The Importance of Parents Learning Skills Used in Applied Behavior Analysis
Thousands of parents across the county who have children with autism have to make difficult decisions each day about the quality and quantity of ABA therapy that their child or children need. With the overwhelming majority of states not pushing for insurance companies to cover ABA therapy many families are forced to make difficult choices for their children with autism.
ABA therapy can cost between $30 and $85 per hour and it is typically recommended that a child receive between 10-40 hours a week. This adds up to tens of thousands of dollars a year that families have to pay out of pocket. With the number of families with multiple children with autism growing, this number can more than double.
Without many solutions out there, the question comes up. Why not create your own ABA therapy program to work with your child? As parents we work with our typically developing children on math, science, and history, and in most cases know very little about the subject we are helping with. We become experts in many fields right before our children’s eyes just by staying one chapter ahead.
Developing an in home ABA program is no different. Learning the skills can seem foreign at first, but with practice these skills become second nature. The key is to take the time and make the commitment to learn and practice the learned skills. These skills may seem overwhelming in the beginning, but so did parenthood.
Creating your own program is not only about Discrete Trails, but also about learning the skills to decrease certain behavior and develop other behavior. It is about knowing what to do when things go wrong so that a situation does not ruin your whole day. DTT is imperative in any state of the art ABA program, but being able to develop those skills into any environment are critical. Knowing how to effectively shape your child’s behavior and then knowing how to fade away your prompts can really make a difference in the way that a child learns and functions.
We can all agree that parents know their children best. You know if your child had a bad night, what they ate for breakfast and if they had a tantrum moments before therapy began. Understanding all of this can make a big difference in the way you go about your session. You may change your reinforcers, alter your lesson or just decide that this session will be conducted in the park. All of these are things that therapists do not see or may not ask when they come into your house.
The reality is that parents need to have a solid understanding of ABA in order to help their children. Mastering all of the techniques allows parents to conduct their own sessions if they can’t afford therapy or do not live near a therapist, or follow up on skills provided by a therapist. ABA therapists are wonderful people and do all they can to help our children, but they can’t do it all. It is up to parents and family members to constantly reinforce mastered skills and reinforce new skills.
If you struggle with the cost of therapy, do not live near a therapist, or just want to add hours, take the initiative and develop the skills necessary to provide your children with the best possible outcome.
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Garrett Butch is the father of a 6 year old with autism and the founder of Maximum Potential Group. |
Tags: ABA Therapy, applied Behavior Analysis, Autism, behavior management, Special Education
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