#aba mention cw

[slugass]

mmmm yummy aba abuse propaganda sites talking about autistic people like they don’t exist past the age of like 12 when i’m just trying to fucking google features of autism yummy yummy in my tummy!!

[spacexfucker]

I'm so pissed off about this. Discomfort around hearing loud noises is not enough to make other people have to remain out of public. The whole idea behind shaming people and parents and kids for being loud in public is what made me so afraid to take my daughter places. But she and I deserve to take up space in public regardless of how quiet she can be.

Why does your overstimulation overwrite my daughters right to exist in public? Why are you all anti aba until people bring up that some autistic people can't be redirected or calmed down. Meltdowns are ok for you but not ok if it's someone else? Stimming is fine and you're "unmasking" but a kid vocally stimming too loud is where you draw the line?

Your reaction to autistic people who cant mask and can't control how they stim or act in public is what gets the police called on disabled kids. It's what gets high support kids isolated because they're too "oppressive" to others to take places. It's what makes parents put their kids in ABA.

[the-unlucky-trevor]

So I have this headcanon post for Kaleena. Be warned, it's REALLY long, and woobifies Esme a little more. My interpretation of the Page parents is that Kaleena's motives were her children while Gorman's (yes that's actually his name) motives were money and potentially his kids as well.

//CW: GROOMING, MURDER, PRISON VIOLENCE, ABA, CHILD ABUSE, SEXUAL HARASSMENT, SELF-TERMINATION, SWEARING//

Ever since Kaleena became pregnant with Reggie and Esme, she made it her mission to protect them with all she got. It was to the point where she hit her would-be carjacker with her car while she was 8 months pregnant.

However, when it became apparent that her two children were squibs, she became stricter on them, especially considering she barely got enough sleep because she'd just given birth to Daniel.

Despite this, she still had the mission to protect her children with everything she could do. When she found out that Daniel was being abused in his ABA clinic, Kali wanted to KILL one of his so-called “therapists” for hurting her favourite child. She ended up holding back and was one of the many parents that bankrupted the clinic. It was to the point where Esme and Reg got Daniel a Super NES for Christmas.

Enough rambling, now to the part where Esme started to distrust her own mother.

When Esme was about 14-15, she was being groomed by an older man, so she told her mother about it, as she'd also experienced sexual harassment from a classmate when she was 13.

Kali took this very seriously.

So seriously, that she took a gun, found the address of the man grooming her daughter, and shot him, making it look like self-termination.

The next day, she told Esme “You don't need to worry about him again.”

Esme felt relieved, thinking that her abuser got arrested, until her mother continued her sentence,

“I shot him.”

This horrified Esme.

So much so that she wouldn’t even come near her mother because of this. As in, she would rather read Twilight than be in the same room as her mother.

Eventually, when Esme was 16, her father and brother were arrested and her mother ended up locked up as well for trying to get them out, and by God, poor Dani boy being absolutely miserable was an understatement.

However, despite this, Kaleena still had a desire to protect her children, to the point where she straight-up KILLED Gridley once he got into Azkaban for using her daughter as extortion (sorry gridley stans, but if you fuck with the cubs, you fuck with the bear)

Sometimes, Kali could feel herself going insane from isolation when thinking about her being separated from her kids, especially Daniel. Aaand that's it. Don't say I didn’t warn ya

[system-of-a-feather]

Maybe when I get my PhD Ill research long term effects of "good and modern ABA" and burn it to the ground Round 2 Electric Boogaloo /hj

[muffinapologist]

If you want another reason to know conservatives are full of shit; while they’re villainizing queer people as “groomers” there’s actual statistical evidence that shows therapies like ABA are (likely unintentionally) grooming neurodivergent people for abuse and have lead to a marked rise in the rate of abuse among neurodivergents. But no one talks about banning these therapies or evaluating how medical professionals treat neurodivergents. They just want to kill queer people, it has nothing to do with preventing abuse

[moth-mayh3m]

that moment when i barely have anymore triggers relating to my trauma because i am So So Angry and Autistic so i actually end LOVING talking about the trauma

[birdofmay]

