People with autism want connection, but seeking friendship is often anxiety-inducing. ABA therapy can teach kids who are wired differently the techniques necessary to recognize and regulate their emotions, cope with triggers, and increase their independence, reducing parental stress and improving quality of life.
What is ABA Therapy?
Applied behavior analysis positively reinforces desired behaviors and communication skills, often with incentives. Currently, it’s one of the best evidence-based approaches for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). But the skills it develops are useful for individuals struggling with addiction, cognitive impairments, anger, and mental health issues. ABA treatment differs slightly depending on your child’s age and what you hope to achieve with therapy.
What Does ABA Not Do?
Each child is unique. What works for another kid might not necessarily work for yours and vice versa. What’s certain is that ABA has evolved and does not use methods that punish children with autism for behaviors beyond their control, such as stimming. For example, if your child hits siblings or yells in stores, ABA would never recommend:
- Timeouts that exclude or isolate
- Shaming
- Spanking
ABA teaches strategies to work through challenging moments without giving in to tantrums.
The ABA Process
ABA-trained therapists begin customized programs by conducting a functional behavior assessment (FBA). This observation can occur at their premises, your home, or your child’s school. The therapist will also use parental insights to set measurable goals, and formulate a relevant treatment plan with interventions based on a child’s specific strengths and weaknesses. There are suggestions for parents and teachers to facilitate synergy and maintain consistency in varying environments. ABA therapy is dynamic. Your therapist will regularly evaluate what’s working and what isn’t and adapt.
Different Types of ABA
There’s more than one modality in ABA. For example, the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM), focuses on goal-centric play-based activities, and discrete trial training hones in on incentivized task completion. Early intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI) is for children under age five—it’s intensive and involves at least 20 hours per week during a crucial development period. You should see progress on numerous fronts, including self-soothing techniques, functional and adaptive behaviors, receptive and expressive language, or alternative and augmentative communication (AAC).
How ABA Goals Lay the Foundation For Friendships
Therapy goals can address harmful behaviors such as self-injury and reduce the frequency of uncontrolled outbursts. But they can also teach the social skills fundamental to striking up and keeping friendships. Your child can work on responding appropriately in various social scenarios, including when meeting new people. They can practice showing interest in others, sharing, taking turns during play sessions, and being assertive rather than aggressive or yielding. And they can learn how to react to strangers safely.
Specific Strategies To Explore Beyond ABA
Practicing therapeutic techniques outside therapy is the key to positive long-term outcomes.
Practice Makes Possible
ABA allows your child to practice social skills in comfortable, confidential settings. Roleplay, scripts, and social narratives can provide routes out of sticky situations and into more extended conversations with neurodivergent and neurotypical kids. Starting when kids with autism are young, it doesn’t hurt to show them that people are as different on the inside as they are on the outside and don’t have the same likes and dislikes. Being different is what makes the world interesting. And asking questions about likes and dislikes opens up a dialogue.
Learning Nuance
Kids learn about the power of a compliment to break the ice. And before talking to someone, your child needs to look for signs of encouragement. Is the other person busy reading a book? Are they smiling at me? Learning to read cues and body language takes time. Tools can help. For example, your child might talk about their favorite topic with a timer before giving the other child a chance to respond. And when they progress in therapy, the focus might shift to subtleties. For example, how to joke without being mean. Special programs that pair neurotypical peer volunteers with neurodivergent counterparts can further this aspect of communication. After in-person socializing, your child might want alone time, and that’s okay.
Finding Interests and Common Ground
What does your child love doing? Once you figure that out, try and find facilitators who are understanding and gentle in correcting atypical kids—it makes a big difference. Once your child finds an activity they like, it can be tough to know how to limit it. A love for Disney movies or video games has its upside. Online gaming teaches cooperation, and the chat rooms enable older kids to come out of their shells and interact in real-time with the protection of the screen. An excellent documentary called The Speed Cubers (2020) depicts how atypical and neurotypical individuals can bond over shared hobbies.
Playtime Pals
Seeing or hearing that your preschooler struggled during unstructured peer-based playtime in school or in your neighborhood can hurt. Kindergartners are generally immature and inconsiderate towards each other, whether dealing with neurodivergent peers or not. To lessen the odds of exclusion or unkindness, you can accompany your child during playtime in your home or non-school setting. You’re an advocate for your child and a behavioral role model. The parents of other children may not be inclusive, so you will also have to find a community to help you navigate these precarious moments.
Path 2 Potential Can Assist
Autism is not curable, but enrolling in autism treatment and ABA can be game-changing. Therapy meets your child wherever they are on their journey and can lessen the severity of symptoms. You might see improvements in a few months, but treatment can support a child for a few years. Contact Path 2 Potential for answers to all your questions, including any queries you have about insurance.