April 28, 2019

"PBS amounts to weaponising autism against the autistic individual. Roll out of PBS must be stopped.”

Excerpted below are a couple Twitter threads among autistic autism researchers and autistic advocates about PBS (Positive Behavior Support). Most of these folks are in the UK where lobbying groups are pushing hard to get ABA in the guise of PBS into every bit of the NHS. From there it can get into more schools. Autistic people, particularly autistic autism researchers, are trying to stop it.

PBS is already in our schools here at DSISD. We should get rid of it. Subtract behaviorism. Neurotypicalizing people is abusive.

Ann Memmott PGC on Twitter: "Yes, long study of the PBS training materials shows that 'positive behaviour' does indeed mean non-autistic behaviour. Thankful for the new research showing autistic people use naturally different behaviours, learning methods and communications. Those need respecting.… https://t.co/MOxhNgNwZh"

Elriss Conecta on Twitter: "When most people 'promote +behaviour', what they mean is NT behaviour. Stopping a child from leaving their seat/flapping their hands/looking away is abuse. We NEED to do it. You can make me stop flapping my arms and screaming but the wasps you can't see will still sting me.… https://t.co/Vy1j87RTkk"

Elriss Conecta on Twitter: "The same has happened in ADHD research, especially relating to the efficacy of drug use. (Are we sitting still. Are we looking at the teacher? Head down, writing, for longer periods instead of short energetic bursts?… https://t.co/nQEiKTkpqu"

Ann Memmott PGC on Twitter: "Imagine if for decades, people were 'treating' diabetes low blood sugar incidents (and angry/distressed behaviour through them) with 'challenging behaviour' courses.. instead of preventing them happening in the first place? That. Meltdowns = distress. Sort the distress. Not hard… https://t.co/p9DctOYY2k"

Ann Memmott PGC on Twitter: "As we know, if someone is in a meltdown or shutdown, something has gone terribly wrong. It is not a 'challenge'. Changing attitudes of people around us, and changing what they know about autism, sorts out a huge number of such misunderstandings and disasters. Not all. But most.… https://t.co/KrR6vJdrhn"

Harris Hawthorne Awareness Month on Twitter: "Misunderstanding of meltdown is such a frequent & catastrophic occurrence. Rectifying this is key to treating autistic people humanely. It is urgent that this BASIC understanding is taught, including skills in how to bring this into practice. PBS is misguided at best.… https://t.co/4UHgAFA274"

Fiona Clarke Awareness Month on Twitter: "In contrast I attended a talk about findings and recommendations for overdue discharges into the community. “Challenging behaviour” was mentioned over 15 times in 20 mins, communication once, despite high % of the population not having a communication means. Recommendation? PBS… https://t.co/0UgTyBWaz9"

Fiona Clarke Awareness Month on Twitter: "My concern is very much the idea that you need PBS to meet the needs of say autistic people with mild/mod LD. And classing non-compliance as Challenging Behaviour, rather than a communication of “no” is so pathologising. The language used is so very important.… https://t.co/df0ugvJYVq"

Harris Hawthorne Awareness Month on Twitter: "PBS amounts to weaponising autism against the autistic individual. Roll out of PBS must be stopped. Significant also that sensory issues are discounted at this time. That also needs fixing.… https://t.co/Vj1gyPPJ9G"

Fiona Clarke Awareness Month on Twitter: "Sensory issues are a huge driver which always seem to be given an afterthought if anything by these approaches.… "

Harris Hawthorne Awareness Month on Twitter: "Greatly troubling, the rise of PBS combined with increasing denial of sensory issues (to be left out of the ICD 11, I hear; not that we should be in there to start with). Consequences of both are catastrophic for our community.… https://t.co/GQXoXk4oGc"

Fiona Clarke Awareness Month on Twitter: "Positive Behaviour Support. It has a differently meaning today than what eg Herb Lovett meant by it a few decades ago. An Intro by @rboren : https://t.co/Yd2X2uUAt7… https://t.co/F3nmwJLIP8"

Fiona Clarke Awareness Month on Twitter: "I have been reading up on Functional. Behaviour Analysis which is a method used in PBS and ABA to understand a person’s behaviour. Here is a summary of FBA. It actually looks very different to understanding the root cause of the behaviour. https://t.co/kclbSswxsB"

Like growth mindset, PBS isn’t all bad.

Auntyjack on Twitter: "The thing about PBS is that when done properly, it focuses on behaviour as communication and the majority of the time, something the teacher is doing is provoking or reinforcing communication which challenges the recipient.… https://t.co/lfhT7ZykvA"

It greatly depends on the mindset and implementation. Those without social model and neurodiversity understanding can’t wield these tools correctly. In deficit model cultures, they reinforce the deficit model.

Regardless, there are better models than ABA and PBS.

Fiona Clarke Awareness Month on Twitter: "Are you talking about school based PBS or social care or both? There are non-behaviourist ways to identify basics and ensure a disabled or distressed person has a communication means, has sensory needs met, an individualised curriculum, social and peer support. #Synergy #SCERTS… https://t.co/ddjLgjiLMm"

Fiona Clarke Awareness Month on Twitter: "Gosh there are other ways to do this than PBS and ABA. Look into #SCERTS #Synergy @IncSols @NAT_taskforce @studioIII @Andylowarousal They all take a much more relational and hollistic and approach.… https://t.co/8qbeBjI4xg"

Damian Milton on Twitter: "But flawed theory leads to flawed practice. Better is possible and should be strived for imv.… https://t.co/FwHZ0S3sgG"

Previously,

Ann Memmott PGC Awareness Month on Twitter: "@AutieSpeaking @ClearAutism Mmm, they're doing very well so far in trying to get it into as much of the NHS as possible under its alternative name of Positive Behaviour Support (which used to be a kind and collaborative theory, but ins now a branch of ABA). I doubt they'll stop there." / Twitter

ABA Controversy UK on Twitter: "Top tip #PBSisABA Don’t be fooled when #ABA orgs such as @AmbitiousAutism start calling their ABA Positive Behaviour Support #PBS And what happened about the ABA research they are supporting that has also quietly got dropped from their website? #ABAharms #SmokeScreenAndMirrors https://t.co/fJnTLez42r" / Twitter

Richard Woods on Twitter: "I would not use @AmbitiousAutism as an information source as they support Positive Behaviour Support that many autistic persons disapprove of. You should have @NAT_taskforce as an information source. https://t.co/2oYtFLyuWC… https://t.co/HeqxdUpbZd"