ABA Therapy, an Inside Look

I'd first like to thank everyone who supports my blog already by reading, commenting, subscribing, and sharing it with others.

Today I think I'd like to talk a bit about one of the big reasons that I started my twitter and then this blog, which was as a way to spread positive words about ABA therapy. In case you have wandered in here to learn more and don't know what this means I will begin with a explanation. ABA stands for Applied Behavior Analysis and is the most common and wide spread treatment for people with autism, though it has been used for other things as well. ABA is a method of helping those with autism learn, often times learning things that most people might not realize is typically a naturally learned skill; some examples of these skills might be eye contact, reading emotions, or fine and gross motor skills to name a few. These kind of skills, and many others, can be taught in a number of ways such as Discrete Trial Teaching (DTT). This method involves teaching the child skills in small broken down steps and rewarded with reinforcement in the form of treats (primaries) or non food things like toys, silly play, and of course praise. Once the skill has been taught it is often tested with other like skills to assure they understand and can distinguish the skill from others.

As an example we'll use a program often called Receptive Instructions (RI), this teaches a child to do simple actions in response to verbal instructions,such as waving. Once they can successfully wave they might be asked to switch between actions they have already learned to see if they can still understand and preform the appropriate action. They might be instructed "Wave" then be told "high-five" then "Wave" again. In each instance they should preform the correct action despite the primary item of "Wave" being mixed with other instructions like the example showed with High-Five. At certain times during the teaching the child would receive a treat or other reward they were practicing to earn while also receiving praise and verbal support. This helps the lessons be fun and engaging, much in the same way that teachers might give stickers for good work in school. This method is one part of the umbrella known as ABA. Unfortunately, there are many who do not support this therapy.

Many believe that ABA is a way to 'FIX' autistic people and 'make them normal' while some believe it is outright abuse akin to conversion therapy for LGBTQ people. This simply isn't the case. As with any medical treatment, or any system really, there could and have be cases of abuse. The people preforming ABA might be: lacking proper training, not being monitored regularly, or are associated with a disreputable provider. These things can and do happen, but the lack of proper conducting of ABA doesn't mean the practice is innately bad. When preformed properly the child is always ensured to be safe and well, all is done to prepare them and make changes and harder lessons easier and more fun, they are kept engaged and the providers actions are properly monitored by way of reviews and company guidelines.

The child I currently work with and the numerous I have had the pleasure of working with have typically enjoyed and even looked forward to my sessions with them. They are given breaks and self regulation techniques to ensure they are at their best and not overwhelmed or frustrated beyond a reasonable point. My client likes working for pillow fights, popcorn and when learning letters he likes writing entire words and learning them as he does this. When ill therapy is canceled, when away on vacation or long times without sessions he is eased back in and we work hard to establish trust, connection, and an understanding of his limits and abilities so he can get the most out of his therapy while still enjoying it and learning the skills he needs.

It just isn't a reasonable concept for a child to not be potty trained, or unable to communicate they want something without banging their head. These are just a few scenarios I have encountered and helped families build solutions to combat. One therapy might not be the best for everyone and the same is said for the various techniques implemented within ABA. We must teach people to be accepting and accommodating of people different from them but ALSO prepare people to live and function in the world as it is until then.