When your child gets an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis, it can be hard to figure out the best treatment for your loved one. Remember that there are various autism therapies and treatments out there, though none can treat autism. The good news is that you can opt for the interventions that can help your child acquire new skills and even handle the challenges.
One of the most popular autism therapies you can get is known as Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). This article explains what you need to know about autism therapies.
Understanding Applied Behavior Analysis
Applied Behavior Analysis refers to the practice where the psychological principles of learning theory are applied systematically to change behavior in people or even animals.
This practice is used extensively in healthcare, education, business management, and animal training. It’s particularly prominent when it comes to the treatment of people with an autism spectrum disorder, which happens to be one of the only scientifically validated therapies around.
You see, Applied Behavior Analysis can take a research approach to autism therapy that is based on some proven theories of behavior and learning. Many therapists who utilize Applied Behavior Analysis know how people’s behaviors may be learned and how they can change in the long-term. For more information click here, https://www.autismparentingmagazine.com/aba-therapy-for-autism/.
So the therapists assess a person’s behavior and create treatment plans to assist improve behavior and learning skills required for success in their professional and personal lives.
Applied Behavior Analysis therapists can also offer training to teachers and parents. For the best results, Applied Behavior Analysis needs extensive monitoring and evaluation. Therapists and other health experts work within settings like homes, schools, and community centers to assess and change treatment as it progresses.
While working with an Applied Behavior Analysis therapist, you should expect to figure out the specific behaviors that need change, set goals and expected outcomes, create ways to measure some changes and improvements, evaluate the progress, and many more. Remember that the length of time you spend doing Applied Behavior Analysis usually depends on the severity of the condition and a person’s rate of improvement.
How Applied Behavior Analysis works
Applied Behavior Analysis can involve various techniques used to understand and change behavior. This is a flexible treatment that can be adopted to meet the needs of each person and offered in several locations like at school and home.
The goal of Applied Behavior Analysis is to use positive reinforcement which happens to be one of the key strategies. When a specific behavior is followed by something that is valued, an individual is more likely going to repeat that behavior. Over time, the person may have positive behavior change.
Firstly, the therapist may identify goal behavior. So each time an individual uses the skill or behavior successfully, they can get a reward. This reward can be meaningful to the person, such as a book, a toy, access to a playground, watching a video. These positive rewards may encourage the individual to keep on utilizing the skill. In the long run, this can lead to meaningful behavior change.
Applied Behavior Analysis techniques
The Applied Behavior Analysis instructor can use a wide range of procedures. Some of the Applied Behavior Analysis techniques are made by the instructor while others are directed by the individual with autism. Family members, parents, caregivers receive the appropriate training so that they can support skill practice and support learning throughout the day.
An individual with autism spectrum disorder may have several opportunities to practice and learn skills daily. So this can take place in both naturally occurring and planned situations. For example, a person learning to greet other people by saying hello can get an opportunity to practice this skill on the playground during break and in the classroom which is a naturally occurring situation.
The learner gets a significant amount of positive reinforcement for showing useful skills and socially acceptable behavior. The emphasis is for the person to show enjoyable learning and positive social interactions.
It means that the learner doesn’t get reinforcement for behavior that prevent learning or pose harm. The good thing is that Applied Behavior Analysis is suitable for individuals of all ages, meaning it can be utilized from early childhood to adulthood.
Most of the time, Applied Behavior Analysis is designed to remove undesirable behavior and teach people with autism spectrum disorder desired skills and behaviors. For instance, Applied Behavior Analysis can be utilized to reduce tantrums and outbursts or to teach a kid to sit quietly.
So you can use words to request, wait their turn to play. It can also be used to teach a child with autism spectrum disorder simple and complex skills. For instance, Applied Behavior Analysis can be used to reward your kid for brushing their teeth properly.
Classic Applied Behavior Analysis can also be used in natural settings like a playground, but it’s not intended to build social or emotional skills. So, for instance, while Applied Behavior Analysis may teach your child how to shake hands or even greet another person using a handshake, it cannot assist that kid to feel emotionally attached to another person.
It may take an extraordinary therapist to utilize Applied Behavior Analysis to teach imaginative, academic content, or symbolic thinking, or even empathy. Because of this, these skills are usually taught in various other ways.
It’s good to remember that Applied Behavior Analysis therapy programs can involve therapists and many other autism experts. The therapists are properly trained, so you can rest assured that your loved one with autism spectrum disorder is in good hands. They work directly with adults and children with autism to teach skills and aim at achieving the expected goals.
A good Applied Behavior Analysis program for autism offers various techniques to treat each person. In this way, each program is designed to meet the needs of the person. The goal of any Applied Behavior Analysis is to assist each work on specific skills that can help them become more successful and independent both in the short and long-term.