Therapy for Autistic Behaviour?

Thank you x I shall appeal LOL I will def go for a second opinion if that does happen.  I just worry because I talk sooo much that it 'looks' social.  It isn't social, it is non stop talking, talking over people, talking until people look at their watches or are itching to get away.  The phone is a nightmare for me.  I have no 'timing' with conversations.  I butt in, speak at the wrong time.  I've also got a special knack of making a whole group of people go silent . . . awkward!  I have also mastered 'looking neurotypical' . . . I don't know we will see.  I want this diagnosis very much, for myself.  I know that might sound strange.  Why would you 'want' a diagnosis.  I guess because if it's not Autism, then what is it? :O It isn't neurotypical that is for sure!  x

Hopefully you wont have to wait too long to find out, it seems to vary a lot across the country. If the result isn't ASD, but you feel you definitely identify with ASD and with people here, there's no reason why you shouldn't still use this forum. There are a lot of self-diagnosed people here too!  

No problem!

You won't have too many problems by the sound of things!

I just regret not expressing my problems earlier, years of thinking my sensory problems were a serious mental illness were a waste of energy and time! Can't change that now though!

Yeah this forum is good. The best one I've been on since being diagnosed! 

Loololl, that special smell of educational halitosis!

Why the kissing? Because the guy was obviously abusing his role of trust to enact sadistic sexual urges towards children. Watch the documentary. There is no other logical conclusion. You can say I'm bad minded or paranoid but the look of excitement and glee on his face towards a totally distraught pre-teen girl was just wrong. ******* sicko. The girl didn't like to be touched, never mind kissed. How can kissing help a child that doesn't like to be touched. There is a big jump between the two. ABA seems pretty uncomfortable at best, sadistic routinely but this was something beyond comprehension.

Sorry for the rant but yeah it still makes my skin crawl.

The Americanization of the UK! I spoke to a Autism worker about ABA who has been in the field for about 20 years. I mentioned my distain of ABA and she was enraged about its introduction and popularisation. She's normally a placid and calm person. She was swearing and ranting. Rightfully so. I think that it won't catch on. Lots of people abhorr it. It's like something from a Josef Mengele fever dream.

Thank you Cloudy.

What has been most liberating for me is finding this forum.  Since finding this forum, I've accepted myself.  I think it might have made me worse actually!  lol   I now make very little attempt to hide my Autism.  Why should I?  I only dilute it now as I always have for children because they are children.  It's easy for me to do with them.  Grown up adults though I just find I'm not as motivated to pretend in front of.

I spent so many years feeling bad.  Feeling like I wasn't very nice or didn't fit in.  Wondering why I wasn't close to lots of people, feeling confused, blaming myself, not liking myself . . .

No, no, no that all stops.  I'm 43. You don't get an eternity on this planet.  No, I'm not spending any more time doing all that stuff.  I'm going to embrace who I am and what I am.  Some people do like it!  Not everyone granted.  I've been married twice, neither husband wanted to leave.  Second one is still here.  First one was a cheat so after a period of that I just thought, no that's enough now I think!

Point is.  I don't need EVERYONE to like me.  A few people will do.  I don't like groups of people anyway.  Anyway once you get to forty you realise actually you don't even care, it's about "who I like" and "who I want to be with".  Anything else is not applicable really . . .

I do love this forum though.  Totally love it!

Wow!  Teachers and coffee breath!  That's a human rights violation surely?  I'm with you on that.  Why the kissing?  Very odd.

:O Oh no, I don't think I'd stand for any of that.  Anything that veers down the 'cure' route I don't like. I have absolutely ZERO desire for a cure.   I am very happy that I am not like everyone else.  Very happy indeed for the most part.  The sensory stuff is a bit of a drag at times but as for the rest of it.  I'm quite happy.  Happier now I've realised it's not only me. Much happier in fact.  Liberated even!

I know very little about it.  From what I've heard I don't like the sound of it.  I

I have ASD children and I or we embrace difference.  I teach them that they do not change themselves for anyone anything.  Money maybe, ie to eat and only if absolutely necessary as a means to an end, but that is it.

Offence is taken, not given.  I was not put on this earth for people to like.  I'm not an ornament.   My biggest concern is whether I like myself at the end of the day.

