The Guilt of Active Ignoring and Why You Shouldn’t Feel It

It’s difficult navigating the autistic space when a child does something for attention. On the one hand, it’s hard because you want to give them all the attention in the world; on the other hand, they have a lot less ways than other kids of gaining the attention they need.

As caregivers it can lead our heads in a spin; is ignoring their behavior when it is attention seeking the right thing to do? Are we neglecting their needs? Shouldn’t we be their strength of communication for them by speaking/acting/advocating for them?

With Applied Behavioral Analyses (ABA) therapy a technique called active ignoring is used in certain circumstances, where the child is trying to get attention, or what they want, with socially unacceptable behavior, like spitting, whining, or violence.

We don’t ignore them because we want the child to feel abandoned or unheard, but because it encourages the child to search for new ways to gain the attention. We can’t explain with our words why they shouldn’t spit, so we have to explain with routine and patterns (or basically, in the way an autistic child can understand).

It’s important to not feel guilty when you’re ignoring whining for food, or other things that seem necessary or even neglectful to ignore. Remember, you are actively ignoring inappropriate behavior that won’t serve them, not ignoring their needs. You will meet their needs, just not right that second.

For example, you’re playing with their sibling so they take his toy, this forces you to turn your attention onto them to ask them to give it back. They now have your attention moved from their sibling and onto them. In their minds they’re not worried about the social repercussions, all they know is they have gained the thing they wanted;. You looking at them and talking to them instead of their sibling.

You need to speak the autistic child’s language here. Turning your attention to them to scold them doesn’t teach them anything when they don’t understand a full range of empathy, verbally explaining the situation does nothing when they don’t understand everything you are saying.

However, giving the other child tons of attention, taking the toy back without even looking at them, blocking the snatching, and actively ignoring, teaches: this action doesn’t get a desired result. But (and this is where we as caregivers can breathe a sigh of relief) once the undesired behavior stops, or the child uses a more appropriate way of asking for attention, you can lavish them with praise and affection.

The two should always be used together, otherwise ignoring will be in-effective and seemingly random for the child. This is all about routines and patterns, and giving your child a way to communicate and to latch onto that they understand.

Active ignoring is different from ignoring a child. You actively make a conscious decision to ignore a specific behavior and give attention to other behaviors. It can feel unnatural at first, but once you see your child blossoming into speech, or other appropriate means of asking for your attention, your relationship will be much stronger.

Parent Training: Is your child's behavior getting worse?

How do you know whether you’re experiencing an ‘extinction burst’ or if your child’s behavior is just getting worse?

What is an Extinction Burst?

To understand what I mean by this, I’ll give an example. Let's say you ask your child to do something and they start hitting you. You've learned that not allowing escape is a great intervention so you ignore the child hitting you and repeat your request. At this point the child may start hitting more or harder (i.e. behavior just go worse).   

Why does this happen?

Because it used to work for them! This is called an extinction burst.

When you start to ignore the behavior all together they will up the ante and try to go back to the way it was before. Because that was easier for them than listening to you.

This doesn’t make your child a bad person in any way; in fact it makes them pretty smart! They’ve figured out how to get what they want in this world, and it’s wonderful. They can problem solve like this. Increasing the bad behavior is actually a clever thing to do. If you did something one way, and it worked, you would keep doing more of it to get the same reaction too!

When a behavior is done for attention, and we ignore the behavior it will get worse. But then it will start to get better, because your child will realize this is just too much work. Great!

But what happens if it stays the same? And doesn’t get better at all? When do you draw the line in the sand and try a new tactic?

What if an intervention isn’t working?

There will be plenty of data and charts to show whether your child is going through an extinction burst, or the behavior hasn’t changed at all. If the behavior hasn’t changed at all the reason your child is doing the behavior may need to be looked at again. Maybe the therapist was wrong, and they did it for another reason. If this is the case, the charts will show it and the data will help them change tactics. Some other ways the therapist could change the intervention to the behavior is;

-        Changing the length of time they ignore the behavior/child

-        Expand the plan to other places where the behavior may occur more

-        Have someone else also back up the intervention

If you feel a part of therapy isn’t working for your child, you can always speak to your therapist about it. They will have the data and charts to confirm or deny your experiences. They should work with you, not against you, to help your child better function, learn more and live a more productive life.

Parenting Styles: Techniques can influence an autistic child in many ways

When it comes to Applied Behavioral Analyses (ABA) therapy consistency is key. This is true for all parenting styles; Autistic children are no different from every other child in the world. If they can find a way to get what they want, then they will utilize it.

