learnt alot of training strategies for her son and might give some interesting input.
Also, some might think that all ABA and IBI is designed to remove any "autistic" behaviors like stimming. It might be true that alot of ABA therapists aswell as parents have bias against them, but certainly not all. Then again this might be done because of a wish to prevent bullying, but ABA seems to be first of all used to train practical skills.
My input.
Erkolos, you made some really good points. There is very little that can be written off without taking a closer look and knowing not only the child involved but also the therapists that would be involved.
Jewelie, I want to clarify that it is possible to get professional intervention for a child without making them feel like something is broken that needs fixing. It's all the wording, I think. My 10 year old son knows that his brain works differently, and that it comes with gifts and burdens. All people are unique, of course, and he knows that also. He has had no issues with the different interventions he's gotten. We've told him that he is going to need a little extra help learning to deal in certain areas that are difficult for him, and he totally accepts that. He can see that he isn't the same as the other kids on many things, and when he can internalize the reason for acquiring the skill, he is grateful for the help. He is a really happy and self-confident child.
I need to hear input from all sides on IBI: the good, the bad, and the ugly. I would like to specify IBI for this thread, not ABA.
My son has Asperger's just as I and his older brother do. One of his several workers is encouraging IBI for him. As a functional, high functioning aspie who drives, has a job and family, etc, and who appreciates and values being mentally different from normals/NTs, I have really mixed feelings about IBI. If he gets it, I would want to be present...at least at the outset.
On the other hand, I wasn't diagnosed until my thirties, and life has been a constant uphill struggle for me. I would like for him to have the tools to get by in life a little easier...but....not at the expense of his integrity as a person.
Input, please.
It probably won't harm him or make any revolutionary changes of his personality. I can't understand why someone would turn down help... it's nothing to be ashamed of, we all have our problems.. learning to deal with them in a more healthy way is something everyone should give a faiur chanse.
I feel really sorry for you; if you feel so badly about the help you need you can only justify it to yourself if you can persuade lots of other people to take the same route.
Please allow other people to know what is best for them. Assistance is usually much more helpful than 'treatment' but is usually unavailable due to lack of funding, possibly because of the ridiculous sums being poured into dead-end, but 'glamorous' genetic research.
Did you actually read any of the sites linked to here that explain what is involved in IBI and 'treatment' for autism?
Most people can't afford the time or the money to have 40 hours of therapy a week. For most, even a couple of hours might be too expensive for their budget to cope with.