Shifting values in autism awareness and acceptance
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Evolutionary ethics is when the collective values of a profession shift over time. It’s discussed in medical literature and is not specific to ABA or autism.
It’s somewhat akin to evolution of societal and generational standards of different types like parenting, gender roles, and so on.
In terms of autism and the concept of normalization or being indistinguishable from one’s peers, I was practicing back in 2000, and yes, that was a goal among virtually all stakeholders in the autism community.
The collective values in the autism community and society in general have been shifting and that’s great!!!
This could be happening for various different reasons, but either way people are listening and people are learning.
I think it’ll be important that in this process, we as a community continue to pursue acceptance and celebration of uniqueness and individuality, in a way that doesn’t overlook or diminish the experience of those whose safety, health, or quality of life may be adversely impacted by certain aspects of their autism experience.
So perhaps there is value in distinguishing between, but also retaining, the concepts of awareness and acceptance in autism advocacy.
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Let me know what you think in the comments.
Brandon Herscovitch, Ph.D., LABA, BCBA-D
Partners Behavioral Health can help with your clinical and business standards, compliance, and outcomes. We can help you scale an ethical ABA practice you’re proud about.
