Why your child is acting a certain way

Every child, anywhere, regardless of autism, acts a certain way for a reason. We don’t do things out of nowhere. Honing down those reasons are the key to helping a child overcome a behavior that won’t serve them in their adult years.

Let’s look at some common reasons people engage in certain behaviors so you notice what makes your child act the way they do!

Sensory

Sometimes we do things because it feels good to do them. Even though soda is bad for us, when we drink it the taste feels worth it, or the energy it gives us feels good. Sometimes we know we shouldn’t do something but we do it anyway because it makes us feel something we crave.

For an autistic child they may involve themselves in sensory stimulation, like flapping, rubbing their hands on things and spitting. This behavior is self soothing; they do it because it feels good! You may see it occur more when the child is frustrated, bored or even excited.

Escape

If you could escape from a painful situation without consequence, instead of facing it head on, would you? Most of us would!

Autistic children are known to bolt (they call it eloping now, officially) they run from situations, they hide under tables and do anything they can to escape doing something. Sometimes that something could be as simple as putting their plate in the sink. It’s not always because of doom and gloom circumstances.

A client of ours loves to use this behavior, he has several places in the house he knows is hard for adults to get to and as soon as you ask him to do something unpleasant (like chores) off he runs to hide under the bed.

There are other ways to escape situations like violence and yelling.

Children do this when they don’t want to engage in something. Maybe that something is boring, scary, annoying or too hard for them.

Attention

Yup, people do things for attention. This is a difficult one for some people to understand because it has such negative connotations wrapped around it. It shouldn’t, ‘attention seeking’ is just communicating that you want someone’s attention in the wrong way.

This is probably my middle child’s favorite reason to act out. He is a show star, he is loving, cute and by golly if he can be center of attention he will find a way! His autism (low empathy) means he often pushes children, hits them or bullies them so he can take their attention from them. It’s not about the child being a ‘bad kid’, this is just a child that doesn’t know how to say, “Hey I want a connection with you right now but I don’t know how to do it.”

Children do this when they want social interaction, or they want you to connect with them.

Tangibles

A few of our clients are obsessed with electronics. When it comes to trying to take them away the term ‘out of my cold dead hands,’ comes to mind. Sometimes children act out because they want something, plain and simple. They just don’t know how to communicate that want or they are terrified if you take it away they will never see it again.

This is the way that an ABA therapist looks at your child’s behavior, and a great thing to do for yourself as a parent. Sometimes putting meaning to situations helps us cope, and also gives us insight into how we can help our child in that moment.

ABA therapy steers autistic children to work through sensory overload until it's no longer an issue

Many children with autism suffer from sensory overload. This could be sensitivity to noises, sensations, lights, textures, temperature and more. The issue with these sensory problems is they impede things your child needs to do.

We work with a boy who has autism and he hates people touching his finger-tips. Therefore, it is almost impossible for parents to cut his nails because he will scream and thrash around. But he also uses his nails as weapons to hurt himself, so cutting them is necessary. It’s a catch 22 and there are a lot of times this happens for our autistic children.

Take for example a potty; if they are scared of how it sounds or how it feels to sit on one, they won’t want to relieve themselves. It will be impossible for them to learn how to potty train. They may not like the way a hairbrush feels or a shower sounds. It hinders their life in a way you don’t always expect; sensory issues can stop your child from being able to care for them self.

That is why Applied Behavior Analyses (ABA) is so important. The therapist can use ABA as a way to run programs that eradicate this sensory issue for good. The name of one technique is systematic desensitization. This is where, a child is exposed to the stimulus on purpose and taught relaxation techniques.

For my son and his nail clipper issue it looked like this:

-        -Nail clippers were used on other people

-        -Nail clippers were brought close to him

-        -They brushed the nail clippers over his fingers

-        -They used the nail clippers to cut one nail

At every step this boy screamed and cried and fought, but eventually he could cope with that step. It became normal to him and he calmed himself.

Dealing with things like that alone is scary, especially seeing your own child in that level of fear or pain. An ABA therapist helps to steer them through these issues until they are no longer a big deal.

Asking questions about your therapist being too hard or too soft on your child can be a learning experience

Applied Behavioral Analyses (ABA) therapy is about teaching your child life skills, academics, and positive behaviors in a fun environment. Sometimes that means your therapist may do something you don’t always understand. It’s always best to ask why, often, as once you understand you too can apply it at home.

One common question parents often ask is why the therapist is, or isn’t placing demands on a child, especially if the parent has done something entirely different regarding a behavior.