For instance, if a toddler wants a lolly-pop and you say no, then they ask somebody else and they say yes, they may ask different people until they get candy because it worked before. It’s important that all parents and those raising a child (because it takes a village) are on the same page.

An ABA therapist in effect helps you to raise and teach a child who doesn’t respond as well to traditional teaching methods we as caregivers see in our own families and mainstream media. Because consistency is paramount, it’s imperative you keep constant communication with your therapist. Moreover, all parents involved are on the same page. I say this because one parent, one caregiver, or one daycare/school can undermine an entire week of ABA therapy if they aren’t clued in to how everyone is reacting to a behavior in a child.

It’s the two steps forward one step back issue. If you want ABA to run smoothly and quickly, allowing anyone to take the child a step back will make the process much longer.

If your child attends a daycare, goes to school, has separate households and more than one set of parents, every single person needs information on what techniques are used in certain situations.

ABA is a very effective but easily undermined therapy. This is why having a therapist you trust enough to implement all of their ideas, will make your ABA journey smoother. This is why communication across all platforms will ensure ABA works as well as it should.

If you ever feel that ABA isn’t getting the results you expect, you need to investigate and ensure that everyone is on the same page, and has followed through with the techniques correctly before changing them up or ending ABA all together.

How to help your child with scrolling

Recently a family had trouble with their 2-year-old autistic son scrolling. Scrolling is when your child goes through several answers to a question before landing on the correct answer. This could look something like;

You hold up a picture of a cow > instead of saying cow and getting the reward your child says > duck, dog, cat, cow!

Whenever a new quirk in your child’s behavior arises you should always talk to your therapist about it so they can draw up a comprehensive plan, but there are some generic answers to this problem; which are commonly used by applied behavioral analyses (ABA) therapists.

A lot of ABA therapists seem to agree scrolling happens when the child’s error-correction isn’t performed correctly by the therapist.

What this means is, when a child is learning what a new response it is up to the therapist to prompt the child from most invasive, to least invasive.

‘A ‘most invasive’ prompt would look like “what is this shape?” And when the child doesn’t respond correctly the therapist immediately prompts them by telling them the answer to be repeated, then praises them. The least invasive method would ask the question and then wait for the child to answer it correctly the first time without prompts.’

Sometimes a child wants to give the correct answer a little too badly, and repeats a bunch of answers in hopes to land on the correct one. The scrolling could then occur when the therapist allows the child to reel off answers and praises them when they land on the right one regardless of all of those errors. Funnily enough, now the child has learnt that, cat, dog, cow, duck, is what you say to get a reward when shown a duck.

But it’s not too late to reverse the problem! Your child won’t do this forever. All the therapist has to do is clarify that spieling off ten words until they get to the answer isn’t the correct response to the question at hand.

To do this, when the child starts to scroll after a question is asked you pause, make it clear they are to wait, and then you re-introduce the question. If the child continues to scroll after three attempts, ask the question and use the most invasive prompt to illicit the correct answer, then praise.

A method like this, or something similar, is likely what your therapist will do to correct this charming, and a little bizarre quirk that a lot of children with autism develop especially as early learners. It is a simple problem to both develop and fix and should be no problem for your therapist to help your child overcome.

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.

 

Tips for Potty Training

Autism can cause a host of issues when it comes to potty training and there are many reasons. Some of these issues stem from a general development delay, communication issues and anxieties that accompany toileting.

The Trouble with Communication

There may be some problems with communication where the child is unable to express that they need the potty, or do not understand the line of questions associated with the potty such as: “Do you need the bathroom?”

Even body language can be a problem with children who have Autism; you may notice that your child has no warning signs before an accident, such as playing with their underwear or jumping up and down.

With Applied Behavioral Analyses (ABA) techniques like Verbal behavior methods or PECs can teach a child to understand and communicate more efficiently so fewer accidents happen. Specifically a visual schedule or social story can help a child who has trouble understanding language; this is several pictures showing what will happen when a child goes potty, from sitting on the toilette, to wiping, to washing their hands.

Sensory Issues and Potty Training

Another common issue for Autistic children is the sensory side of using a potty or diapers. Sometimes the bathroom is colder than other rooms in the house, the floor could be cold, the potty hole could be too intimidating, the diaper could comfort, the child may need a stool to stabilize their feet and may detest the sound of the toilette flushing. These are all things that spike anxiety and make potty time unpleasant. Most of these things can be adjusted, explained, and worked through together.

Make Potty Time Fun Again

As with many classic ABA methods, re-enforcers encourage a child to enjoy their potty time. This could be rewarding them with stickers, candy, or a special toy every time they successfully use the potty. Some parents use a special toy area that the child has access to after they have successfully used the bathroom. You can set this up in the corner of the room or in the bathtub.

