Posts Tagged ‘non-verbal’

You’ve Got Skills: Understanding ABA and Autism

Monday, March 4th, 2013
 

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ABA works for everyone. Some of the therapists at the BWF like to joke that they use ABA on their overbearing parents, some on their stubborn husbands…  :)

So why is this?

ABA therapy collage

 

Think of ABA therapy as dealing with *skills* rather than with *bad behavior.* All children have strengths and weaknesses no matter their developmental abilities. ABA builds upon each child’s strengths and teaches them more skills by breaking them down into smaller tasks that are taught in a consistent, structured manner. Regardless of your child’s abilities, ABA is always helpful because it focuses on understanding why behaviors occur, rather than merely inserting procedures. ABA is concerned with, not just modifying behavior, but really changing behavior, and can be used to teach a variety of skills to overcome developmental deficits, as well as successfully decrease behavioral excesses.

 
 
 
 
 

IEP Pointer(s) of the Day:

In almost every meeting with BWF founder Tracy Pierce Bender, the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) process is brought up because it can be a very daunting challenge for a parent to deal with. Starting today, we will post an IEP Pointer of the Day on every blog post. Hope this helps!

DO NOT sign your child’s IEP before reviewing the goals the plan supports for your child BECAUSE once you have signed the IEP, it is very difficult to change it. An IEP can always be reviewed, you can always request a meeting to make changes to your child’s IEP, but it is a long process that can get in the way of your child’s progress. Why not start the year off on the right start from the beginning?

Schools base IEPS off of a 1- to 2- hour assessment of your child, which offers a tiny glimpse into your child’s abilities and potential. So it is completely okay to request another assessment and further evaluation before signing off on your child’s IEP. Don’t be afraid to ask and to ask again.

Serious Schedulers

Monday, March 4th, 2013
 
 
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In almost every Coffee Chat, Tracy Pierce Bender has stressed the importance of creating a schedule for you and your child to follow. Regardless of what you are introducing—a new word, skill, food item, etc.—schedules are important because they show your child what is expected and they help you as the parent stick to a consistent system. Having a schedule takes part of the responsibility to enforce off of you, the parent, and puts the responsibility onto the schedule. It also shows your child (and YOU) that there is a light at the end of the tunnel; once you work through steps 1-3, you get a break and positive reinforcement. Below are some examples of schedules you could create for your home.

Let’s say your child is beginning to imitate sounds. Focus on 5 words your child is most motivated to learn, decide which sound(s) you want to teach in relation to the words your child is motivated to learn, and then prioritize. Once you have this down, create daily opportunities to practice these sounds. For example, Sally loves cookies and knows that there are cookies in the pantry. Lock the pantry door and only allow Sally a cookie if she approximates a sound related to “cookie.” Or maybe Sally just learns “o” for “open” at first. Make your schedule consistent at home and at school.

Here’s another example: You’re trying to teach Bobby how to say or approximate the word “drink” and you know he loves to sip his apple juice before he goes to school. Create a schedule: Get dressed- Drink- School. This schedule shows what is expected and this routine will elicit a routine in language; it will help Bobby understand the function of language.

Have a schedule that works well for you? Send a picture of it to erin@woodallkids.org and we’ll post it on this blog!

 
 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
 

The Importance of ABA Therapy and Speech Therapy

Monday, March 4th, 2013
 
 
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Blog logoYou have a non-verbal child. If you have to choose between speech therapy and Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy, which one should you choose?

At an international autism research convention that Tracy attended, Dr. John McEachin, a licensed psychologist who has provided behavioral intervention to children with autism for more than 35 years, presented a soon-to-be-published study on the effectiveness of ABA therapy. ABA therapy is the only intervention empirically proven to provide results and it has been projected so far that children need 40 hours per week of ABA therapy for it to be most effective; however, Dr. McEachin’s study states that less hours of ABA therapy are JUST as effective IF the parents are really involved as well. Specific children, receiving less than 40 hours per week of ABA therapy, progressed just as fast because they had extremely involved parents.

So if you can only do one thing, do ABA. And stay involved!

This does not mean stop with speech therapy. Always continue with speech therapy, and try to find a therapist that combines speech and behavioral therapy, and preferably one that understands alternative sources of communication. You can have your speech therapist communicate with the Brent Woodall Foundation. Give the speech therapist, the BWF, and anyone else involved with your child’s therapies permission to talk with one another because this will help solidify your child’s schedule and goals.

Need a recommendation for a speech therapist? We can provide you with a few of our favorites! Just ask! info@woodallkids.org

Here’s an interesting article that also talks about the intensity and duration of ABA therapy.

Catch you at our next chat!