Is the Therapist being too hard?

Sometimes when a therapists places lot of demands, a child with Autism tantrums. However, this does not mean that the therapist should punish or spank.

 Many times you will see an ABA therapist holding a child still, forcing them to do things, or to sit still until they stop tantrumming instead of typical punishments like removing a toy, or time out. As a parent, this can be uncomfortable as we often go into survival mode and try to stop whatever has upset the child. Or bargain with them, or put them in time out, or any myriad of techniques that seem appropriate at the time.

An ABA therapist is unafraid of the meltdowns. They place the same demands that anyone would place on a child and hold them to it, sometimes literally, in a safe place.  

Is the Therapist being too soft?

However, on the other end of the spectrum you could ask, why is my therapist not jumping on the bad behavior enough?

Sometimes this is a legitimate concern and perhaps your therapist needs to consult with their team better if they are encouraging certain behaviors to continue. If you notice your child has started a new behavior because of what a therapist is doing, always consult the analyst or therapist. Sometimes therapists get it wrong too.

For example: Our child once started purposefully engaging in ‘bad’ behavior to find opportunities to get a demand. This was because, during therapy time when given a demand, he got a piece of candy for performing it correctly.  Of course, 40 minute long tantrums ensued as he stole items, gave them back, and then demanded candy for his confused version of good behavior. Looking back, it was a little funny to watch a child run with glee through the house as he stole his sisters night shirt, only to immediately bring it back, then head to the candy jar all proud of himself…as I stood there completely baffled. But at the time it was a confusing experience for everyone involved. We fixed this by speaking to the analyst who banned candy as a re-enforcer. The issue was remedied in less than a day.

But there are other reasons a therapist may not be addressing the behavior. Some techniques involve ignoring a behavior altogether until it naturally falls out of the child’s tool-box. Perhaps they’re licking the table and making silly noises because they think it’s funny, but actually this could be totally unhygienic if they were to do it outside of the home. Here, the therapist may ignore it until the child forgets about doing it because they’re not getting any fun out of it.

Another reason your therapist may not be addressing behaviors yet, is when therapy first begins. Therapists will go through a ‘honeymoon’ stage with the child when they meet. This is where they play, get the child to love them, teach them they’re a fun person and everything will be great. If they come down too hard to begin with, your child won’t want to be around them since they haven’t learnt this person is a fun person to play with. And ABA therapists believe a child HAS to have fun to learn.

 

It’s always best to ask questions that come to mind with your therapist— it can be a great learning experience for everyone involved, not just your child. This is somebody who will be working with your child for perhaps years to come, and being on the same page with their nuances will make everything run a little more smoothly.

 

Why New Skills Using ABA Are Taught in Different Scenarios

When a child has Autism they often have difficulty generalizing behaviors. This means they can act a certain way in a certain situation, but not in others. This could mean that if a routine is not followed the child cannot demonstrate a specific skill, which is not helpful in real-life situations that are often random.

Most children with Autism cannot learn a skill and automatically generalize; this is normal and should not concern you right away. That is why new skills in Applied Behavioral Analyses therapy are taught in many situations, with varied tones of voice, and multiple materials, as well as multiple correct responses. This is called adding ‘discrimination’ components and why ABA therapy is so great for Autistic children.

The wrong way to teach with ABA is to give a child a specific thing they must say whenever something is asked. For example, when somebody asks ‘did you have fun’, the child always responds with, ‘yes thank you’. This is not generalizing and causes issues. What if the child didn’t have fun, and the adult doesn’t know they were taught a specific way to respond? This is why it is so important as a parent and therapy team to carry out skills across different platforms. If your child is taught to say goodbye to their therapist, then this should be encouraged in other scenarios, like when a family member leaves for work.

When a new skill will be taught to your child, ask about generalization. As a Therapist any goal that is taught to the child will first be thought about in ‘the bigger picture’. For example, if a child needs to sit still during lessons, where else will this need to be applied? How can we transition it to other scenarios? This should always be looked at first before the lesson begins, so the therapist knows how to expand on the lesson to give your child the best success. And this is something you can help your therapist with, to ultimately help your child.

ABA is not meant to teach robotic responses to situations, it is not meant to teach your child how to act appropriately only within limited situations. It is meant to help a child blend in with their peers, achieve the goals their classmates will and have a happier healthier life as an adult.

How Do You Know If Your Autistic Child No Longer Needs ABA Therapy?

