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There is an image description following the image.

Image title: Autism Therapy: goals and effects

Copyright statement:

©Michelle Sutton *www.michellesuttonwrites.blogspot.com.au *Please credit when sharing *Do not reproduce without written permission

The image contains 3 coloured boxes set out as three columns. The box on the left is yellow and is titled “Common goals of Autism Therapies“. The box in the middle is blue and is titles “Effect of compliance on the Autistic person“. The box on the right is green and is titled “Acceptance based alternative strategy“.

Information is set out across the coloured columns as follows:

Goal

eye contact

Effect

physical pain, inability to concentrate on anything else

Alternative

do not insist on eye contact

if confirmation of listening is essential use a strategy like asking the person in they heard you

Goal

verbal communication

Effect

frustration, anxiety and feelings of inadequacy if language is very difficult for the person, belief that others value the method of communication more than the message being communicated

Alternative

do not insist on verbal communication

accept use of gestures, sign language, AAC devices, typing or drawing pictures and all behaviour as valid forms of communication

Goal

reduce or eliminate stimming

Effect

frustration, anxiety, inability to concentrate, reduced ability to cope with sensory input and build up of stress leading to meltdown or shutdown

Alternative

do not discourage stimming

accept stimming as a useful way of self regulation and expressing oneself

Goal

being still, quiet and “ready to learn”

Effect

frustration, anxiety, inability to concentrate, reduced ability to cope with sensory input and build up of stress leading to meltdown or shutdown

Alternative

do not require stillness or quietness or assume that it is necessary for effective learning

acknowledge that sometimes the best learning happens in noisy, messy environments and make adjustments accordingly

Goal

appearing “normal” or “like other children”

i.e. indistinguishable from peers

Effect

frustration, anxiety, PTSD, feelings of inadequacy, self loathing, reduced ability to cope with sensory input, feeling invalidated and invaluable, bottling up emotions so appear normal and having no ‘acceptable’ outlet for them

Alternative

do not attempt to teach Autistic people to behave in a less Autistic way

accpet Autistic people as valuable when they behave like Autistic people

Goal

eliminate “problem behaviours”

Effect

bottling up emotions so appear normal and having no ‘acceptable’ outlet for them, reduced ability to cope with sensory input and other stresses, and build up of stress leading to meltdown or shut down, feeling there no safe place or person to go to when experiencing difficulties

Alternative

accept all behaviour as communication, and look to find the true “cause’ or message being conveyed, then provide appropriate support and accommodations

At the bottom of the image is an orange box that contains the words

All children should be allowed to play, learning and progressing at their own pace.

Being Autistic does not mean a child should be subject to hours of therapy a week.