Infographics | Autball

top of page

Home
About
Illustrations
- Cartoon
- Infographics
Blog
More
- Contact
- Merch and Support
More

Use tab to navigate through the menu items.

Bad Assessment BINGO (Adult Edition) - Autball

BathTime IG.png

WhyYouCantJust 4.png

Autistic Empathy Can Look Like - by Autball

Signs your demand avoidant person/child is actually trying to work with you-by Autball.

More Than Allism poster.png

Allism...Perfect poster.png

ToneItDownTaupe poster.png

Allism Mom poster.png

PDA Is.png

PDA-Please!.png

Different NOs.png

Black text on a light green-to-aqua background, by Autball.

“For one, we’re kinda throwing non-PDA Autistics under the bus here, even if it is unintentional.

Typical autism strategies don’t work for a lot of Autistic people because they’re based on outdated, one-size-fits-all ideas of what Autistic people are like.

For example, some Autistics really do have a high need for predictability and like a consistent routine. ‘Autism Professionals’ have decided this means that it’s best practice to give ALL Autistic children (or adults in care) a strict schedule and stick to it.

However, not all Autistic people do need a completely scheduled day. Even if we do, people often fail to realize that a *routine* is not necessarily the same thing as a *schedule.* Also, they rarely consider the fact that we might want a say in what’s put into OUR routine because we might not love everything they choose for us.

This is just one example of a ‘universal autism strategy’ that wouldn’t work for PDAers *but also* isn’t all that universal.”

Black text on a light green-to-aqua background, by Autball.

“And then there’s ABA.

If you’ve been in the Autistic community for any amount of time, you know that ABA is not seen as a good thing by pretty much anyone. Unavoidable or the lesser of two evils at times, sure, but not actually *good,* and certainly not free of harm.

So the implication that it’s fine for ‘regular Autistics’ but not for PDA is just not okay, let alone accurate. It may appear to be *effective* on some children, but that doesn’t mean it actually works *for them.*

Also, let’s not forget that internalizing PDAers whose primary stress response is to fawn do exist, and ABA could indeed appear to ‘work’ on them. The constant violations to their autonomy will be silently killing them on the inside, all while their fear response compels them to comply to survive. (This is how it ‘works’ on non-PDAers, too, BTW.)

So while externalizing PDAers will absolutely let you know when something doesn’t work for them with ‘worsening behaviors,’ they’re not the only ones who would resist, or should be shielded from, ABA.

Black text on an aqua-to-blue background, by Autball.

“I totally get why people say this. I do.

When some person in charge is insisting that ABA and other ‘traditional’ strategies are the only way to turn around your child’s behavior even though you KNOW they will be an absolute disaster, you will say just about anything to get them to back off.

You’re feeling beaten down, alone, and you just want to be understood already. And sometimes the only thing they’ll listen to is something that at least *sounds* like it still fits within their entrenched belief system. ‘Hey look, I’m to challenging your entire eXpErTiSe oN AuTiSm, just this one little part over here, see??’

So I get it. Sometimes it gets through when a full on ‘no thanks, I’m against ABA’ doesn’t. We have to be very, very careful with this, though, and at the very least not perpetuate it on social media or in other informal places where no “official” is holding access to proper accommodations and supports hostage.

But even better, push back against these harmful, one-size-fits-all strategies whenever and however you can, on behalf of ALL Autistic people, not just PDAers.”

Black text on a blue to purple background that reads:

Well, we don’t really know, because:

-People with Intellectual Disability (ID) and non-speakers aren’t always included in what little research there is about PDA.

-While official guidance on PDA acknowledges that someone with ID can also be PDA, there is little to no guidance on what that might look like.

-In two of the five “key features,” there is a heavy emphasis on the use of social strategies and appearing to have good social abilities, something that is not usually associated with non-speakers or ID (however wrong that may be).

-In one of the “key features,” there is much talk of things like good verbal ability, verbal fluency, early language delay with quick catch up, and being skilled communicators, none of which could apply to a non-speaker who does not yet have a robust form of alternative communication.

Black text on a blue to purple background that reads:

Online spaces aren’t much more help.

-There is very little discussion of PDA in non-speakers or people with ID in online support groups either, whether from parents or PDAers themselves. Discussions of communication struggles are usually around younger children or refusal to engage.

-There is widespread belief that PDAers are also “high masking” (even appearing in the official guidance), which isn’t how most people think of ID or non-speaking people (including clinicians).

-So much weight is given to the use of elaborate avoidance strategies and high verbal skills that there is a popular belief that PDA is associated with “giftedness.”

-Some have even said they don’t think PDA could co-occur with ID because “how could they even have a strong sense of autonomy or be socially engaging?”

White text on a blue to purple background that reads:

Which leads us to even more questions:

Are non-speakers and people with ID being left out of current PDA narratives?

Are people in these populations being denied proper identification and support as a result?

Is it possible that there are problems with the current PDA criteria themselves?

© 2022 by Autball

autball22@gmail.com

bottom of page