5 Signs Your Child May Benefit from ABA Therapy
By Lauren Haire, RBT
Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) is a therapy based on the science of understanding and improving learning and behavior. It helps us to understand how behavior works, how behavior is affected by the environment, and how learning takes place.
Below are some of the signs that your child may benefit from ABA Therapy:
- Autism Spectrum Disorder
If your child has been diagnosed with Autism, we are here to help your child acquire skills or decrease those behaviors of concern. ABA Therapy can break down skills to smaller, discrete tasks to help a child learn.
- Delay of Social Skills
Through ABA Therapy, your child will be able to increase their social skills and build meaningful relationships. If your child has difficulties making eye contact, taking turns with peers, or identifying their coping strategies, it could be a sign they could benefit from receiving ABA services to help increase those skills.
- Delay of Receptive/Expressive Language
If your child has difficulties with “out of the box” thinking, ABA Therapy can be used to spark creativity. It can help a child to follow those simple to multi step instructions, comprehend who/what/where/why questions based on stories or pictures, or even increase imitation skills.
- Delay of Communication/Speech
You may have noticed that your child is delayed in their communication skills. ABA can help increase their ability to express their wants and needs. While using motivating operations and positive reinforcement, ABA will teach the child to mand, or request, as well as engage in conversation.
- Problem Behavior
The four functions of behavior include sensory, escape, attention, and tangibles. These functions help Behavior Analysts to create a proper treatment plan based on the behavior function presented. While there are many examples of problem behavior, if your child exhibits tantrums, self-injury, non-compliance, or eating nonedible items, ABA may be able to decrease these behaviors by using replacement behavior that can serve as the same function.
Difficulties and Diagnoses ABA Therapy Can Help With Include:
- Aggression
- Self Injury
- Noncompliance
- Tantrums and Outbursts
- Decreased attention
- Poor social skills
- Poor Memory
- Challenges with academics
- Depression
- Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
- Fears and phobias
- Anxiety
- Traumatic brain injury
Techniques Used in ABA Therapy:
- Positive Reinforcement
- Prompts
- Task Analysis
- Generalization
- Picture Exchange Communication
- Errorless Teaching
- Social Skills Training
- Discrete Trial Training (DTT)
- Natural Environment Training (NET)
If you have any questions or concerns about your child, please reach out to us at TheraTree. We provide free screenings! You can reach us by phone/text at 270-688-8449 or email at newpatients@theratreepeds.com.
Together we grow minds, bodies, and spirits!