Regarding video from Channel 9

As a musician, I am wondering if anyone has dared to say to someone "don't practice your scales. Just play! Scales are too strict, too regimented." I am sure that there are musicians out there that perhaps never have played a scale, and are very good nonetheless. However, more people benefit from playing scales, and I have never heard of anyone hurt by doing so. If a teacher said he didn't do scales with students, I would tell that teacher to pound salt.

As a runner, can you ever imagine saying: "don't stretch, and don't go out 3x a week. Just show up to races and run. Stretching, form running, and going out more than just race day is too strict, too regimented." Again, I am sure there are runners out there who take this approach too, and have a good run. Natural athletes who have VO2 levels beyond the average guy can probably go out and push 6 miles without a problem. But take it a further distance, say a marathon, and that guy is toast without appropriate and disciplined training. Or take us non-athletes. We go out on race day and try 10 miles such as the upcoming Mountain Goat without a stretch or training, and guess what, most will not complete, yet a few will. Add the training in and guess what - you can get a lot more to complete - some faster and some slower, but more people over all will complete.

So when Jan Matousek, Superintendent from the Liverpool school district in upstate New York stated in regards to ABA that they would "rather not use the program in its entirety because it feels it is too strict, too regimented." I have to say thank you very little. Mediocrity is not cool. If we all do what is easy, then no one would do anything. This helps our kids who are challenged in ways most are not, yet this could benefit those who do not face the challenges, as well. To Jan I say: get out of your job, because for our autistic kids, you don't have what will work for them on your mind, let alone what is best for them, you are interested in what is easiest to do. No child deserves someone who just wants to take the easy way out.