ABA Therapy & Related Benefits to Improving Quality of Life

If your child has present behavioral barriers, ABA is a powerful resource to facilitate your child meeting their goals. Problem behaviors are presented in various diagnosis including but not limited to Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Down Syndrome, Emotional Disturbance, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and other related disorders. Frequently, a child may have problem behaviors with no Diagnosis and ABA therapy may still facilitate their ability to achieve related milestones.  

What is ABA therapy?

ABA therapy (Applied Behavior Analysis) is a therapy that focuses on improving the individuals ability to engage in functional skills. The skills include sociability, communication, learning, reading, and self-caring skills. In this therapy, experts use many unique and different teaching strategies to help them grow. Few techniques used include natural environment training, pivot response training, systematic desensitization, self-management skills and direct education. 

What are the Steps to ABA Therapy?

There are seven vital steps that ABA programs follow:

• Recognize the skills your child will benefit from learning and the behaviors creating barriers to their learning that require modification to an adaptive skill. 
• Evaluation of the child's current skills at the start of treatment by use of evidence-based assessment tools and observations. 
• Create objectives with desired goals and teaching strategies to facilitate acquisition of skill. 
• Organize and follow a treatment plan to assist your child in learning new skills and become more self-reliant.
• Continuously measure progress with 1:1 therapist teaching your child these related skills and adaptive behaviors. 
• Watch your child's progress over time and modify treatment plans as needed.
• Determine if further treatment is needed or if it is time for your child to graduate out of ABA therapy. 

ABA therapy is personalized and intended to meet the needs of individual children, each child’s learning capability is different, and ABA therapy takes these dissimilarities into account.

ABA Therapy- Evidence Based & Functional

Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) aims to teach positive behavior to people across different abilities. According to the National Institutes of Health, ABA services are beneficial for children facing behavioral issues related to various diagnosis including Autism Spectrum Disorder, Down Syndrome, ADHD, Emotional Disturbance, and other related diagnosis. ABA is a scientifically proven type of therapy. The effectiveness of ABA therapy has been supported by research and clinical studies. By ABA Therapy, children are taught the skills to perform skills independently across their daily life. A goal of ABA therapy is to teach replacement skills to problem behaviors while increasing current skill set over time through customized and individualized treatment plans. If your child is facing difficulties in language, communication skills, attention, social skills and independence ABA is powerful tool to teach these related deficits. Listed below are various skills that ABA teaches: 

Social Skills 

The behavioral interventions used in ABA are proven to be effective in enhancing the social skills necessary for children to make friends and get along with others. Deficits of children with Autism or related disorders can range in severity, and skills are individualized to the child. Non-verbal children also are promoted to socialize with peers by being taught functional communication and cooperation skills to make connections with other people through social interaction.   

Behavioral Skills

A large portion of ABA includes teaching adaptive behaviors. Replacing current problematic behaviors with items that are more functional to your child’s day to day living. This does not include placing focus on motor stereotypy (repetitive movement) if it does not create a barrier to their learning. Replacing tantrum behaviors with functional communication or being able to express emotions is included within their behavioral goals. These behavioral skills include teaching safety to reduce number of times your child attempts to run into a busy street, how to regulate emotions and redirect physical aggression, replacement skills of breaking their toys or other’s belongings. All behavior that demonstrate a barrier to your child’s learning will be targeted by teaching replacement skills within their ABA therapy package. 

Independent Living Skills

ABA involves observing patterns of behavior and responding appropriately based on the data collected. Related to these observation functional skills are created and included in your child’s therapy package. These skills may be related to teaching your child toileting, dressing up, sleeping, preparing simple meals, contributing to house hold chores and other independent living skills. 

Communication Skills

ABA therapy focuses on various domains and a large emphasis at Assure Behavioral includes communication. Teaching your child how to functionally communicate their wants and needs will decrease the occurrence of their problem behaviors. A child with limited communication skills may be frustrated when other’s do not understand their needs or wants. Within each child’s therapy package a focus on teaching autonomy through communication is included.

Assure Behavioral Services provides evidence-based therapy designed around your child’s learning style. Our client centered and best practices promote skill acquisition and problem behavior reduction. Contact us related to any questions and to begin therapy. 

Family Center ABA Therapy

What is family-centered? 

The term family-centered is related to placing family’s concerns and child’s needs as a priority. Prior to reviewing procedures or review of standardized scores related to the skills other children have, we build a relationship with the family. The skills we teach your child require parents to participate and place value on the skill. To best address this we set the parent/caregiver as the key “stakeholder” of treatment (stakeholder referring to parents/caregiver thoughts and wishes for their child being the majority deciding factor on introducing skills). 

How family is a key stakeholder on what to work on ABA therapy?

In family-centered, the family is a key stakeholder. In family-centered therapy, your child's therapy is dependent on a collaborative relationship with parents of the child and our clinical team of board certified behavior analyst and registered behavior technicians. Parents are the experts on their child and what skills taught would facilitate their day to day life. Clinical team provides knowledge based off their extensive training, education and experience to create and teach each those desired skills. Prior to the start of services we interview the caregiver, we you’re your child, and select assessments that would most benefit your child. The assessments may be based on their communication, their daily living, socializing skills or their emotional well-being. During our assessment phase, our team and parent’s collaboratively set measurable outcomes (skills to teach) for your child.  

Proactive Parent training:

Parent training has a large role in ABA Therapy.Assures, ABA therapy collaborates with the parent to teach the interventions/teaching styles that are being used with your child in therapy session. Within parent training, parents can ask any question and create personal goals to accomplish outside of therapy. ABA therapy is a small fraction of your child’s daily life. When parents are taught the skills used in ABA, your child may learn the skills at an accelerated rate. Parent training with Assure Behavioral is intended to empower you as a caregiver to continue helping your child learn new skills. Our team is flexible to meet the parents busy schedule and provides individualized training related to your child. 

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