Applied Behavior Analyses (ABA) is a wonderful therapy for your Autistic child; it works on their negative behaviors, social skills, speech, educational skills and more.

But how do you know if your Autistic child no longer needs ABA therapy? What stage of functioning is ‘good enough’?

How Do You Think Your Child is Doing?

The first step to determine this is the observation from you and the therapist. Interaction with peers, and how other children are behaving and performing around them, will work well as a sounding board. If they appear to work well in classrooms and other environments, it may be time for some evaluations.

Some Issues May Be Hiding

If all tests come back in the same range as peers their age, then your child can probably end ABA. Before making this decision, be sure to check problem-solving, pragmatic language (body language/how we say things), and executive functioning (time management). Which are subtle skills that often stay with Autistic children, but go unnoticed.

Is Your Child Happy?

Take into account how happy your child is. If your child is still struggling, it’s important to get to the root of the issue. They may appear to be functioning with language and IQ, but perhaps there is an emotional issue under the surface.

Continuing Therapy at Home

If you – as the parent – have enough skills in ABA and the child functions well with few areas to work on, ending the therapy is a good next step.  You can continue the therapy from home. But if you don’t have the time to put into therapy (on top of all the other things we do as Autistic parents) keeping a behavior analyses around is a good thing too. New behaviors may emerge and a child can always learn more.

Don’t Suddenly Stop

If you do decide to end ABA, be sure to fade it out slowly so you can catch any issues that may arise. Ending therapy and leaving a therapist is an emotional time, especially for a child who may love their teacher. It’s important to give your child plenty of time to adjust.

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Applied Behavioral Analyses (ABA) Helps a Child to Catch Up!

Children with Autism often lose years of learning, other times an Autistic child stays on the same level of learning, so it seems as if they will never gain new skills. This can cause parents a lot of anxieties about what exactly is going to happen when school comes. We may wonder things such as, ‘if our child is struggling to even speak, how will they have basic knowledge in shapes, numbers and letters?’

Applied Behavioral Analyses (ABA) helps a child to catch up.

It may seem without ABA they struggled to progress at all, but with it, their learning will take off like a rocket. ABA teaches rapid-learning (learning through observation and step-by-steps or DTT), so your Autistic child not only gains more skills and knowledge but catches up to other children their age. And ultimately they learn how to learn efficiently.

In the first year, it may seem this will never happen. Your child has to learn the basics in ABA and they may not generalize much (meaning what they do in class they may not do at home).  This is because it takes time for your Autistic child to learn the skills of basic learning. But once they have this mastered, their progress will seem to come out of nowhere.  (Of course, it hasn’t, your child’s therapist has helped implement it!)

Your child will have the opportunity to catch up to their peers through ABA, the research and science have proved this. And because of this, your little two, three or four years old who seems so behind may well be the top of his/her class one day.

Can Applied Behavioral Therapy Help a Child Who is Non-verbal?

Many children on the Autism spectrum have trouble with speech. This could be because of Apraxia which is a motor disorder that makes it hard for children to use their mouths to form words, or maybe they simply can’t communicate as well as the rest of us. This doesn’t mean they can’t communicate in other ways such as picture cards, behavior (good and bad), sign language and electronic devices.

But can Applied Behavioral Analyses (ABA) help a child who is non-verbal?

The short answer is yes.

ABA is essentially performing an antecedent (an action, a request), the child performs a behavior, and then there is a consequence for the behavior. Either they get it right and there're positive displays of fun and cheering, or the child is shown again. If they still get it wrong a hand is placed on theirs to guide them to the answer so they are correct (queue cheers and happy words).

Think of all the ways a non-verbal child could respond to this without words. They could hand over an object, use picture cards or electronics to communicate speech, point, or even sign their response. Not being able to speak would not hinder your child to learn. 

In fact, VB is a branch of ABA that teaches children how to communicate. So ABA techniques can help teach your child to speak too. It uses much of the same principles including errorless learning. This means your child is never wrong and receive prompts as much as needed – which like ABA are faded out as the child learns.

As parents, we use ABA tools all the time. We ask a child to get up to the table to eat, the child does, we praise the child. This is partly ABA! Being able to speak or not speak would never hinder your child to learn positive behaviors and in turn learn that the world will reward them for all the good that they do.

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Using Data to Determine the Best Course of Action

When it comes to your Autistic child and applied behavioral analyses (ABA), it’s important that all sorts of factors are measured. This means your therapist will be using charts, data and numbers to determine the best course of action. But why would they do this?