I really object to the idea of changing myself to fit in with someone else's perception of what should be.  If that means that I'm on my own a lot - so be it.  It's my preference really anyway!  Which is lucky really I guess. x

lol

Yuck! "groups"!  Worse! "groups of NEW people" . . . 

You shall have to get on and bare it now you've complained LOL ;)  That will teach you . . . he he ;)

No, all jokes aside, I went on one about ADHD and it was deplorable. The title of if was ADHD and ADD something or other.  I pointed out that ADHD has not been called ADD since 1987.  I don't like disorder, classifying or grouping things incorrectly.  It's very difficult for me and that set me off straight away! Ha!

It also made wonder what they actually knew if the title of the group was so terribly flawed and hadn't been called ADD for 20 years.  Experts talking in a group would surely know this?  They lost me with the title.  I was long gone! lol

But if you go with the attitude of perhaps co-educating rather than expecting a revelation on Autism imparted by a neurotypical person then it might be useful if not for you then for them!  Though that kind of defeats the object I accept.

I agree this forum is by far the most useful place for me to get the 'real deal'.

I love this forum.  I'm so scared I'm going to go for my Autism assessment and be told that I'm not autistic now.  I shall be devastated if that happens now.  The waiting is unbearable.

xx

The worst thing is that ABA is currently used and recommend in the UK as treatment for autistic children to make them more'"normal" 

It made me so angry to watch. The fact that the "teacher" had chosen a mute girl just made me want to stomp out the guy. It stank of sexual abuse. Very, very creepy. The therapy itself was cruel but the way the "teacher" was handling the girl wasn't appropriate. I haven't got kids but that made me question the parents too. It was bad.

Bloody Hell!! This sounds sadistic, I'd be shocked to my core if the NHS still does things like this! That particular example is something I know I'd react quite violently to. I can't see how that method could 'cure' anyone of anything unless by 'cure' they're aiming for a catatonic state of shock.  

Applied behaviour analysis. If you've read 1984, its like locking a child in Room 101 with their triggers and repeating for ages. There was a documentary on BBC not long ago (the Chris Packham one) and they "treated" a girl who hated being touched by getting her 50 odd year old "teacher" to kiss her repeatedly. She was mute. It was the creepiest and cruelest thing I've seen in a long time. If anyone wanted to kiss my junior school aged daughter, ASD or not, repeatedly I'd be in jail for GBH. It was horrific. 

The best thing anyone said to me in terms of dealing with my ASD (which beat any therapy) was a question. "What would be the worst thing that could happen if you just stopped fighting your traits, compared with what is happening fighting them?". Something clicked in my head that day. I still have massive sensory problems but fighting against what is essentially "me" was killing me. This was from my GP who has (by his own admission) next to no experience with Autism. You sound similar to me. It's helped my anxiety. Don't overthink your actions too much and be yourself instead of thinking "I'm Autistic" first. All the best.

I've never heard of ABA, what is it?

ABA is akin to torture from what I have seen of it IMO. It's like a sadists dream. Evil.

I know some people who had ABA, and that is dreadful in their and my opinion.

I'm not going to put more on here at the moment because I don't know if it is relevant to you.

Apparently I'm to have a 'course' of six - eight group sessions to "help me come to terms with" my diagnosis and to "teach" me about autism. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this and don't really know what to expect from it but I'm willing to give it a shot. Mainly because I've complained long and loud about the lack of services re. autism in my area and feel that when they finally get around to providing this service, the least I can do is give it a chance. 

I'm dubious that this proposed course will be able to provide me with anywhere near as much (or as useful) information as I've found on this forum. The professionals who will be giving this course are currently in training for it (as I sort of have been too with all of the research I've done since diagnosis) and I suspect they'll probably know just about the same as me when the time comes but I'm willing to give it a try, give it the benefit of the doubt. The worst that can happen is that I won't find it useful, although I am a little concerned at the idea of group sessions. (Okay, more than "a little" concerned!)    

Thanks for your Thanks, there. I hope someone else replies, however. I do not think that CBT "cures" Autism anymore than it can "cure" a missing limb.. i.e. - There is no such thing as a "cure". It may teach "Social Masking"... but this is digressing and so why I hope someone else replies after this... And...

Xanadu said:

Is there anything that you'd recommend? 

...I would recommend doing just as you are doing, staying here, and speaking to other Autistic Adults, here or elsewhere, at least. But it is getting late now, at One In The Morning!

Fair Play to you.