I am autistic but have severe trauma due to masking (I’m an ABA victim) and so unmasking has been difficult. Lately I’ve been more open and learning that I don’t need to respond to something if I don’t know how to respond to it. A lot of times it’s “I apologize your words affect me deeply I just don’t know how to respond to that :(“ and I genuinely feel terrible that I can’t find my words or find the way to appropriately connect my feelings to a response. Before this I used to be like “I’m appreciative of that, thanks.” Or “I don’t really like that…” but things have become more complicated and now I don’t want to use the default template response because it doesn’t actually connect to how I really feel. Is there some term for this? What is it? I don’t think it’s nonverbal or nonspeaking I mean I can talk and such, I just don’t know what to completely say to people or what genuinely feels ok to say that is satisfying to how I feel internally. A piece of me feels a little restricted with only learning one language (english) and I feel that other languages out there have better ways to articulate and connect how one internally feels.

I tried to reword your ask and if I understand you correctly, what you're basically saying is

"I used scripts all the time, and now that I'm not scripting anymore I realised that I don't know how to express myself and my feelings"

did I get that right?

If so, I think it's very common to struggle with that in the process of unmasking. Once the reliable scripts are gone, you have to figure everything out yourself, and of course that's confusing and frustrating. But I don't think there's a special term for that.

I'd like to hand this ask over to autistics with similar experiences, no matter if you're a follower or not, feel free to comment whatever comes to mind! ☝🏼

[whumpbump]

Immersion Therapy

Cw: noncon (nonsexual) touching, noncon drugging, mentions of PTSD, control by a big organization, forced immersion therapy, forced ABA, forced conversion therapy

Whumpee was diagnosed with PTSD and under the Caretaking Organization’s decision, Whumpee was to go through immersion therapy with their assigned Caretaker.

Whumpee’s immersion therapy was to sit on Caretaker’s lap for an hour, three times a week while being hugged to overcome their aversion to being touched and held.

Caretaker was given their orders and uncomfortable with the decision made, tried to gently explain to Whumpee what would be happening from the doorway of Whumpee’s room. Caretaker received an “Absolutely NOT” from the lump of blankets on the bed and with that, closed the door and reported back.

An injectable sedative was delivered to Caretaker’s doorstep within three hours.

Caretaker took a deep breath and called to Whumpee from the doorway.

“Whumpee? It’s time for immersion therapy. The sooner we do it, the sooner it’s over.”

The lump of blankets was silent. This was generally Whumpee’s way of saying no without having to verbalize. Typical avoidance behaviors like pretending they can’t hear or looking away so they can’t acknowledge by looking in Caretaker’s eyes that they’ve been told something.

Caretaker swallowed uncomfortably, knowing what was likely coming next.

“Whumpee, I’m giving you the chance to try it out before we move on to next steps.”

The lump was silent and seemed to become quieter if that was even possible.

Caretaker walked over to the blankets, pulled them back and quickly sunk the needle into exposed flesh. Whumpee looked up in surprise and horror as Caretaker pulled the needle away and clicked the safety cap on.

In an instant, Whumpee bolted for the door. Caretaker followed, concerned they would fall down the steps. Fortunately Caretaker was able to pass Whumpee on the stairs as they slowed significantly, cursing up a storm in slurred speech. When they did end up sliding towards the floor, Caretaker was there to catch them and scoop them up. Like a small child restrained by a parent during a tantrum, Whumpee huffed and cried as they tried to wiggle away from the offending arms.

Caretaker calmly sat them both on the couch and curled Whumpee into their body as their hour together started. Whumpee cried and cried. Caretaker cried too, knowing this was not therapeutic in any sense of the word and would only cause Whumpee to lose trust in them but they had their orders and would lose their job if they refused.

As they sat, Caretaker apologized profusely through their tears and explained they had to do this lest they lose their job and Whumpee end up with someone not as caring, only in it for the money. Whumpee understood this but was so overwhelmed by the touch and shock of being drugged that all they could do was make big ugly sobs into Caretaker’s shirt.