One reason is a prediction. When a child needs to reduce problematic behavior it’s measured rather clinically so the therapist can work towards a realistic goal. Some measurements to achieve this are; when a behavior happens, where, with whom, and how often.

Measurements can also be a great help for the parent as we see changes we wouldn’t otherwise have noticed. For instance, a child does something once not three times, or for two minutes less. Predictions predict where a child will be in a few months time. Measurement lets us see how far they have come.

Another great thing about observing and measuring behavior is we start to see patterns emerging. Patterns tell us why the child is behaving the way they are so we can form a hypothesis. This is therapy jargon that means ‘we can understand the reason behind an action’. Once we know why we can replace the behavior with something more appropriate, or reduce the stimuli causing the issue.

Behavior isn’t random, it’s used to receive a need, or avoid/escape something painful. With Autism the painful thing a child could be avoiding can be surprising as many things stimulate them in ways stimuli usually wouldn’t. For example, a child could be tantrumming every time they start to walk into a store because of the bright lights. Measurements and keen observation catch these things quickly so your child can work towards a realistic goal.  

Measuring, graphs, numbers and data are just another tool in the therapist’s box to steer, guide and teach your child how to navigate the world.

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Will A Child Only Respond To The Way It's Taught?

There is a question that is often asked about Applied Behavioral Analyses (ABA) and it is ‘will my child become a robot?’ When a parent see’s a child taught the same thing over and over it’s a natural conclusion.

“My child only responds this way because he is told to.”

Truly, we are all taught how to react to certain situations by our experiences – in fact, it is a perfectly human thing to do. We say please and thank you because our parents kindly taught us manners and reminded us again and again to use them. We are scared of clowns because we learned they were menacing through experience.

ABA isn’t an alien form of learning where the techniques are only used with Autistic children; it is a therapy that fundamentally teaches a child how to learn. But others use these techniques too, an addict can use ABA techniques, the same is done to encourage workers, or reduce disordered behavior. In fact, behavioral therapies, in general, are one of the largest, most used therapies out there.  Not just for Autism, but disorders and everyday problems all across the board. Psychologists learn behaviorism (the study of human behavior) almost as soon as they learn about the human mind. And ABA is just a form of behavioral therapy, teaching a child what behaviors affect the world around them and what one’s will create positives or negatives in their lives.

Much has changed since the 1960s version of ABA which most base their opinions on. Much has changed in psychology since the 1960’s in general, one only has to look at the state of mental institutions back then, to see huge changes. Not only this but Autism is diagnosed differently, and we know more about the disorder. ABA evolved too; it now promotes flexibility and models several ways to respond to environments.

But if you still fear your child will turn into a robot, you can talk to your therapist about ‘programming for generalization’ something that all ABA therapists will know about. This means, once a child can remember how to react in situations safely and effectively, they can begin to add on their own quirks and abilities – something that ABA ultimately aims for, anyway. You can see this in ‘neurologically normal’ children too (robotic responses that morph into their own personalities). When first learning to speak, we are taught to say milk to a bottle, or hungry when we want something to eat. But at some point, those words take on a flow of their own and our child speaks, adding their own mannerisms and thoughts.

ABA, when done right, is not a therapy that creates a robot, it is a therapy that teaches a child how to learn, how to function in this world, and how to stay safe and happy, whilst still satisfying their needs.   

Finding The Right Therapist

Before your child starts Applied Behavioral Analyses (ABA) therapy there may be many things you need to know about ABA and your therapist. ABA therapy can increase your child’s learning abilities which helps in all areas of their life, so it’s important to find the right therapist.

But what questions can parents ask to get the right results?

What are your qualifications?

A good response would be – somebody with a BA in fields pertaining to psychology and child care, and a certificate in ABA.

What experience do you have? Can you refer me to other parents you have worked with?

A good therapist for your child is one who has worked with Autistic children before. You can discover a lot by calling other parents who have worked with the therapist.

What happens during an ABA session?

A therapist who is re-assuring, kind, and takes time to explain how a session will be for your child is a good therapist. This will also tell you what your child is likely to go through and allow you to agree with their methods.

How many hours per week will my child need to be in therapy?

It’s good to know this so you can build your schedule around therapy.

How often can you update me on my child’s progress?

It’s important to know if ABA is working well for your child and as parents sometimes we can be impatient. A therapist knows how well ABA is working for your child and can give frequent updates to help you feel settled in your child’s progress.

Can you work with my child’s school?

