Applied behavior analysis (ABA) may not be for everyone. As someone who was diagnosed with autism at 3.5 years old, my parents could tell I was the type of person who wanted to achieve speech and other typical milestones. They quickly realized that it would’ve been hard without some form of early intervention.
My mother researched various ways to help improve my speech and self-help skills and concluded that ABA was the best way to make it work. However, she also wanted to make it as unique to my abilities as possible to ensure an enjoyable experience.
Before we move on to the ways you can make ABA unique for your child, don’t forget to download your free guide to help you learn more about this approach:
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ABA Therapy for Autism
1. Do it in a natural environment
The quality of the therapist greatly influences the child’s experience. I’ve read stories about autistic people not being comfortable with ABA while others are ecstatic to see their therapists. Learning new skills, at least in my experience, comes more naturally when we’re around people we like.
Another thing to consider, however, is this: In what kind of environment is your autistic child more likely to be engaged or stress-free?
When I did ABA in the late 1990s from preschool to first grade, home-based ABA came much more naturally to me than public therapy. According to research, being comfortable in a familiar environment, uninterrupted schedules, and intense family involvement are the main advantages of home-based ABA.
These three factors helped my family and me enjoy our ABA program to the fullest. I was able to learn new skills inside the walls of my home, and my mother could still run her home daycare.
My brother and my mother’s daycare kids often participated in the play sessions as part of my ABA. This helped improve my social and listening skills, and my therapists could address the challenging behaviors I displayed at home.
However, every family is different. Research claims that, for some autistic people, center-based ABA therapy may be more beneficial. Some of the advantages include:
- Fewer home distractions
- More structure
- More access to ABA therapists
- The ability to cope and develop in mainstream environments
When determining whether home-based or center-based ABA will work better, it will be essential to consider certain factors. Determine what distracts your child the most, how well they can handle public places, and whether they’ll have more fun when familiar people are around, to name a few.
2. The more you include interests, the better (to an extent)
When my parents tried to get material into my home ABA program, they always tried to stay up to date with my current interests and would communicate these with my therapists.
For example, if I were into Sesame Street, my therapists would give me coloring books with Sesame Street characters, let me play with Sesame Street toys, or even listen to Sesame Street CDs while working.
If I got too stuck on a topic of interest, couldn’t move forward, and got to the point of aggression, my therapists would calm me down or reinforce the absence of my behavior once I stopped it.
Also, whenever I tried to be flexible and try new things, they would reinforce my special interests to teach me that I could get what I wanted as long as I didn’t display aggressive behaviors.
Another thing that worked well was taking me outside of the house. At one point, my mother noticed I loved checking things around town. My therapists would then take me to various places and use ABA methods to point something out.
For example, if a therapist asked me, “What does a mall have?” I would say, “Stores!” and then they would provide reinforcement by saying, “Good job!” in a cheery tone. Sometimes, I would still get stuck, but ABA became even more fun and memorable when we did activities outside the house.
In other words, definitely include your child’s interests in the ABA program, but also recognize when they lead to rigidness or aggressive behavior. Coming from someone who has done ABA, I would consider what may be an obsessive or regular interest and try to include regular interests more often.
3. Address weaknesses in a play-based manner
Having ASD has meant a wide variety of developmental milestone struggles for me. When it comes to superiors addressing them to me, if they do so calmly and in a collected manner, I have felt more confident in improving these skills. This includes my ABA days, school days, and more recent professional experiences.
For example, I recall struggling to use scissors properly, cutting along the lines, and coloring neatly in coloring books. My therapists devised strategies such as, “I want to see if you can do your absolute neatest coloring ever!” or “Let’s see the lines!” to address the issues.
If I did these tasks successfully, especially the first time, I would get a lot of reinforcement. Basically, they would treat these activities as a game or a sport with lots of positive encouragement rather than forcing me into doing something I wouldn’t be comfortable doing.
What you don’t want to do is get angry or act condescending when a child doesn’t do things correctly, especially when they are trying to do their best work.
ABA therapy can be a fun and unique experience
Understanding your child’s preferred environments, compatible personalities, interests, strengths, weaknesses, rigidity, and response to criticism will help you determine if ABA is a good choice for them.
You’ll also figure out how to make it as unique and about them as possible to ensure enriching experiences, not just for your child but also for you and the therapists.
This article was featured in Issue 161 – Vibrant Autism Health in 2024
FAQs
Q: How can I make an ABA session more fun?
A: Incorporate the child’s interests and favorite activities into the session to keep them engaged and motivated. Use positive reinforcement, games, and interactive tools to make learning enjoyable and dynamic.
Q: Why is ABA unique?
A: ABA is unique because it relies on data-driven techniques to improve specific beh0aviors through positive reinforcement and individualized plans tailored to each person’s needs. It’s a flexible approach that can be adapted to various environments and developmental stages.
Q: What makes ABA successful?
A: ABA’s success lies in its structured, consistent approach that uses measurable goals and evidence-based strategies to promote meaningful behavioral changes. Regular assessment and adaptation of techniques ensure the therapy aligns with the individual’s progress.
Q: How to make an ABA session fun?
A: To make an ABA session fun, integrate play-based learning and involve the child in choosing activities that align with their preferences. Mixing in rewards, movement breaks, and creative tasks can also enhance the experience and keep the child engaged.
References:
Sosine, J., & Cox, D. J. (2023, November 3). Initial Description of 3.9 Million Unique ABA Sessions. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/pq28y
Mubin, S. A., Poh, M. W. A., Rohizan, R., Abidin, A. Z. Z., & Wei, W. C. (2020). Gamification design framework to support autism children interaction skills: A systematic. Int J Cur Res Rev, 12(22), 120. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/10585392
Bui, L., Vander Dussen, K., & Widera, E. (2024). A qualitative examination of play therapy and mindfulness interventions with youth with autism spectrum disorder. International Journal of Play Therapy, 33(1), 24.
