I was thinking the same thing. Ultimately, no one knows what or how Abbie thinks or what she comprehends or understands. Imagine if in her mind she gets EVERYTHING....and she has no way to communicate that effectively. Imagine if she screaming in her mind EXACTLY WHAT SHE WANTS TO SAY and is being forced to do the exact opposite. Of course she loses her mind and has a meltdown....She has absolutely no control whatsoever over her life. Its so beyond sad. I look at her and their interaction and it seems more like a dog and owner than parent and child. Its really such an unfair existence, in my opinion you can't even call it a life....it's just existing until you die. The kid got dealt a bad hand.Agree there. I think her parents have done her a huge disservice. Even when they have her do something there is zero patience. Ass gives her a matter of seconds to comply... then he forces her or does the hand over hand. She doesn't even have a chance to process what is going on and what she is doing. Why even try if you arenβt even allowed to think. Maybe that's an ABA thing.
Add in the fact the do not listen to her. They want the answer and actions they want. If she doesn't give it to them they keep at her. She can say "no" 50 times but if they want yes then they hound her until she says yes. Just like her saying she did not want to go eat.... well they did so her wants mean nothing.
The whole situation has to feel frustrating and hopeless. Even a small child seeks a sense of control over their world. Abbie does not, and will never, have that because her parents do not respect and foster her individuality. She is merely a bit character in their self absorbed life. Just a thing. Does not rank above a dog to her mother and barely more than a cash cow to her father.