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What is ABA Therapy?
Postive reinforcement • Jul 15, 2021
What is ABA Therapy?
Applied Behavior Analysis Therapy (ABA) is a science of human behavior. It was founded by B.F. Skinner over 70 years ago. ABA Therapy uses an assortment of techniques to increase appropriate behaviors and to decrease interfering behaviors. ABA has been recognized as a safe and effective treatment for all ages with or without disabilities.
ABA programs are specifically designed and developed for each child’s developmental needs. The therapy involves breaking down skills into small and easy steps. Many opportunities are given to practice each skill and progress is measured continuously to challenge the child. To motivate the child, praise or other rewards are given.
Why Choose ABA Therapy?
ABA Therapy focuses on treating challenging behaviors and producing social improvements in human behavior. ABA Therapy is the most widely used program to treat children with autism. Thousands of published research studies document and validate the effectiveness of ABA Therapy.
6 Ways ABA Therapy
Helps People with Autism:
1. Teaches important skills such as social skills, communication skills, and basic life skills.
2. Increases positive behaviors and social interactions.
3. Helps maintain positive behaviors by teaching self-monitoring and self-control.
4. Helps to reduce behaviors that are interfering, such as, self-injury behaviors or screaming.
5. Adjusts the learning environment to limit conditions in which interfering behaviors can occur.
6. Transfers behavior from one situation to another. Example: Completing assignments in a resource room and then transferring that same assignment to a classroom environment.
ABA Therapy begins by breaking skills down to their smallest manageable units in order to expand into more complex and meaningful units. Programs focus on teaching and improving skills, which includes social skills, play skills, self-care skills, receptive language skills, intraverbals, matching skills, and more. The program uses procedures such as: prompting, extinction, reinforcement, shaping, chaining, and fading.
Positive Reinforcement offers ABA therapy in Bluemont, Middleburg, Upperville, Aldie, Chantilly, Manassas, Woodbridge, Winchester, Front Royal, Middletown, Round Hill, Leesburg, Ashburn, Charles Town, Ferguson, Science Hill, Pulaski and More!
Do you find yourself needing a babysitter? Finding just the right sitter for your family can be challenging enough, but it’s even more complicated when you have a child with special needs such as those that autism often requires.
It is no secret that Autism Spectrum Disorder can greatly affect a child’s speech and language development. Up to 35% of children with autism are considered minimally verbal. This leaves parents and therapists reaching for tools that will help these children communicate.
Experts agree that the earliest autism can be accurately and formally diagnosed is somewhere between the ages of 18 and 24 months. However, it is possible for signs and symptoms of autism to present sooner. Some parents report seeing suspected signs as early as six months.
Autism—also referred to as autism spectrum disorder (ASD)—is a developmental disorder that affects a child’s or adult’s communication and social skills. The fact that
the disorder manifests on a spectrum means that its symptoms vary greatly in their scope and severity. Let’s briefly examine the three levels of autism and how the treatment approaches differ for each.
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy is an evidence-based treatment for autism and other developmental conditions. It has been used for decades to help improve children’s social skills, communication, learning, and overall quality of life
ABA is considered the primary therapy for treating individuals with autism, but all of these therapies have something to offer. No single therapy will work for everyone every time, so treatment plans are varied and highly individualized to meet each child’s needs. Professionals consider the strengths and weaknesses of the child as well as the pros and cons of any particular therapies when creating a treatment plan.
Some people wonder if a person is able to grow out of autism. There are even research studies that suggest that some children have been able to “recover” from their autism diagnosis as they get older.
In 2017, researchers determined that approximately 75% of children with autism are boys and 25% are girls. At the time, some experts were excited to hear that these two numbers were not further apart than they are.
" Considering the intricacies of genetics, it is no small task to answer the question, “Is autism genetic?” Many factors play a role in what we consider genetics. It is true that genes are tucked away in every cell and that these are comparable to a recipe or a blueprint for our bodies. It is also true that external factors can influence these genes to effectively change the data contained within.
When a diagnosis of autism is made for your child, the doctor will likely suggest an evidence-based behavioral treatment such as Applied Behavior Analysis. An ABA specialist will be able to tailor an ABA treatment plan just for your child.