Having a therapist who can keep your Autistic child’s teachers up to date on methods to help your child is a bonus.

Do you provide training or support for family, so that ABA can continue from home?

Children whose parents continue ABA at home succeed more often.

For more information, visit our website at www.buildingblockresolutions.com

ABA Training for Parents

 Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) is a fantastic therapy for an Autistic child, as it helps to achieve something called generalization. This is when a child is able to perform actions in all areas of their lives. If you’ve ever seen your child use certain words, or perform certain tasks at school but not at home (or the opposite) ABA therapy can help!

But to do this we as parents need to be heavily involved. Research has shown that parents who are involved with their child’s ABA therapy are more likely to succeed. ABA therapy is labor intensive and takes a whole team, a parent who has a big say in this team is able to co-ordinate more efficiently – after all you see your child in all areas of their life.

A child whose parent isn’t deeply involved with ABA therapy, or don’t understand the goals and outcomes the therapist is looking for, may find that their child is only able to perform certain actions around the therapist. This can be frustrating, and can even knock our self-esteem as parents. We want to feel a sense of control and be able to teach our own children, ABA therapy not only gives you an active role to play but helps you feel as if you are helping your child in ways you couldn’t before.

There are many organizations that provide ABA training for parents, including some online schools. Getting as much information about ABA therapy, from schooling, to online, to your own therapist will help your child reach the goals that you want them to achieve. 

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Introducing Incidental Teaching to ABA Therapy

  Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) therapy is a fun activity that teaches your child how to engage in the world, learn basic and complex language, skills and behavior.  There are many types of Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA), the Lovaas Method is one type and we have discussed Discrete Trial Training (DTT) that the Lovaas method uses. But another type of play for your child during ABA is called Incidental teaching.

Incidental teaching is when an environment is created for the child that motivates them to learn about the world around them. This means putting objects out of reach but still in sight, in a room set up to encourage your child to ask for the things they want. Instead of the therapist initiating engagement, as with (DTT), the therapist will wait for the child to mention the object or talk about it. The therapist then prompts the child to talk about the object or ask for the object.

You can do this at home too. If you place your childs favorite toy somewhere they can see it but can’t reach it and then your child points or approaches the toy, you could say the word of the toy as a prompt. For example, ‘teddy’ and wait to see if the child asks for the teddy. If they child asks for the teddy you can hand them the toy.

This sounds so simple because it is something we as parents do a lot, and something you see over and over with non-autistic children. But we know Autistic children have a hard time initializing conversation. However, it is because Autistic children struggle in this area that this therapy works. It not only encourages language but helps your child engage with their environment, which motivates them in the future by practicing engagement, and consequences of engagement.

As time goes on the therapist will fade out all prompts until the child is able to approach the object and ask for it when they see it, or perhaps without even seeing the object in question.  This can also be used to teach reading, create complex conversations and teach propositions (on, in, under).

This therapy is a fun, exciting way for a child to learn about the world around them in an exciting, gentle environment.

For more information, visit our website at www.buildingblockresolutions.com.

Applied Behavioral Analysis Therapy And Discrete Trial Training

One type of Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) therapy is called the Loovas Method; the most heavily researched therapy for Autism which demonstrates some of the best outcomes. If your child has been diagnosed with Autism at a young age and you’re thinking about ABA therapy, then your child could be on the road to success.

As a parent we worry about the legitimacy of all therapies, how they will help our child, and what exactly goes on inside the therapist’s room. The Loovas Method relies heavily on Discrete Trial Training (DTT) and some incidental teaching.

What is DTT?

Discrete trial training is when a skill is broken down into steps instead of being taught as a whole. For example, when teaching shapes, the therapist would give two shapes and ask ‘which is the circle?’. Once the child can point out different shapes, then they would teach the child to say the shapes. Each skill is taught slowly, easing your child into the learning process without overwhelming them.

There are 5 steps to DTT

1.     The Antecedent (when the therapist sets up the question, perhaps by showing two shapes)

2.     The Prompt (where the therapists asks a question, or performs an action to get a response)

3.     The Response (where the child responds)

4.     The Consequence (for either a correct response, or incorrect response)

5.     The Pause (where the therapist allows it to sink in)

A Further Explanation of the Prompt

There are three types of prompts, an independent, a partial and a full gesture. This means that your child will either be: fully shown what to do, half shown, or not be shown at all. A therapist will generally start with a full prompt and begin to fade this until it becomes independent.

