"He is very smart, but that's a skill he doesn't need to have," she said.
WOAH. Am I reading this correctly? She'd rather have a son who was an idiot, but can talk to people? Being smart is "A skill he doesn't need"? And what, making eye contact is? This lady needs her priorities rearranged.
I don't have anything against ABA/IBI, when it's used correctly (which it usually is not), although 21 hours seems like a bit much to me, and it's certainly not something which is "vital". However, I agree that it's time the government and the schools made an effort to provide assistance to autistics and their families.
"Doesn't need to have" means "the skill is not necessary for him to function as a cog in the corporate capitalist consumerist machine."
Well, the mom doesn't have much of a brain, as she sees intelligence to be useless...
Uh, wasn't it the teacher that said that, not the mom?
The article is kind of vague there, isn't it. I just assumed it was the teacher.
/facepalm
yes, because the ability to memorise a lot of abstract numbers with little or no correlation is completely useless...
"they have spent life savings, remortgaged their homes and taken on extra jobs to pay for autism therapy..." "The government pays $40,000 a year toward the therapy."
Sounds like a parent in hysteria mode who is outraged that everyone isn't in that mode with her. I read that Canada has an health system better than the US. I'm not sure she'd get a cent here.
Why wasn't she fighting for a autie-friendly classroom assistant to be implemented first, rather than spending all that time and money taking her kid out of school? Wouldn't a classroom assistant cost less salary wise than $40,000 on 'therapy' at the expense of encouraging her child's education?
I'd rather have an intelligent child happy in themselves than have a kid forced to be something they're not, just to make me happy. I do agree that some therapies can be useful for children but not to the cost of $40,000 per annum from the government and a remortgaged house and life savings being spent.
I think her 'thats not a skill he needs to have' comment has been slightly taken out of context; I took it to mean that school unfortunately isn't about being academic. When it should be.
Surely no child needs 21 hours a week of therapy? I very highly doubt that's necessary- especially seeing as he's been described as bright?
If he won't logically need 21 hours, then is that overkill on the parents' part? Trying to 'cure' their kid maybe?
I don't understand the therapy thing - just asking questions.
Thats pretty crap... its hardly like having wonky teeth so getting a brace to 'fix' it.
ABA sounds like a perfect example of our society's lack of respect towards neurodiversity. It's like how they used to force left-handed people to write and do other things with their right hands.
"Doesn't need to have" means "the skill is not necessary for him to function as a cog in the corporate capitalist consumerist machine."
I do not have any marketable skills to begin with, either. In addition I lack the willingness--and to a great extent--the ability to develop them, because of learning impairments. I only have my own, personal, idiosyncratic skills that do not generally fall under any marketable category. Any time someone says a "smart person" would develop skills that could help them make money, I know better than to sell myself out just for the sake of consumerist conformity. Besides, I can only do things that interest me, as part of my AS/ADHD requirement.
I'll have to find a way to make "my odd self" work in society, but I haven't yet found any inroads with it. I don't have skills that people want, basically, and the skills I do have are not good enough.
I found one on "play therapy" for autie kids at my library. It consisted of a teacher actually teaching a child to play "the right way". It wasn't outright cruel or anything; but it did force the child to work despite overload. By the end of the video, the child was imitating a tea party
ewwwww. Recently I was watching a Christmas home movie from when I was a toddler. There was a doll buggy. I put various objects in it. Mom got upset and kept telling me "no", that a baby buggy was only for "babies" and not for my sock monkey. Eventually they gave me a little shopping cart that I could put anything in. It's weird how adults insist a child must pretend a particular thing with a particular toy like the script has to be approved. I just liked that it rolled.
sorry but what does YMMV mean?
sorry but what does YMMV mean?
It usually means "Your mileage may vary" a disclaimer that means what pertains to you might not be the same. Though maybe in the UK it would be your kilometers may vary? 
Ahhhh... never heard of that one before! thank you