Transitioning to the Potty

Finally, children with Autism often have transitional problems. This too may impact your potty training in a way that ‘typically developing’ children may not have to deal with. Moving straight from an activity or location can be traumatic for a child with Autism and they may have accidents to try to avoid potty time all together. Giving plenty of warning and being consistent can help.

 

ABA therapists have strategies for every situation that occurs, and they have probably seen it all before, or at least heard about it. This will make potty training so much easier on the parent and guarantee a greater chance of success.

Why the ABC's of ABA are important

Applied behavioral analyses therapy  (ABA) applies a tool that behavioral analyses use called ABC – Antecedent, behavior, consequence. This is a technique used in many behavioral therapies and is the foundation of why we do what we do, as human beings.

Every single parent has a behavior that we would like to change in our child, even if they aren’t Autistic. We wish they would put their socks away, not tantrum, go to bed on time or do their homework without being asked. As parents we negotiate, punish and set boundaries to help our child achieve the behaviors they need once they enter the world without us. ABC breaks down these behaviors into three parts to help us analyze and get the results we’re looking for.

If you’ve ever wondered why you’ve told your child 100 times not to do something? And think you’re setting the right punishment or reward for the behavior but are getting nowhere? Perhaps you aren’t looking at the antecedent.

What is an Antecedent?

An antecedent is a stimulus that occurs before the negative behavior. Such as: an action, circumstance or persons presence. It cues or sets off a certain reaction. It moulds our behavior— which is why ABA therapists will look at this first. If you can change the antecedent, you can change the negative behavior your child is displaying.

Here is an example of why looking at an antecedent can help…

A child is asked to sit in circle time during class. Instead, the child sits in the corner and waits for the teacher to drag the child back to the circle. The child continues this behavior until the teacher makes him sit at her feet as punishment.

In this scenario the child appears to not be interested in circle time and so is reprimanded and forced to so he doesn’t escape the situation. But look closer and you can see the real reason the child is running from the circle. To sit next to the teacher! If the teacher changed the antecedent (where the child is asked to sit in circle time) and instead asks the child to sit next to her, she could avoid this situation all together.

Behaviors occur in situations where they are reinforced; this is important to remember because rewarding a child works better than punishing them. So if you redirect the child to something else (in this case sitting next to the teacher), and interfere with the trigger or antecedent, over time the child’s behavior will be reduced.

Antecedents help us to remember to look at the root of the issue so we can turn the situation into a positive that helps our child function better in the world. And that’s why an ABA therapist will look closely at your child’s ABC’s.   

                                       

Is Your Child Sync with ABA Therapy and School? If Not Here Are Some Tools You Can Use to Get ABA Therapy and School Aligned.

Applied Behavioral Analyses therapy (ABA) helps to change behaviors that hinder your child’s development – when they have a diagnosis of Autism and other similar issues. But this therapy alone will not push your child to the heights of their learning abilities. It’s important that all areas of the child’s life are in sync – which is why it’s great to have an ABA therapist willing to be in contact and work with schools.

All Therapists Should be in Sync with ABA

Some schools provide OT, speech and other services that help improve your child’s quality of life, but they have the luxury of syncing these lessons together. If your ABA therapist is on the outside of this team, they can’t work as a whole. This is why, as a parent and ABA therapist, it’s important to be on top of the lessons the child is learning in all areas of their lives.

But what if your child is struggling in school and not progressing with peers? Or the school is not providing any therapy at all?

Some Autistic Children Do Not Cope in School

A child who absolutely cannot function in a social, verbal learning environment due to sensory issues will often exhibit strong sensory pre-occupation; they may seem inattentive, or exhibit bad or repetitive behavior. This is typical for a lower functioning Autistic child. It can be so distracting for your child and sometimes even painful, it’s almost impossible for them to learn in a school environment.

If this sounds like your child, ABA and homeschooling/shorter days should be thought about. Postponing regular schooling to correct sensory/learning problems doesn’t make you a bad parent. If a child cannot concentrate in a group setting, they won’t be gaining anything out of it anyway.

However, some schools simply aren’t trying hard enough. Hiring your ABA therapist to go in and investigate the school environment should be step one. They can identify the issues in the classroom and report back what isn’t working for your child and work with your child’s teacher who likely hasn’t been trained correctly. Using this method you can fight for better resources – and sometimes, unfortunately, it will be a fight.

Is ABA More Important than School?

