ABA Therapy at Home V.S. The Therapist's Office

 

  Applied behavioral analysis (ABA) is a therapy that teaches your Autistic child how to learn with positive re-enforcement. They are taught in a thrilling, gentle way, which opens up new paths for them. But should your child be doing their ABA therapy at home? Or in the therapist’s office?

ABA in the Therapists Office

When ABA is performed in this structured way it simulates similar learning environments your child will encounter over the years in schools, colleges and universities. Performing ABA therapy with your child in such an environment may help them focus when at school, due to a familiar feeling of structure. ABA teaches child skills and behaviors that are needed for environments like schools, such as concentration.

By performing ABA therapy in an office, or out of the home, your child doesn’t have their usual clutch items to cling to, such as toys and family. This is something that will happen as they get older and enter ordered environments. Being away from familiar items can cause anxiety and distress for a child, something that a therapist can address and help your child overcome.

Also, Autistic children often have issues with distractions; some of these are sensory problems such as loud noises. In a home it’s hard to avoid the sounds of traffic, phones ringing, and people talking, but a therapist can design their space to suit your child’s needs to get the best out of ABA.

ABA at Home

Of course, home based therapy can be wonderful for a child who struggles with new places and new people. Sometimes a child has specific behaviors that need addressing within the home, such as meal times, or escaping out of the front door! This can’t be addressed easily in an office as it’s hard to simulate. It’s also convenient for the parent to keep up with high hours of therapy if it’s done within the home.

Another thing to consider is that it can depend on how old your child is. A child who doesn’t need to be in nursery or a school setting yet (1 – 3 years) may benefit more from having therapy in an environment they know. ABA also doesn’t need any fancy equipment that you don’t already have around your home and working with loved toys will be enjoyable for your child.

Balancing working in a structured environment and a therapist’s office is the best way to achieve a perfect balance with ABA therapy. But otherwise, the approach will depend on your child. ABA therapy is a wonderful experience for most Autistic children and it’s important they are as comfortable as possible where ever it’s performed.

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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. 

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Communication to get Autistic Child's Needs Met

Most children with autism have a difficult time communicating. Imagine being thirsty looking up at a cup of water that you just can’t reach. Imagine that everyone around you can reach up to get that water and if you only knew how to ask, you too could have the water. But you can’t form the words. What do you do?

Many children with Autism live out this scenario daily when they have needs and they can’t figure out a way to get them met. They may hit you, throw something, point, grunt, scream, or just start crying. Why can’t you just see that they want the water?

 Maybe after trying a series of a few inappropriate behaviors, someone tries to console them by offering water. Ahhhh, finally. Now unfortunately, a new pattern of abnormal behavior has just been set. Child with autism thinks, when I threw, cried and hit, I got water. Ok then.

Many therapist like to call these inappropriate behaviors maladaptive, when you think about it, the child modified his behavior to get his needs met. Whether it was appropriate or not, it got his needs met. That’s why we as therapist, teachers and parents, need to help teach the children more appropriate ways of getting their needs met.

And because many kids with autism have problems communicating, much of the behavioral problems can be reduced significantly if the child just knew how to ask for what he or she wants. When people learn how to get their needs met, the whole world opens up to them. Now imagine again being thirsty and calmly and confidently saying “may I have a drink of water please”. You immediately get the water.

These results are not uncommon when utilizing ABA with a competent Board Certified Behavior Analyst. ABA usually focuses on teaching skills which are socially relevant to the child. This usually results in less stress on the teachers, the family and ultimately the child.

To learn more about ABA treatment in the South Florida area visit www.buildingblockresolutions.com.