We Need Less Therapy and More Education for People with Autism

I coined a new term yesterday, "Coordination Education." It came up during a conversation with a gifted Occupational Therapist named Jackie who shares the same distain for the word therapy that I do.

She was discussing her work with special needs children in helping them improve their fine motor coordination and I offered this term as a substitute to fine motor therapy.

Jackie and I had an empowering conversation about the difference between therapy and education and how disproportionally members of the autism and the special needs community are sent for various therapies when what they need is education.

What's the difference?

I'm a trained therapist but I don't do therapy. Therapy by definition is the treatment of illness or disability.

Whereas Education is the development of innate capacities, in a particular area for a particular purpose.

The essential premise of the two terms is vastly different. Therapy begins with the perception that something is missing whereas Education begins with the wholehearted understanding that a lot is there that need only be nurtured.

Jackie and I are both parents of children with special needs and professionals working with the special needs community. This dual perspective on both our parts no doubt led to our realization that our children are often viewed as broken normal people, instead of complete human beings who are simply in need of more creative strategies for navigating life.

The point

One of the most important points I make with those I serve when they say, "I don't need therapy and I don't want it." I respond, "Great, because I don't do therapy and there's nothing wrong with you. All you need are strategies that help you acheive the results in your life better than the ones you're using now."

"Would you agree to that?" "Yes, I would," and so our journey together begins.

As the saying goes there's more than one road to Rome. Members of the special needs community have the most special need of all, acceptance for the beautiful human beings they are.

Human beings that are doing exactly the same thing you are, walking or in some cases rolling through this life in a way no one else has ever done before. Leaving their unique, indelible footprint on this world.

What ultimately allows each of us to make our greatest contribution is receiving the education we need to fully express the unique genius we were put on this Earth to share.

I'm not referring to the education that comes in the form of the three R's: Read, Remember and Regurgitate handed down by the no nothing American governmental bureaucrats who so shortsightedly crafted the Every Child Left Behind Act.

I'm referring to the education in how to partner with another human being, be a friend, be a neighbor, be a part of a family and a community. This is the education that leads to full engagement in life. The education that nurtures the genius we were brought into this world to share.

A genius too often muffled by an overemphasis on fixing the so called broken parts.

Photo Credit Sean MacEntee via Flikr

Tags: autism, confidence, coping, parenting, relationships, resilience, success

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Comment by Brian R. King LCSW on February 6, 2012 at 7:32am: I have also found that the first person language discussion changes when a client and/or their parents get clearer on their outcomes. Wanting to be called "autistic" (Disclaimer: in my experience, not making generalizations here) stems from over-identification with the label. The more they embrace outcomes aimed at connecting with others and building skills based upon their unique challenges the more their journey becomes less about autism and more the typical path of any human being.

Insistence on calling something "therapy" tends to stem from the belief that the outcome of the work is to repair something that's broken.

Great discussion here btw Matt. Thank you.

Comment by Matthew A. T. Lehman, MA, BCBA on February 5, 2012 at 9:38pm: That I completely agree with - and it puts me in mind of the whole autistic or person with autism debate.

I have never worked with a kid who didn't prefer to be called autistic/ have asperger's rather then "a person with autism/asperger's"

I guess my point question is: are we making the kids feel better, or the parents? Not that either is an invalid target for better feelings of course .. .

I have also heard many kids correct me or a parent when NOT calling something therapy. An anecdotal sample of course, but the only one I can claim empirical experience of lol.

Comment by Brian R. King LCSW on February 5, 2012 at 4:44pm: Not a party crasher at all Matt. Insurance companies are part of the problem. My larger point is less about how you bill for it and more about how you approach it and frame it for the person receiving the services. To clarify your point, are you saying "function" and "form" are mutually exclusive?

Comment by Matthew A. T. Lehman, MA, BCBA on February 5, 2012 at 2:45pm: Not to be a party crasher, but remember that any service that contains the word "education" will generally be denied by insurance for reimbursement.

I agree with your underlying points however (for the most part) - but being a behaviorist I tend to place a bit more emphasis on 'function' then 'form' compared to most. Although again, the line between therapy and education is often very blurry.