Aspies For Freedom

Excerpt from schafer report  
Wednesday, January 26, 2005                       Vol. 9  No. 14
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MEDIA

NYT Writer Looking For Families With Whom To Talk

      The New York Times is looking to speak with families of children on
the autism spectrum, according to an email from Susan Izeman.  She says that
from the email, it sounds like she's interested in "discrete trial/ABA is
good, but not enough".  Here's an exerpt:

      . . .A project I'm working on now having to do with some of the early
intervention ABA kids, who were very successful in programs like Alpine &
Epic, went on to mainstream and are now struggling as they hit middle
school. Every educator and researcher I've spoken to says there is a growing
awareness that all is not going as hoped for a lot of these kids and that
parents find themselves in a "beware of your heart's desire'' situation . .
. . . they thought they hit the lottery and then, boom!
     I'd like to talk about the issue of what happens to some of these main
streamed kids at 11 or 12, when the social gap widens and the whole school
structure is so much more difficult  . . . .

     Recent history has shown that at least one New York Times reporter has
been biased against ABA and autism parents, so tread carefully if you
respond.  Unfortunately, Susan does not give the name of the reporter.  If
you are interested in any event, please let Susan know as soon if you can if
you would like her to share your name/phone/email with the anonymous
reporter. "Susan Izeman" Izeman@arcgreenwich .org   If you find out the who
the reporter is, let us know and we’ll let you know if it’s the same one to
avoid being "ambushed". - Lenny at edit@doitnow .com

I am sorry but that is an unfair accusation against amy harmon.

If it is Amy Harmon, I'm sure she would do another well balanced piece.

It seems unlikely - though not impossible - that the NYT would have more than one reporter working on interview-based in-depth autism stories.

Stella

I'm looking forward to seeing the article.  That's a difficult age period for autistic kids in general, whether or not they were in ABA programs.

At that age, I was placed in a small private school for two years to give me more time to catch up in social development, and my brother was taught at home until he was ready to go on to high school.

I sent my kids to a Catholic school (which, in the US, includes the primary grades and the junior high grades in one small building) so that they wouldn't have to go to a junior high or middle school, and also because the Catholic schools offer social skills lessons as part of their religion classes.  That worked out well, but I believe the public schools need to offer similar programs.

http://www.arcgreenwich.org/

Idle curiosity made me look up the organisation connected with the email address. It looks to be a service to support special needs children and adults in Greenwich Conneticut. I have NO idea if that means anything though

We haven't done ABA and my son is too young to factor into this piece. If anyone finds out who is doing the piece, please post the info...we could pass this on to other forums once we have a bit of confirmation?

Excerpt from Schafer Report
Thursday, January 27, 2005                        Vol. 9  No. 15LETTERS
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Regarding Pending NYT ABA Story

     I am an ABA parent and I am glad the reporter is writing the story.
     I wish I had never done ABA with my son -- and I used a Lovaas
approved, big name organization.  I am all for dispelling the myth about the
wonders of ABA.  Two years of ABA emptied our pockets and did not recover
our son.
     Other methods, later, are what helped him recover. And I have heard
about the older kids having problems.
     Also many recovered kids are medicated.
     - Barbara Barker