Caretaker wiped Whumpee’s tears and nose with a tissue and shushed them while rubbing small circles on their back, patting them, and rocking them intermittently. They felt Whumpee’s heart rate slow and Whumpee allowed the drugs to lull them to sleep. As they slept, Caretaker thought deeply about the events that had unfolded, leading them to this moment. Was it worth it to stay in the Organization if this was how they treated their patients?

[granulesofsand]

CW: attemptively non-detailed mentions of abuse, csa, animal death+torture, paraphilias (non contact) ABA, every classic categories of abuse, think thats it

[If this is not allowed ask my bad you can delete, I sincerely mean no harm] I apologizing if this is incoherent at all i am very brain disordered at the moment but this is the most clarity I have on things in awhile. We have been very certain on atleast C-DID levels of complexity for some time and it opened many doors and is all incredibly complicated, but have also been having issue of relating to HC-DID in ways that feel am not allowed because did not go thru a cult or outside sources (to our knowledge, only had small handful of time to process things and have high amnesia dissociation and other disorders)

we did go through some things, like here is things experience to my knowledge, have had so little time to process after life of amnesia + dissociation;

force exposure to gore & genuine satanism & satanic sacrifice & rituals, relatives torturing mutilating killing animals for sacrifice / pleasure (including pets especially meant for us) made to believe we were demon -- csa (only process rn thru somatic flashbacks etc) one of relatives was predator -- through ABA (or other organization) at young age, did inhumane things not hear of doing to others, it was maybe worse than we think, feel like it set us up for dissociative states -- beating, isolating, starving, threat of murder, strange punishments, we had adapt to be certain ways try not to be hurt and go into trance states (/or alter switch?) and inability to make noise or sob etc -- have alters who hold takeover reactions of hurt or mutulate self, of run back to them, of unalive, of do awful thing to animals like abusers had us do and did, struggle with several paraphilias and Aspd -- relatives seem to work together at times in things and use hurting us to get along or participate together -- think related to some TB/MC things for reasons I can no longer access memory to, know that they did make us go into states and be certain ways and dissociate and the organization was a part of this and or set us up for it likely -- have not just subsystem but experience layering and sidesystem aswell (many of the reactive alters are here the ones who can harm, but cannot reach them) some other innerworld structure type things

when I share too much / think on details things happen and i can't help it so I don't go in detail I hope this is okay, I try sometimes to dig and it can make some alters react in selfharm/unalive/harmful ways and i lose clarity. I don't know, I feel relation to some things of HC-DID and find help in there, but I know I cannot take space, I am just very confused and there is so little resource for some specific experiences -- I suppose I am unsure if I can even be in this space, do I have any reason other than relating and it helping us, only finding some relations in here and understandings ,_, lost; & too much

🗝️🏷️ mentioned above, RAMCOA

Before I start, I want to say that I am neither you nor your clinician, and my opinions are based only on the few paragraphs here. Whatever you conclude, that’s your process and you should hold the reigns.

RAMCOA

So. With what you’ve said, I can say that you are a RAMCOA survivor if you choose to identify as such. Below is anything else I thought possibly helpful.

Ritual Abuse doesn’t have to take place in organized groups. It doesn’t require a group at all. It’s a particular flavor of religious/belief-based trauma describing the use of symbolism as a centerpiece to the abuse.

Satanic imagery is particularly common in majority Christian areas, and can be used in an abuse dynamic as a true faith or as a method of normalizing extreme violence. Exposure to that qualifies you as a survivor of RA.

There was a time when RA was SRA, the S standing for Satanic, though it’s no longer used for all incidents of RA. Satanic Panic and Satanic Ritual Abuse are different, but not everyone knows that. I would not recommend straight Googling those terms, but there are both books and survivor spaces that will understand.

It also looks to me as though programming, or at least Mind Control may have taken place. Programming is what makes a system Highly Complex. All programming is MC, but not all MC is programming. HC-DID systems were intentionally split, structured, or controlled via cue-response or other heavy conditioning.

Abusers don’t have to know specific words or be affiliated with any group to create a programmed system. Organized Abuse can cooccur, referring to high control groups like cults and trafficking rings, but is not necessary for programming.

Mind Control

Mind Control is intentional, but it doesn’t require the awareness of the current perpetrator. Sometimes called Manipulative Conditioning, it refers to a plethora of practices; for example

Generational groups can program members without any ill meaning because those inflicting the programming are in turn also programmed.

