Rightful Live Investigates Behavioural Analysis and Support

Rightful Lives is launching an investigation in to methods of behavioural treatment, Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) and Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) for learning disabled and /or autistic people in Britain. ABA & PBS have people divided- some see them as a way to enable autistic people to take part in everyday life and others as a human rights abuse. In this investigation we aim to get behind this polarised debate and understand the issues more fully. Alexis Quinn kicks this investigation off by introducing her experience of behavioural support and the impact it had on her as an autistic woman. Alexis Quinn is the author of the book Unbroken, which tells the story of her incarceration in the British mental health system.

[@paigejoy01]

Thank you friend, this basically described my experience as well

[@ir4700]

"evidence-based" - doesn't mean not harmful. Thank you for a very clear description of what is unfortunately very familiar 😔

[@avapilsen]

You really need to give more about your situation. What kind of behaviors were they trying to change? What methods did they use? What ethical violations did you experience? You didn't exactly say anything other than "they tried to change me, and I'm now suicidal because of them."

[@marroosh]

I really would like to know as well.

[@monicaspoor2993]

No, she really does not need to do that, nor should she. Because that is exactly what got us into this kind of situation - the idea that it's okay to do things to autistic kids that you wouldn't do to allistic kids, because their behaviour is different. You probably don't mean it in that way, but this question often gets used as justification - 'yeah, but your behaviour was clearly SO off-base that it justifies any method to change it'. Even not outright ABA-based approaches tend to see behaviour that is uncommon among those not autistic and immediately believe that thus, it needs to be stamped out, regardless of whether the behaviour is actually dangerous, whether it serves a purpose to that person (that's usually not something that's even considered) or whether it is behaviour caused by stress that would change anyway if you simply removed whatever causes the stress.

[@robokill387]

@@monicaspoor2993 She wasn't a kid when this happened, she was a grown woman with a career and a baby.