Autism Treatment For Children Archives - Page 5 of 6

Autism treatment in Santa Ana, CA

March 15, 2021/in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), Autism, Autism Treatment, Autism Treatment For Children/by LeafWing Center

Caring for an individual diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) can present many challenges. The good news is that there are autism treatment options in Santa Ana, CA so that you don’t have to do it alone. While no autism treatment has been shown to cure autism, several intervention options are utilized to reduce symptoms, improve cognitive ability and daily living skills, and maximize the ability of the child to function and participate in the community. The most widely accepted treatment for individuals diagnosed with autism is Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy. Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy is an evidence-based scientific technique used in treating individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and other developmental disabilities. In general, ABA therapy relies on respondent and operant conditioning to change or alter behaviors of social significance. The ultimate goal of ABA therapy is for the learner to gain independence by learning and developing new skills resulting in an increase in positive behavior while reducing the frequency of negative behaviors. LeafWing Center provides Applied Behavioral Analysis therapy in Santa Ana, CA (and in homes, schools, and other locations throughout southern California) for the treatment of individuals diagnosed with autism.

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Who provides autism treatment in Santa Ana, CA?

For those families residing in Santa Ana who are coping with the impact of autism, LeafWing Center’s ABA therapy program focuses on improving the learner’s foundational behavior and social interactions such as playing, learning, and sharing. LeafWing Center’s team of highly trained experts based conveniently near Santa Ana understand what you are going through and can offer assistance.

It is crucial that parents and families have access to autism treatment resources that are geared toward comprehensive, intensive intervention. The sooner an individualized autism treatment plan is put into place, the sooner you will start noticing measurable results. And that is the key—measuring and monitoring every step of the way. At the LeafWing Center, we provide a thorough assessment of every child. Based upon this assessment, we devise a plan moving forward. This is why so many families residing in Santa Ana have put their trust in the autism treatment resources we offer.

How to get started with LeafWing Center’s autism treatment in Santa Ana, CA

LeafWing Center provides autism treatment in Santa Ana, CA. For individuals diagnosed with autism, ABA therapy is an effective program used to teach a learner specific skills that may not be in that learner’s repertoire of skills to help him/her function better in their environment (whether that be at home, school, or out in the Santa Ana, CA community.) In conjunction with skill acquisition programs, ABA-based interventions can also be used in addressing behavioral excesses (e.g., tantrum behaviors, aggressive behaviors, self-injurious behaviors). Additionally, ABA therapy programs are effective in providing training to the learner’s parent or caregiver.

Contact LeafWing Center to schedule an assessment to begin autism treatment. After the assessment is complete, and your funding source has provided authorization for ABA services, your provider will assign a team for your child. This team will include a Supervisor and one or several Behavior Technicians. Expect to receive a schedule of services before the beginning of each month. Additionally, expect your ABA provider to reach out to you to receive your availability for services and to create a schedule that best fits your loved one’s needs.

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Insurance coverage for ABA therapy in Santa Ana, CA

LeafWing Center works with an ever-growing number of insurance provides who cover ABA therapy for the treatment of autism. Here are just a few of the providers with whom we work:

Aetna
Anthem Blue Cross of California
Beacon Health Options
Beacon Health Strategies
Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Illinois
Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Texas
Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Washington
Blue Shield of California
Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plans
CalOptima Direct (Orange office only)
CIGNA
Comprehensive Care Corp./Advanzeon Solutions Incorporated
Comprehensive Behavioral Care Incorporated
LA Care Sherman Oaks only)
Magellan
MHN Managed Health Network Incorporated
Molina Healthcare of California
Health Plus aka Multiplan
Magna Care aka Multiplan
Managed Health Network Incorporated aka MHN
Meritain Health
Optum UBH
Optum Health Behavioral Solutions
Pacific Care Behavioral Health
SCS-UBH aka Optum/UBH
United Medical Resources
United Health Care
Windstone Behavioral Health

LeafWing Center staff is happy to work with you to help determine if your insurance provides coverage for our ABA therapy services.