ABA can help a child learn to learn, help a child overcome sensory issues and engage in the world outside of themselves. If your child can’t participate in a school setting, perhaps thinking about intense ABA therapy before school would be the best way to go. As a parent it’s best not to feel guilty about this; a child learning how to live in the world is more important than the skill of counting which can be taught at any age. With that said…

A child is not required to enter school until they are 6 years of age on or before September 1^st of the year they will enter school. But if pushing back school entirely makes you uncomfortable, you can also consider shorter school days in order to add extra ABA therapy or even home school entirely.

ABA therapy should be a compliment to your child’s schooling and should always come first if a child is struggling greatly. As a parent, it’s important to communicate with schools and our children’s therapist to know what course of action needs to be taken.

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The Benefits of Getting Your Autistic Child ABA Services Before the Age of Three.

If you’re a parent of a child who has recently received a diagnosis of Autism under the age of 2, you will consider what therapies can help them. After all, they may not be verbal right now, they may have little comprehension of the world around them – you may wonder how on earth anyone could teach them socialization and if therapy is even worth it. I know I had many of those thoughts myself; especially since many parents spend countless hours trying to teach my Autistic sons skills with little progress.

One of the first therapies you will likely hear about is Applied Behavioral Analyses (ABA). That sounds like a formidable name by itself, but ABA is simple teaching your Autistic child skills they can use in the world, be it social, verbal, play or correct behaviors.  You may also visualize this as your one-year-old sitting attentively at a desk and ask yourself “how will that work?”

Actually, you’d be surprised what little things a one-year-old with Autism needs to learn that will heavily impact them later on – and a lot of it doesn’t involve desks at all. Like the ability to point, the ability to engage for short amounts of time, and most importantly, the ability to play. Teaching a child these simple age appropriate skills will help them build up to more intense things later on. If a child can point to something, they can communicate better and reduce frustration as they grow. If a child can engage for a short amount of time, then your relationship will grow and you will bond. If a child is taught to play with toys appropriately, then they can learn from these toys (as children learn through play).

According to a study performed by researchers at the New England Center for Children 90% of children under the age of 2 made significant social and communication skill gains within a year, when enrolled in an early intervention program. 90% is a big deal, and this drops to 30% if a child begins after the age of 2 and a half. So ABA is almost guaranteed to help your child, and should definitely be a therapy you look into.

ABA is always aimed at a child as an individual; it isn’t a step-by-step program that can be followed out of a book. This is a complex therapy that takes therapists years of study to master, so you can rest assured your little one won’t be put under any learning regiment they are not ready for.

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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.

Analytical Behavioral Therapy Applied by Parents Over Therapist

Analytical behavioral therapy (ABA) is a great therapy for Autistic children and studies have shown that parents who do this at home get better results. There are several online courses to help us learn how to do this, but we can also ask our therapist what they would recommend we do at home. Having said this, there will be times where we as parents won’t get the same fast results that a therapist would. For example, one of my children couldn’t use sign language no matter how many hours of effort I put in. Along came a therapist, and he signed within the week. It’s upsetting when a therapist can teach our child better than we can, but there are reasons for it…

You Are Not a Failure

It’s important to not be discouraged that it’s taking longer to implement new behaviors without our therapist's input. This isn’t because we are bad parents, or we are doing anything wrong. We as parents need to remember that our child see’s us as the caregiver. We are the love and comfort source that our children seek out. When we start withdrawing wants to teach, it can become a power struggle. Our therapist has the advantage of setting up this kind of relationship from the start, our kids know they mean business and they cannot be manipulated.  A child may dig their heels in or simply become confused when we suddenly change the way we relate to them. Because of this, it is always best to have a therapist conduct ABA therapy alongside you.

Your Child May Get Stubborn

Power struggles with any child are frustrating, but it’s game on when an Autistic child fixates better than you. One of my two-year-old Autistic children is a classic example of this. He insists on touching outlets, climbing on objects, and generally touching anything that would get a quick fear reaction. Reacting with fear gives the child power over you, but as a parent, it’s natural to be afraid your child will get hurt. This is something a therapist would be able to control far more than you, rendering ABA difficult for you as a parent but not impossible.

You Can’t Change the World

On top of this, a therapist is able to change the environment and reduce stimuli the way we as parents can’t. This is a great tool for Autistic children but is unrealistic outside of a therapist’s office. We can’t change the world to suit their needs, unfortunately, and so we are more likely to run into triggers before the child is ready to handle them.

ABA must become a lifestyle in your home for the best success. But you are not a failure if you cannot implement the same changes as your therapist. There are restrictions that we as parents have, preventing us from gaining that same success a therapist would. But with time and patience, your child will overcome whatever stands in their way.

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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.

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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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.

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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

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