3 Common Questions About ABA Therapy
Therapies
25221 Miles Rd Warrenville Heights 37701 Colorado Ave Avon
16
livespecial.com 2020-21
1.
2.
COMMON QUESTIONS ABOUT ABA AND SUPPORT FOR CHILDREN WITH ASD
How do I know if my child needs ABA? Studies show that using ABA methods during intensive 1:1 sessions, for 25+ hours per week for 1-3 years in duration has yielded the most successful outcomes in communication and social skills for children with ASD. If your child is not receiving this type of instruction, a good place to start is to get an evaluation from a behavior analyst in order to determine your child’s needs. Additionally, most children who receive a diagnosis of autism are already receiving a specialized therapy, such as occupational or speechlanguage therapy. Talk to your therapist to get their insight.
How do I get an evaluation? First, find out if your medical insurance covers ABA with an autism diagnosis. Next, find a provider in your area.
3.
What does an ABA session look like? This depends on the child and what type of ABA is used. For example, at Galvin Therapy, the autism program is for children ages 3-6. This is a 25-hour-per-week group program, pairing children with staff, using the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM) as the guiding curriculum, which is based in Pivotal Response Training and uses play and joint activities to help children advance in all developmental areas. Also offered is a 1:1 ABA treatment that focuses on individualized goals to increase communication, focus and social skills, and decrease problem behaviors.
216-514-1600
PHOT0 COURTESY OF GALVIN THERAPY CNETER
W
hat we know from research is that early intervention is a child’s best chance of success. From birth to age 6, a child’s brain is a sponge absorbing every experience. For a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), specific instruction and strategies are needed to make this happen. This might be different from other developmental methods used in early childhood. One such method is applied behavior analysis (ABA), a widely-researched method that is considered a gold standard in the teaching of children with ASD. ABA is a science focused on using strategies to change behavior. Grounded in the principles of learning, behavior analysts (BCBAs) assess the functional relationship between the behavior, the person and the environment. For many children with autism, intensive and long-term ABA therapy can provide improved outcomes in language, social skills and cognitive skills, along with other gains.