Autism treatment and initial assessments in Santa Ana, CA

In skill acquisition programs, a child’s repertoire of skills is assessed in the beginning phase of the services in key adaptive areas such as communication/language, self-help, social skills, and motor skills as well. Once skills to be taught are identified, a goal for each skill is developed and then addressed/taught by using ABA-based techniques to teach those important skills. Ultimately, an effective ABA-based therapy program will facilitate a degree of maintenance (i.e., the child can still perform the learned behaviors in the absence of training/intervention over time) and generalization (i.e., the learned behaviors are observed to occur in situations different from the instructional setting). These two concepts are very important in any ABA-based intervention and are both incorporated in every learner’s therapy program in Santa Ana, CA.

Social communication and interaction

A child or adult with autism spectrum disorder may have the following problems with social interaction and communication skills:

Fails to respond to his or her name or appears not to hear you at times
Resists cuddling and holding, and seems to prefer playing alone, retreating into his or her own world
Has poor eye contact and lacks facial expression
Doesn’t speak or has delayed speech, or loses previous ability to say words or sentences
Can’t start a conversation or keep one going, or only starts one to make requests or label items
Speaks with an abnormal tone or rhythm and may use a singsong voice or robot-like speech
Repeats words or phrases verbatim, but doesn’t understand how to use them
Doesn’t appear to understand simple questions or directions
Doesn’t express emotions or feelings and appears unaware of others’ feelings
Doesn’t point at or bring objects to share interest
Inappropriately approaches a social interaction by being passive, aggressive or disruptive
Has difficulty recognizing nonverbal cues, such as interpreting other people’s facial expressions, body postures or tone of voice

In behavior management, the challenging behaviors are assessed for their function in the beginning phase of the services. In this phase, the “why does this behavior happen in the first place?” is determined. Once known, an ABA-based therapy program will be developed to not just decrease the occurrence of the behavior being addressed, but also teach the child a functionally-equivalent behavior that is socially-appropriate. For example, if a child resorts to tantrum behaviors when she is told she cannot have a specific item, she may be taught to accept an alternative or find an alternative for herself. Of course, we can only do this up to a certain point—the offering of alternatives. There comes a point when a ‘no’ means ‘no’ so the tantrum behavior will be left to run its course (i.e., to continue until it ceases). This is never easy and will take some time for parents/caregivers to get used to, but research has shown that over time and consistent application of an ABA-based behavior management program, the challenging behavior will improve.

Getting to know your Santa Ana, CA autism treatment team

LeafWing Center is committed to ensuring that each of its learners, as well as the learner’s family and caregivers, is comfortable with their assigned Santa Ana autism treatment therapy team. Particularly in the early stages of the program, rapport building is essential to the success of therapy. The staff assigned to work on your child’s team will strive to build a positive relationship with your loved one. Not only is this rapport building important at the beginning of services, it should be maintained throughout the duration of the program. Therefore, families can expect the first couple weeks of ABA therapy to include a lot of play and conversation with their child. Simply put, your child should feel comfortable and have fun with the Behavior Technicians. This helps ensure that your child associates positive experiences with the Behavior Technicians. This also helps with learning rates and ultimately produces more desirable outcomes.

Expect collaboration and communication from your Santa Ana ABA therapy team. The Supervisor on your team will communicate with you to make sure your questions and goal preferences are addressed. Additionally, with your permission, the Supervisor may ask to get in contact with your child’s other service providers (speech therapists, school teachers, etc.) so that coordination of care can be established and that everyone is working collectively toward the same goals.

Autism treatment in Santa Ana, CA: What to expect

LeafWing Center’s autism treatment program in Santa Ana, CA mirrors any of our programs regardless of location. We provide autism treatment in Santa Ana to make it convenient for the parents or caregivers to ensure consistency in treatment for the learner. There are times throughout any given month where a supervisor may observe a session with a learner to ensure the treatment is being executed correctly and to address any concerns or questions that may arise. These overlaps and team meetings are imperative as they help ensure treatment consistency, progress, relevancy, and communication between all members of your child’s ABA team. An ABA therapy program is highly customizable.

