#but i feel like the fact that my parents/ABA 'therapists' were trying to prevent 'autistic behavior' limited my potential

[luigis-slut]

So did any other autistic people have ABA therapists encourage your parents to have you participate in a "variety of activities" as a young kid to prevent you from developing special interests?

Did that prevent you from practicing an activity long-term, thus keeping you from being good at anything? And as an adult, did that inhibit your ability to develop hobbies and find interests that you're passionate about?

Because that’s sure what it did to me.

#autism #ableism #ableist nonsense #aba #anti aba #anti ableism #I mean its not like i didnt develop hobbies and find things that im skilled at #but i feel like the fact that my parents/ABA 'therapists' were trying to prevent 'autistic behavior' limited my potential #I'm glad that my parents encouraged my art skills to the point that it became my career path #and that Im at least skilled and talented in THAT #but i wish i could go back in time and trade all of those sports activities out for ONE sport and music #I did soccer. baseball. dance. karate. ice skating. etc. None of it stuck. I remember almost none of those skills now. #Because id only do it for a year or two before I was encouraged to try something else before it became a special interest #I feel like id be in a much better place now if i was simply allowed to have special interests #aba is abuse #aba is meant to eradicate autistic traits for the convenience of parents. not to produce healthy adults #Im trying to develop new hobbies now. But with the way i was raised its extremely difficult to learn and keep practicing #this certainly isnt the worst thing that ABA has done to me. But its one that i dont see many others talk about #i wish i had been allowed to have special interests. I wish i had been allowed to be autistic without ridicule #the fact that my family STILL looks back on my 'variety of interests' as a good thing is also depressing #the fact that they keep saying 'its a good thing we got early intervention' makes me upset #I know that they mean well. Theyre glad i can communicate verbally and could graduate college #But they treat my autism like its cancer. The constantly tell me that the abuse was justified. That i NEEDED it #this is why we need autism ACCEPTANCE. Not awareness. ACCEPTANCE.