Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy is a form of behavioral therapy that focuses on positive reinforcement to encourage certain helpful behaviors while diminishing negative behaviors. It also uses other methods, like discrete trial training and natural environment teaching, to help children with autism understand social cues, learn new methods of communication, and develop more independence.
ABA therapy is considered the foremost intervention method for children with autism. Research suggests that early intervention (at a young age) with ABA therapy provides more positive outcomes for a child through adolescence and into adulthood. If your child has been diagnosed with autism, you may wonder when they will be ready to begin ABA therapy, or if they will actually benefit from it.
At Stride Autism Centers, our goal is to partner with families to help provide the best chances of positive outcomes for their children, to prepare them for preschool. We’ll explain what ABA therapy is and how it works. We’ll also discuss signs your child may benefit from enrollment in an ABA therapy program.
Understanding ABA Therapy
ABA therapy encompasses many different techniques to help children with autism better understand the world around them. Therapy plans are highly individualized, with each child being evaluated by a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) to determine their own unique strengths and areas that are most challenging.
Through play, one-on-one sessions, and the use of ABA specified tools (like breaking down large tasks into smaller, more manageable ones) children with autism are able to improve communication, social, behavioral, and daily living skills.
Even if your child has an autism diagnosis, you may wonder if ABA therapy is right for them. Here, we’ll cover some of the common challenges that ABA therapy helps children with autism overcome.
5 Key Signs Your Child Might Benefit from ABA Therapy
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) encompasses a range of behavioral, social, and communicative challenges. Because autism is a spectrum of differences in how a child’s brain works, your child’s challenges may be completely unique. Here are some of the issues that ABA therapy most frequently addresses.
Delayed Communication Skills
Children with autism may struggle with communication. By age two, some children with autism may be non-verbal, or have minimal speech. Children with autism may also struggle to express their needs in a way that their caregivers can understand, and may also find it hard to respond to their name or to call for their attention. ABA therapy helps build functional communication skills – from beginning to request access to things children want and need to becoming conversational – and many children who begin ABA nonverbal are able to make meaningful progress with their ability to express themselves.
Challenges With Social Interaction
Sometimes children with autism struggle to connect with their peers. They may miss important social cues, appear to lack empathy, or find groups of people overwhelming. ABA therapy helps children thrive socially by providing them a safe place to learn and make decisions without the negative consequences they might risk in a real-life setting.
Additionally, at a center-based program like Stride Autism Centers, other children of similar age and skill are present. Therefore, there are numerous opportunities for social interaction and development of social skills with peers.
Repetitive Behaviors
Children with autism often repeat behaviors like hand-flapping, rocking, or echoing words and phrases. Engaging in these behaviors may support emotional regulation for individuals with autism. However, certain repetitive behaviors may be excessively disruptive, potentially harmful and can prevent children from participating in the community and school.
When repetitive behaviors have these important drawbacks, ABA Therapy can be used to help reduce their frequency and encourage more appropriate settings for when they take place.
Difficulty With Transitions and Routines
For a child with autism, change is very difficult. Simply changing the way a morning routine is normally approached can result in an emotional meltdown. If your child struggles with transitions and has extreme reactions to changes in routine that seem small, ABA therapy can help them adapt more easily.
Aggressive or Self-Injurious Behavior
Not all children with autism will display aggressive or injurious behavior, but some will. Hitting, biting, or actions like scratching, pulling, or pushing can be reduced and managed through the use of ABA therapy.
If your child displays any of these issues, they can benefit from early exposure to ABA therapy. The sooner your child is able to engage in ABA therapy, the more they’ll be able to utilize the skills they learn in their lives. The benefits of ABA therapy last into adulthood.
Autism Therapy Benefits
For a child with autism, the benefits of interventional therapy not only helps them thrive in childhood, but also helps them prosper into adulthood.
Improved Communication
Through the principles of ABA, children can develop functional communication skills. While many children in ABA therapy can develop verbal communication skills, alternative communication methods may also be developed.
For example, the use of body language, picture exchanges, and electronic communication devices, can all help children with autism learn how to communicate more effectively, even if they remain non-verbal. Therapy is tailored to a child’s specific needs to ensure that new communication methods are helpful and effective for them.
Better Social Skills
One of the key ways that ABA therapy benefits children with autism is how it helps them learn to build relationships, understand social cues, and engage with peers. Through playtime with other children like them, they learn to identify when someone is sad, or happy, and how to respond. Center-based programs are uniquely able to support the development of social skills because other children are present.
Reduced Problem Behaviors
Positive reinforcement is a foundational aspect of ABA therapy. Through the methods of praise and reward, positive behaviors are edified and rewarded. This helps reduce challenging behaviors like aggression, self injury, and tantrums.
Greater Independence
Ultimately, your child will need to be able to master certain life skills in order to gain independence. ABA therapy helps children with autism gain independence and confidence with tasks like self-care, dressing, and daily activities by breaking them down into smaller, more manageable tasks.
The skills your child learns and works on through ABA therapy are aimed to last through their childhood, and help prepare them for adulthood.
When to Seek ABA Therapy
Many children are diagnosed with autism between 18-24 months of age. Research suggests that “earlier is better” when considering when to enroll your child in ABA therapy. Most ABA therapy providers will see children beginning at age 2.
If your child has not been diagnosed with autism, but you feel they show some of the signs and behaviors mentioned above, schedule a consultation with your child’s pediatrician or an autism specialist to have a complete diagnostic evaluation performed. It’s always better to know sooner about an autism diagnosis.
If you have an older child who has autism but has not yet enrolled in ABA therapy, don’t wait. It’s never too late to explore therapy options and get intervention. There are many ways that ABA therapy can benefit your child, and even if you feel your child has “aged-out,” there are providers available to work with them.
How to Get Started With ABA Therapy
Getting started with ABA therapy takes a little research, but it’s worth the time you’ll spend to find the provider that is right for your child and your family. Autism is a family concern, so look for ABA providers who actively engage family members and caregivers in their treatment approach. Using the techniques your child is exposed to at their therapy sessions at home can help ensure consistency and generalization of the skills across environments.
When interviewing potential therapy providers, ask plenty of questions. You should feel at home with your therapy provider, and questions about their credentials, experience, and areas of expertise are all valid. Ask potential providers about expectations for family involvement, and whether or not you can attend one-on-one therapy sessions.
Collaboration with other therapists (like speech pathologists and occupational therapists) is also key to your child’s success. A potential ABA provider should have an outline for how they’ll collaborate and work with your child’s team of professionals.
It’s also important to consider the location of your therapy provider. Your child will likely spend a lot of time with their therapy provider, so finding a location that is convenient is key. Lastly, find out what time slots are available for the program your child needs. If it doesn’t fit with your schedule, you’ll likely need to find something else.
Reap the Benefits of ABA
Children with autism can benefit from ABA therapy by learning to communicate with others more effectively, adopting positive behaviors, learning emotional regulation, and becoming more independent. These skills extend from childhood into adulthood and help individuals with autism experience more positive outcomes in school and in life.
If you’re considering ABA therapy, contact Stride Autism Centers today. We offer expert guidance, complete evaluations, and personalized ABA therapy plans tailored to each child’s individual needs. We believe that early intervention can make a significant and important difference in a child’s life, and we look forward to helping your child learn to thrive.
Sources:
Applied behavior analysis treatment of autism: the state of the art | PubMed
