Autism Treatment | Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)
Common Questions About ABA Treatment
How do I know if ABA treatment is a good fit for my child?
We have found that ABA treatment can be of benefit to ALL children in reaching their individual potential. We have also found that the extent of benefit depends on the following factors:
• the quality of the Service Provider including qualifications and extensive experience;
• the personal and social resources available to the parents, including how whole-heartedly they embrace ABA philosophy and practices, as well as how available they are to participate meaningfully in their child’s program;
• the extent of the child’s own skills and challenges. Perhaps the most important factor is the successful interaction of all of these components, resulting in a cohesive team working towards the same goal: your child’s growth and learning.
What is the best age to start ABA treatment?
The sooner you begin intervention the better. Don’t wait! Research into the effectiveness of intervention with students demonstrates better outcomes with early intervention. But, it’s never too late to start. The strategies of ABA treatment can help individuals of all ages.
How many hours of ABA treatment should my child receive?
Our goal is to achieve the best possible outcome for your child. Since research and our clinical experience confirm that children who receive more hours of quality behavioral intervention make better progress, it is common for many children served by Autism Partnership to receive between 20 and 45 hours per week when services begin. Mastery of skills, reduction of interfering behaviors, increased attendance in school and/or more involvement with friends and community activities may result in a recommendation for a reduction of time spent with Autism Partnership staff.
For example, our student, Jamie does 30 to 35 hours of intensive ABA treatment per week. Watch his journey below:
Can ABA treatment be used for high functioning children?
It’s a common misconception that ABA treatment doesn’t apply to children who are of a higher functioning level. Good ABA treatment is designed to provide a varying level of structure according to the needs of the student. High functioning children are better able to learn in a less structured format and the program should be adjusted accordingly. In fact, with the appropriate selection of goals, ABA treatment is incredibly effective and important for this population.
Are all ABA treatment the same?
This is a complicated issue. While all ABA may be founded on the same foundational principles, NOT all ABA is alike. There is tremendous variation, in which some of those approaches are extremely rigid, protocol-driven, and adherent to a set of predetermined rules, regardless of the child, to those approaches that are lackadaisical and without any structure, as well as a range of approaches falling somewhere in between.
Early behavioral practitioners were often perceived to be too rigid and punitive. And sadly, even today, there are behaviorists who continue to use highly artificial and unnatural teaching strategies. This has led to a wave of clinicians who distanced themselves from traditional methods. They’ve even created new terminology to make the therapy more appealing to parents and teachers.
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) can take a variety of different forms depending upon the individual or agency providing the service. In addition to the skill level of the provider, there are technical and stylistic differences in implementation. Approaches range from those that are dogmatic and rigid to unstructured.
Apart from a well-researched approach, a quality ABA program should also consist of the following:
• All-Inclusive Curriculum
• Intensive for Maximum Results
• Highly Individualized Programming
• Data and Progress Driven
• Active Learning
• Specific Learning Objectives for Progress Evaluation
What are the key elements to achieving the best ABA treatment outcome for children with ASD?
There are several studies demonstrating the effectiveness of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) for people diagnosed with ASD, including a study conducted by Autism Partnership (2011). In these studies, the children with the best possible outcomes had these key elements in common:
- Early Intervention
- Consistency of Treatment
- Intensity
- Utilizing Quality ABA (Autism Partnership Method)
- Intensive Supervision
- Parental Expertise
- Not Incorporating Other Treatment (Diluting Impact of ABA)
What makes AP's ABA different?
Autism Partnership’s over forty-five years of clinical and research experience shows the most effective option is a careful balance of structured flexibility while still retaining the essence of a systematic, empirical approach to teaching that is individually tailored for each child.
What makes Autism Partnership different from other agencies is that we focus on building strong learning foundations. If children have disruptive and interfering behaviors, it is extremely difficult for them to learn. Therefore we must concentrate our efforts on teaching them essential skills so that we can truly build upon their abilities to learn. Teaching children “how to learn” is essential. Tragically, building a strong foundation is often neglected.
However, without a strong behavioral foundation it is extremely difficult to teach critical skills such as communication, social and play skills. Of course, it takes hard work on everyone’s part. Skilled professionals conducting effective intervention, schools providing appropriate education and well-trained teachers, and parents providing love and support to become experts in their own right, are all important players in the partnership. Our approach to intervention applies sound teaching principles of learning to help children succeed. Improvement is simply not enough. Our children and their families deserve the highest quality of life.