A Further Explanation of the Consequence

It’s scary as parents when we hear the word consequence, and we ask ourselves if it means punishment. This shouldn’t be the case with a qualified ABA therapist. A consequence only means something that happens after a response. If the child performs correctly they are showered with praise. But if the child cannot perform the task (which will happen sometimes) they are simply corrected and shown the right response.

The Loovas Method is just one school of ABA therapy, a therapy that can change the life of an Autistic child. Children who have completed this therapy have gone on to achieve a normal intellectual and educational functioning by the time they are 7 years old.

There’s always hope for a child that’s struggling.

Please visit our website at www.buildingblockresolutions.com for more information. 

Applied Behavioral Therapy Is Proven To Work

The number one form of therapy showing the most improvement for children with autism is applied behavioral analyses therapy (ABA). It is sometimes referred to as Lovaas treatment, which is one brand of ABA. Success was first recorded in 1967 but became wide spread in 1993. This is a thoroughly tested therapy with a lot of proven success stories behind it. When ABA therapy is done right many parents see it’s similar to one-on-one tutoring that any child of a young age goes through. Sometimes a child with autism needs an extra bit of love and care ABA provides. What is ABA? ABA is simply an intense teaching program that will help your child’s behavior. A child is presented with a stimulus and is taught to act appropriately. This is often something that a child with autism struggles with, especially if they have sensory processing disorder. What is Sensory Processing Disorder? Sensory processing disorder is when a child is unable to process surrounding senses correctly, leading to under or over stimulation. This can show in all forms of behavior from not reacting to pain, to becoming unusually frightened by sounds; such as a toilet flushing. What ABA is not… A way to punish a child for bad behaviors associated with autism, or to ‘get rid’ of certain behaviors such as stimming. A child is redirected not punished. Another concern is your child will become a robot, but this doesn’t happen. Your child will remain the same lovable, emotional human they always were. How intense is ABA? ABA consists of 40-hour week therapy sessions, which is a lot of time and effort for the therapist, but mostly fun and play for the child. The length of this therapy is likely why it works so well.   How long will my child be doing ABA? Some children do as little as 20 hours a week. The most success is found between 30-40 hours a week, for about two years. This isn’t that intensive because the child is mostly playing like they would in the real world -- but with a little bit of help. Visit our website for more blogs, information about ABA Therapy, autism, and more. www.buildingblockresolutions.com

Get The Best Therapy From a Smaller Agency

Sometimes bigger is better, but when it comes to choosing the right therapist for your child. Bigger may not always be better. There are pros and cons to every decision and Applied Behavior Analysis, ABA therapy may be one of the biggest investments you make in your child with autism’s life. For this reason, here are a few simple things to consider when choosing a small versus a big ABA agency.

With a small agency you can always get to the top person in charge. With the larger agencies there are usually several people you have to go through before getting to anyone who can actually help you. With a smaller agency you have probably met the owner and be getting personalized ABA therapy.

With a smaller agency, the likelihood of turnover is usually less because of the direct 1:1 mentoring each employee gets, they are treated as team members instead of just another number. They may even get paid more because of decreased overhead.

With a smaller agency, you’ll have better quality people. Because a smaller agency can afford to make less mistakes than a larger agency, you can probably bet on more quality ABA therapy.

To be fair, I’ve listed some of the challenges you may face with a smaller agency.

One of the things to be aware of is that it make take longer to find the right therapist for your child with autism because fit will be more important. They may have fewer on call therapists and may have to look for one.

Paperwork may be slower because only a handful of people are wearing several hats. Billing may arrive late and graphs and data sheets may take longer to get.  

Overall when choosing an ABA agency for your child, it really doesn’t matter which ABA agency you go with as long as the BCBA working with your child is competent, has a good team of therapists, and is passionate about helping your child.

Check out Building Block Resolutions, Inc. in Los Angeles for ABA therapy for your child with Autism.

Studies show that in the case of childhood therapy, a therapist should focus on relationships rather than the actual child. This means that children are happier when they see the happiness in their caregivers and loved ones. When they see that the people in their lives are happy and healthy it affects the children in a positive way. Consequently, when the people in their lives are living unhappy, unhealthy and stressed out lives, it affects the children in a negative way.

Behavioral therapy focuses on both the child and the environment in which the child grows up. Behavioral therapy helps the child to feel that they are growing up in a nurturing stable environment. It is understandable that adults do have problems and every day issues that they face; however, the most important thing on their mind should be the portrayal to the children. Children thrive better when they witness healthy, happy relationships among the people in their lives.

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