Get the Best Out of Your ABA Therapy Program

ABA therapy is time consuming and expensive. But in the end, if done right, it works!

I’ve seen non-verbal children talk, aggressive children become model students and parents brought to tears for the turnaround in their child. Unfortunately, ABA is also expensive, to achieve these kind of results, a a 30-40 hour a week program is recommended. Supervised at least 3 hours a week by a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, along with parent training. Put those cost somewhere over $1K a month for a good quality program.

Here are some things to keep in mind so you don’t end up wasting your valuable money:

-Make sure the program is being supervised by a Board Certified behavior analyst. Applied Behavior Analysis is the only discipline taught in universities which is validated to be effective with working which children with autism. The best practitioners have at least a Master’s degree and is certified as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) by the Behavior Analysis Certification Board, and at least 5 years experience implementing and supervising behavioral interventions.

-Make sure that a through assessment has been completed; Because each ABA program should be tailor fit to your child. Autism is a spectrum and since no to cases are alike no two program should be alike either. Furthermore, if the wrong treatment is being implemented behaviors could actually get worse or morph into completely different behaviors.

-Make sure the therapist has a good behavioral background and a good relationship with the analyst. Therapists do not have any fancy degrees but they do have to take the guidance of the BCBA and be good with children. Having a good relationship with your child would be best.

-Finally make sure data is being taking daily and shared with you on a bi-weekly basis. After all, it is your money you want to know where it’s going. Data is very important. It guides programing decisions and also lets everyone know very quickly if the current treatment is having a positive or negative effect on the child.

This is all very important because with autism, there is really only a small window of time to get the maximum behavioral results. If your insurance can cover it, great, but if not, it’s better to put that money in upfront than waste valuable time that could be spent working on your child while the brain is still very malleable and the child has not developed too many bad habits which would be hard, if not impossible to break later.

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And Autism Care for All?

In March of 2012 Florida legislators passed a bill saying that Medicaid should cover autism services for children diagnosed with autism.

As a provider of Applied Behavior Analysis services for over 8 years, this makes myself, and many low-income families very happy. Especially since I’ve been trying for the last 5 years to become a Medicaid provider being turned down always for some mistake which is incomprehensible to me and the team of consultants I’ve hired to get me on as a Medicaid provider.

But now I’m getting an influx of telephone calls from families who have been approved for services with nowhere to go. It seems that virtually every agency I’ve talked to is running into the same road blocks as I have. And after a stint of telephone tag with the people from the Miami Medicaid office, I found out that they’re not quite sure what to do with all the families and have nothing really set up.

This is really sad because Early Intervention is the key to effective autism intervention. In testimony at a trial, Dr. Elza Vasconcellos, a neurologist who is director of the Autism Clinic at Miami Children’s Hospital says children who get early autism therapy were able to attend mainstream classes with their typically developing peers.

“I see kids who get applied behavior analysis and have money getting better, and kids who don’t have money just staying there — and we don’t see any progress,” Vasconcellos testified. “For me, as a mother and as a doctor, it’s really devastating to see that.”

For me as a practitioner, it’s especially frustrating because the services are there, the funding is there, but there seems to be a disconnect between getting one to the other.

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Most Effective Autism Treatment

People often ask me what is the number one determining factor in whether or not their child with autism will get better. I always say: it all depends on the parents. While having therapy is great. The truth of the matter is that parental influence combined with therapy is the most effective treatment.

Many parents see therapy time as a time where they can leave and take a few hours to relax, sleep, shop, smoke, cry or whatever. While all these things may be important the child’s best interest comes first. The sad fact is that time is of the essence. And while it is good to get your “me” time in, for the first few years, therapy should come first.

Studies have shown that with proper therapy before age 3, many children with autism can lead normal and healthy lives indistinguishable from their peers.

A few years ago I’d gotten two 2-year-old boys, lets just call them, Timmy and Jerry. Jerry’s scores on his initial assessment was very high, his family was financially well off and parents were still married. Timmy’s parents were also still married but his scores were very low on the initial assessment and his family did not have much money. They both started therapy at the same time, and Timmy soared while Jerry struggled to master even the basic skills.

The difference? Parental involvement. Timmy’s parents were always present asking questions and implementing strategies outside of the therapy session and reading up all they could. However Jerry’s parents would drop him off and take off to go shopping.

I’ve seen similar cases over and over. Combined with therapy a child needs a parent putting him first, asking questions advocating form him, and implementing strategies outside of therapy.

For more information on ABA therapy see www.Buildingblockresolutions.com 

Routine and Children with Autism

At first it may seem simple, stacking blocks, lining up trains all in a row, always wanting to drink from the “red cup”. These are some of the behaviors that parents report their child with autism exhibits. The reason can sometimes be because of their difficulty expressing themselves, they feel safe and with less anxiety when routines are set. Unfortunately, the real world does not always work that way, which can create frustration in both the child and parent.

Children with autism like routines. Keeping with the same therapists and schedule can help to minimize outbursts and problem behaviors. Sleeping in the same bed can help the child feel safe at night. However, wanting to always eat out of their yellow bowl, or always having to sit in the same place in the car may make the child feel better but would not be helping in the long run. A skilled behavior analyst can help with softening that rigidity as well as teach a whole new set of important skills to help the child develop and to make the household more typical.

Far too often people get comfortable with doing things to “keep the peace” in the home to the detriment of their child. A lollipop to prevent a tantrum here, going the long way to daycare there, may seem like minor occurrences but they can be powerful messages sent to a child with autism of how things “should” be.

Breaking children from routines can be difficult at first. It is not usually recommended to try it yourself. Enlisting the help of an experienced Board Certified Behavior Analyst can make all the difference. Along with a good therapist, the child can be gradually introduced to new stimuli and breaks in their routine, in a safe environment until the child no longer reacts so harshly to change. 

To find out more information visit www.BuildingBlockResolutions.com