Parents’ greatest desire is to help their children become independent and happy in life. But, when your child is diagnosed with a neurological and developmental disorder like autism, you may feel confused and uncertain about how to achieve that goal. You may have questions like what treatment your child should receive and how to give them meaningful skills and support systems. Preparing for a needy child is challenging, as they require special care to develop essential skills to lead a fulfilling life.
The good news is there is one therapy that could help nurture your child’s success. ABA or Applied Behavior Analysis therapy. So, what is ABA therapy, and how does it help children succeed in life? This article explores the effectiveness of ABA therapy in nurturing children’s success.
What is ABA Therapy, and Why Does it Work?
Understanding ABA therapy is essential to see positive outcomes for your child. According to Medical News Today, ABA therapy aims to improve and develop desirable behaviors. Note that ABA works on a few principles that make it ideal for boosting success in children. These principles are:
- Applied
Typically, ABA therapy is applied to real-life situations to address behaviors that affect one’s social, emotional, and mental well-being. Children diagnosed with autism face unique challenges, but many individuals will struggle with delayed language skills, lack of motor skills or movement, and learning disabilities. ABA can help address these challenges through positive reinforcement. Using a reward system, ABA can help a child practice a desired behavior, like maintaining focus in the classroom.
- Behavior
Ideally, an ABA practitioner monitors your child’s behavior at close range and documents each finding. As stridecenters.com puts it, a therapist will get to know your child better through observation, play, and conversation.
For instance, let’s say your child is struggling with self-care tasks, such as brushing their teeth. A clinician will observe why your child struggles to focus when tackling certain tasks. Then, design an ABA therapy program personalized for their specific needs. Your child’s clinician will continue to monitor progress and determine what part of the program requires modification.
- Analysis
ABA therapy relies on data collection and analysis to provide solutions that address your child’s specific needs. Using data-driven insights that highlight the challenges your child faces as an individual helps a clinician tailor an individualized treatment approach.
Positive Impacts of ABA Therapy on Children’s Joy and Independence
Is ABA right for my child? These benefits of applied behavior analysis will convince you.
1. Enhanced Communication Skills
ABA therapy proves effective in helping children overcome communication barriers that hinder them from developing relationships and learning. How? First, the clinician will break down communication components into smaller, manageable parts. For example, the clinician could identify something a child enjoys, like a preferred toy or activity, and give them natural opportunities to request access to those toys and activities.
Using an individualized plan, the clinician will help a child learn to use gestures, sounds, partial words, whole words, or assistive communication devices to interact with others and begin to communicate their wants and needs. They will encourage a child to continue working towards positive behavior by offering tangible rewards or social reinforcement like engaging in their preferred activities, a smile, or a high five.
2. Decrease in Challenging Behaviors
Children with autism may display problematic behaviors that can be harmful and stressful to them and their families. According to the Autism Research Institute, challenging behaviors linked to autism range from self-harm to aggression towards others and severe tantrums. How does ABA therapy help reduce these behaviors? It leverages functional behavior analysis to identify the cause of harmful behaviors. A therapist will then use positive reinforcement to teach desirable, positive behaviors in its place.
Furthermore, challenging behaviors are often linked to an inability to express oneself and communicate their wants and needs. Therefore, the progress made in communication skills that enable a child to ask for things they need often results in a reduction in challenging behaviors.
3. Improved Social Skills
ABA therapy can prove invaluable for your child because it teaches them the skills necessary for building meaningful and lasting friendships. For example, you and your child’s therapist can teach them relevant skills that entail passing the ball to those around them. Over time, they learn how to kick the ball around, respond to social cues, and how to take turns.
4. Promotes Independence
A child with autism may have trouble completing tasks like dressing and bathing. But as they progress through therapy, they learn crucial skills like dressing, feeding, bathing, and other self-care abilities. An ABA clinician will provide prompts and visual cues that guide a child in performing daily tasks independently.
For instance, they could start with prompts or visual cues for minor tasks like brushing their teeth or getting dressed to build confidence before taking on complex tasks. A clinician can use animations or social stories that break down all the steps involved in brushing teeth or dressing. They could also create a checklist in which a child ticks every task they complete and receives a reward afterward.
5. Academic Success
Applied behavior science extends its positive reinforcement to boost academic excellence. It provides learners with tools to succeed in a school setting, such as paying attention in the classroom, sitting next to peers at a group table, and completing tasks. By enhancing communication and social skills, ABA therapy helps set up a child for educational success, as they can positively interact with peers and teachers and perform tasks independently.
Conclusion
ABA therapy is one of the most well-researched and effective interventions for children living with autism. Through positive reinforcement and personalized care, applied behavioral analysis helps children develop essential life skills, such as communication.
Children can also learn to interact with those around them more effectively. ABA therapy also helps children become more independent by teaching self-care skills like brushing their teeth, dressing, and feeding. As your child continues to attend ABA therapy sessions, their attention levels often increase, thus promoting academic success.
Brad Zelinger is the Founder and CEO of Stride Autism Centers.