Reddit reviews The Verbal Behavior Approach: How to Teach Children with Autism and Related Disorders

Apparently the Denver Early Start Model is showing some good results. We have no therapists here in Western Australia... But I just wanted you to know that there are viable alternatives to ABA out there...

Having said that, my son gets ABA, and what that woman was doing, wasn't ABA. horrid, horrid woman !

Hmmm,... just read the rest of this thread... The ABA that my son gets breaks down each skill into a set of tiny tasks, which he is encouraged to complete using a "No.No.Show" method. So you show him what you want him to do, and then ask him to do it. If he refuses, or does it incorrectly, you say "No" the first two times, and the third time, you show him how to do it again. He gets LOTS of positive praise.

He gives all of his therapists grief the first time he meets them :) He's as stubborn as hell. He's yelled and carried on for twenty minutes or so when he first meets a therapist, to see what he can get away with. None of these beautiful young women has ever raised her voice, moved him involuntarily, or hurt him in any way. Listening to a woman twenty years younger than me singing to my screeching son, to distract him, has brought me to tears. I certainly don't have their patience or dedication.

And at the start of this year he had NO functioning language. He didn't even say "Mum". Now he asks for food and drinks, and to use the computer, and going to his special school (which also uses ABA) he waves to me and says "Bye Mum". ABA has given him that.

I do not deny in any way that ABA has a very dark past. I was actually warned by my providers against Googling for videos as some of them are incredibly distressing. ABA as it is practiced here uses no stronger an adversive than ignoring unwanted behaviour. I would like to stress again that what this awful woman did to your child was NOT ABA and it WAS abusive. Someone who thinks and behaves like that should,not be working with children at all, let alone special needs children..

Anyway, Floortime has some good ideas and the Denver Early Start Model does too. If you look them up on Amazon, you'll be able to get a good idea of what's involved in each method as people put loads of helpful info in the reviews.

Denver Early Start

Floortime

I also found It Takes Two to Talk useful, although its expensive... As well as The Verbal Behaviour Approach which is like a more DIY child-centred approach to Autism.

Lastly I would echo the PP who said "Trust your Mummy Instincts". Trust your Mummy instincts ! Don't be ashamed to hover outside the classroom (out of sight); ask more questions; fight for your child :)