PHILOSOPHY
WHY IS IT THAT WE VALUE DIVERSITY IN NATURE, BUT FEAR IT IN OURSELVES AND OTHERS?
Think about it: What IS so great about "being like everyone else"?
Think about it: Why do we find it so annoying when people behave "differently" from us?
Think about it: Does what we say (or not say) always reflect who we are, what we think, and how we feel?
Think about it: No one can change other people, only themselves. SHOULD we be trying to change people who are happy with who they are?
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The NSBAA Philosophy The philosophy for the NSBAA comes from personal experience as an autistic individual and professional experience as an occupational therapist who worked with autistic clients. I grew up trying to “be like everyone else;” I did not succeed and did not know why. When I was diagnosed in my early 50’s, I finally learned that there were other options of how to think and behave, which radically changed my life for the better. Why is the NSBAA not another form of intervention? The definition of intervention is "an action taken to improve a situation, especially a medical disorder." Synonyms for intervention include "interference", "intrusion", and "meddling". Most types of intervention start with an assessment. Based on that assessment, goals are generally written to achieve one or more of the following:
Where does what the individual wants to learn, and the best way for the individual to learn, come into play in an intervention? Simply put, those factors aren't accommodated. The NSBAA is the opposite of an intervention. The NSBAA is a practical, strength-based, and neurodiverse approach educators and therapists can use to look more critically at the goals written and the strategies and tools selected to implement these goals. The needs and desires of the individual and their family play a key role in determining which goals are targeted. The individual's motivation and differences in learning are especially considered in how these goals are achieved. Why do we need a new way to develop the plans for autistic people? Answer: The current way of establishing goals and creating plans is not as effective as it could be for the following reasons: 1) Goals tend to target what are perceived as missing skills or deficits in functional performance. The assumption is that when the individual acquires these missing skills their functional performance will improve. Yet the only measurement of the success of the intervention is whether the goals have been met, not whether it has resulted in improved functional performance in that individual's life. 2) Goals identify WHAT observable behaviors are desired but rarely HOW these behaviors are expected to be attained. Yet, when an individual fails to attain a goal, the goal is retained rather than revised. It is assumed that the goal is still valid but because the strategies selected to achieve that goal are never listed, there is no way to assess what needs to change to improve the outcome. Some individuals have the same goals, most likely using the same strategies, for years and never make progress. |
3) The individual's strengths are typically listed as part of the assessment process, yet they are never mentioned in the educational or treatment plan. Strategies and tools are typically selected because they have been shown to be effective in teaching a particular skill, not a particular individual. Research has demonstrated that the autistic brain does not process information nor respond to social expectations in the same way that non-autistic individuals do.
4) When using a "deficit" approach to setting goals for autistic individuals, skills that are assessed to be below what is considered the "standardized norm" are focused on for remediation. Behaviors that appear to be interfering with development of these skills are also often targeted. Goals are set to improve or develop these skills, or eliminate or modify these behaviors, instead of goals that focus on enhancing the quality of the individual's life, despite these underdeveloped or missing skills and behaviors.
4) When using a "deficit" approach to setting goals for autistic individuals, skills that are assessed to be below what is considered the "standardized norm" are focused on for remediation. Behaviors that appear to be interfering with development of these skills are also often targeted. Goals are set to improve or develop these skills, or eliminate or modify these behaviors, instead of goals that focus on enhancing the quality of the individual's life, despite these underdeveloped or missing skills and behaviors.