McDonald’s is using MC if they research color schemes for advertising with the intent of drawing in customers, but not if they choose it because they happened to like that same set of colors.

I would also say that MC is inherently abusive. It is a different thing to teach a child not to break a glass by reacting negatively and then repairing the bond than it is to knowingly use the same negative reaction to induce disordered eating. It’s a matter of control and agency which we are not currently capable of utilizing safely.

For those reasons, ABA is also MC. It aims to change behaviors with the intention of forcing conformity. It becomes Torture*-Based MC when pain is weaponized for this purpose, or Drug-Based MC when substances are present. (*I consider torture and trauma alike when purposefully applied.)

Programming

T/DBMC both include a deeper level of intention and coercion, and I would not correct someone who called these experiences programming. My own definition of programming leans into the specific outcome that pairs with the intention, and I cannot decide for another whether their experiences meet this standard.

Sidesystems in HC-DID refer to subgroups of alters placed away from other alters by programmers, often with a particular purpose. Some plurals use sidesystem as only a subgroup of alters away from other alters, which is therefore possible without programming.

Layers are not, to my knowledge, limited by any HC-DID definition. They appear with frequency in programmed systems because they can be used for organization, and because many experiences** common among RAMCOA survivors can create similar structuring (**repetition in MC or RA, need to separate large groups of alters, different innerworld settings that cannot be contained in one area).

I will include that having both of these, as well as surviving RA and MC, can be indicative of programming. Some HC-DID systems consider all polyfrag RAMCOA systems HC, others place more emphasis on programming than structure. Some insist upon both.

HC-DID

There is no label police that will revoke your license, only people who are sometimes mean. You are the one who decides whether or not to call your system HC, and you don’t have to explain your story for anyone but yourselves.

We believe that other alters do not owe information to even their own systemmates, but that bit is for y’all to decide.

Try not to push too hard for memories. Listen to others inside and work with each other where possible, as trust makes communication easier. It’s hard to work with trauma, especially of this variety, and I hope that you find community with whichever labels you use.

[sillylilfairy]

Free to Use Pride Flags!

Made these two ace, aro and neurodiversity inclusive pride flags inspired by the intersex inclusive progress pride flag and posted on my Deviantart awhile back. I also made it a point to explicitly include BIPOC in the neurodiversity symbol since they often get spoken over by white neurodivergent folks. Use these however you like. Credit is appreciated but not required :3 Cw: Ableism, transphobia, aspec erasure and ABA/conversion therapy mentions under the cut

I made it a point to include aros and aces because of the separatism, erasure and denial of ace and aro oppression in queer spaces. And I included neurodiversity due to the huge overlap between queerness and neurodivergence as well as our shared struggle with conversion therapy (ABA). Especially autistic people (though it gets used on ADHDers and other folks too). Being autistic is also often cited as a reason to deny trans people gender affirming care (which I've experienced personally), as in the case of Missouri's "emergency" ban on trans affirming care.

We're also 7 times more likely than neurotypicals to openly identify as trans because we place less value on social hierarchy and neurotypical social norms than we do on authenticity. Being neurodivergent can also have a direct influence on how we experience queerness which is why identities like autigender and neuroqueer exist.

Feel free to use these in whatever way you see fit. Or don't. There's no pressure. I just wanted them to exist and to share them with others who may have felt ostracized from what should have been safe spaces due to gatekeepers, exclusionists, ableists or racists

[the-paint-cans-galaxy]

CW // ABA Therapy Mention

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So last night, I felt awful because people still think ABA therapy was okay. I could recall that people sometimes develop a rough exterior that they never want to be hurt again. I think I or someone else said something about that via internal communication. Again, I'm not sure who it was. I figured last night I would figure it out today. -📀

[lighthouse-system]

Talking to the local center around here for Autism resources and the fact that the ONLY thing I see is them talking about ABA... Like I know very little about ABA but what I do know is that I've never heard an Autistic person walk away from it unscathed.

