Autism & ABA

I was an ABA therapist for just over a year. It would have been just over a week, but I'd signed a contract and didn't feel I could break it. It was apparent to me within the first few sessions that ABA did not fit with my belief about how children learn best. I eventually trained in DIR/Floortime, and this "fit" a lot better for me. Yet there are VERY few parents in this area who use a relationship-based approach, and I haven't been able to find any private families to work with. I did have one child with PDD-NOS who was going to enroll in my program, but mom was very ABA-oriented & couldn't stand the "chaos" of a play-based program, even though the child was engaging & following the routines as much as could be expected for a first day. Yesterday was the whole "autism awareness day" thing, and one of the TV stations did a special on it. ABA was proclaimed as the ONLY effective treatment for autism. Other approaches were not even mentioned. Drives me nuts! Don't get me wrong, it may be right for some children and their families, but I wish they could focus on a holistic approach to education. Of course, we can't manage that with our typically developing kids, so why expect it for those children with special rights?