[moth-mayh3m]

thinking about my angsty self-projection aba-related headcanons for gin's past. someone needs to take this character away from me RIGHT NOW./j

[helloiamausacresfan]

If you have coin nearby and want to help a support network for autism/autistic/ASD folks, want an accomplishment medal to hang up, and/or want one of the world's comfiest T-shirts, all from the comfort of your own home, ASVC's/Autism Society Ventura County's got you covered if you participate in Aut2Run 2021, which will be held virtually April 24th-25th! :D

Every cent ASVC makes off this and other fundraisers is one less cent it has to take from big local ABA providers in order to afford to do everything it does for autistic people of all ages, yes even adults!

Register and/or donate here at this link (it's the same link as at top): https://runsignup.com/Race/CA/Camarillo/Aut2Run

This would be a fun event for your friends, family, coworkers, and neighbors as well! :D

[wreckitremy]

The only thing that is essential, is that anon (and allistics in general) go take a walk through autism acceptance month tag and the actuallyautistic tag.

But keep your mouth shut while you learn to not be ableist. Trust me, someone else has already asked your annoying question, or made that irritating comment, and it has been addressed already. Pay attention long enough and you might even find the answer to why you are wrong without fucking up anymore.

ABA is essential for autistic children. It help teach them social skills. Without it them, autistic child would enter society with no social skills and behave like animals/feral children.

There's a big difference between teaching social skills and bullying into compliance.

[birdofmay]

so before in a post you said your parents had an autistic friend who helped when you got your diagnosis, this question is semi related to that -(maybe 😋)

(some parts are bold if the paragraphs are to wordy cramps)

as an autistic teen, what resources help you the most??how or where did your parents find these resources?? Asking because my parents and me (and no one) is given some sort of autism guide when you get a diagnosis,,,

cw aba mention

there having me try ABA (which scares me but gonna try and see ? Theyve already hurt my ears)

cw over

more specifically maybe like what therapies/accommodations help you ? how do you and other people adjust to communicate with AAC and have them respect you ?? resources like your disability ID card and stuff,,

a summary is: where are you and your family finding these resources to help you ??? 😂 me and my family are at a loss !

(To those reading this: anon is from the US, if you're from the US and think you can help and maybe guide anon, feel free to comment on this ask! Follower or not, it doesn't matter! 😁)

There's a German online forum called "REHA kids"; it's primarily for parents (abled or disabled) who have disabled kids. And a great German blog (ellasblog); the owner is a mum of a high support needs autistic, she helps parents finding their way around in the German law system because this can be really overwhelming - autistics are absolutely welcome to share their point of view, especially if they're higher support needs.

Maybe there are similar online resources in the US? Online forums where you or your parents can find information about how things work in your state and what to pay attention to?

Important: Sometimes you're "bound" to a therapy center or something because it's the law. I'm in an "autism therapy center" and I'm supposed to stay there until I'm either old enough or I officially don't need help anymore. My parents thought it's important to make me go to therapists outside of this facility, so that if it should ever happen that the therapy center suggests something I really don't want, I can show them a doctor's note from a professional who proves that what they suggest absolutely isn't necessary and that I'm actually doing fine. If the doctor's note proves that something isn't necessary, the insurance won't cover it and they're only allowed to do things that are covered by the insurance. German loophole 😄

What other therapies I had/have: Speech therapy, music therapy, social skills training, sensory integration therapy. Maybe more, the autism center adjusts the therapy plan to the individual, so sometimes occupational therapy is beneficial, sometimes sensory integration, sometimes simply painting a rainbow with finger paint 🤷🏻‍♀️ (no joke)

Regarding AAC and my disability ID card: I had my card before I had my autism diagnosis because I was developmentally delayed and had brain damage, but I think in the US you don't have those cards. The ministry of social affairs is responsible for that in my federal state, they regularly reassess me. I had my first AAC device before I entered school, but I also learned German Sign Language. After a while I got more and more fluent in typing and faster in responding, so at some point I decided that I only want to type, and now I simply use text to speech.

I think that's all I can say without being too unrelatable because everything else is how things work in Germany and not in the US, that wouldn't be of much use 🤔

Again to people from the US: Please share in the comments how things work in your state and if you have any advice for anon!