ABA therapy is adaptable to meet the needs of each unique person
Therapy can be offered in multiple settings – home, at school, and in the community
Teaches practical skills that have application in everyday life
Can be offered either in one-to-one or group instruction

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Our Santa Ana, CA autism treatment team will create an individualized program for your autistic child

Despite where your child may be on the autism spectrum, there is hope for a dynamic, bright and fulfilling future for your child. The sooner autism is treated, the greater the likelihood of positive treatment results. Getting the autism diagnosis is the first step. From there, it’s a process of developing relationships with a team of LeafWing Center’s well-qualified and experienced treatment professionals who will help guide your family through the various hurdles and challenges you may face. LeafWing Center provides an individualized autism treatment approach that helps ensure your loved one is better prepared to cope with whatever comes his/her way. Taking advantages of resources and services available right here in Santa Ana is going to be a key part of helping your loved one become more comfortable within a wide array of social settings. There is no “one format” that will fit all children and their families’ needs. The ABA professionals you’re currently working with, with your participation, will develop an ABA-based treatment package that will best fit your child’s and your family’s needs. For more information regarding this topic, we encourage you to speak with your BCBA or reach out to us at info@leafwingcenter.

Frequently asked questions about ABA therapy

What is ABA Therapy used for?

ABA-based therapy can be used in a multitude of areas. Currently, these interventions are used primarily with individuals living with ASD; however, their applications can be used with individuals living with pervasive developmental disorders as well as other disorders. For ASD, it can be used in effectively teaching specific skills that may not be in a child’s repertoire of skills to help him/her function better in their environment whether that be at home, school, or out in the community. In conjunction with skill acquisition programs, ABA-based interventions can also be used in addressing behavioral excesses (e.g., tantrum behaviors, aggressive behaviors, self-injurious behaviors). Lastly, it can also be utilized in parent/caregiver training.

In skill acquisition programs, a child’s repertoire of skills is assessed in the beginning phase of the services in key adaptive areas such as communication/language, self-help, social skills, and motor skills as well. Once skills to be taught are identified, a goal for each skill is developed and then addressed/taught by using ABA-based techniques to teach those important skills. Ultimately, an ABA-based therapy will facilitate a degree of maintenance (i.e., the child can still perform the learned behaviors in the absence of training/intervention over time) and generalization (i.e., the learned behaviors are observed to occur in situations different from the instructional setting). These two concepts are very important in any ABA-based intervention.

In behavior management, the challenging behaviors are assessed for their function in the beginning phase of the services. In this phase, the “why does this behavior happen in the first place?” is determined. Once known, an ABA-based therapy will be developed to not just decrease the occurrence of the behavior being addressed, but also teach the child a functionally-equivalent behavior that is socially-appropriate. For example, if a child resorts to tantrum behaviors when she is told she cannot have a specific item, she may be taught to accept an alternative or find an alternative for herself. Of course, we can only do this up to a certain point—the offering of alternatives. There comes a point when a ‘no’ means ‘no’ so the tantrum behavior will be left to run its course (i.e., to continue until it ceases). This is never easy and will take some time for parents/caregivers to get used to, but research has shown that over time and consistent application of an ABA-based behavior management program, the challenging behavior will get better.

In parent training, individuals that provide care for a child may receive customized “curriculum” that best fit their situation. A typical area covered in parent training is teaching responsible adults pertinent ABA-based concepts to help adults understand the rationale behind interventions that are being used in their child’s ABA-based services. Another area covered in parent training is teaching adults specific skill acquisition programs and/or behavior management programs that they will implement during family time. Other areas covered in parent training may be data collection, how to facilitate maintenance, how to facilitate generalization of learned skills to name a few.

There is no “one format” that will fit all children and their families’ needs. The ABA professionals you’re currently working with, with your participation, will develop an ABA-based treatment package that will best fit your child’s and your family’s needs. For more information regarding this topic, we encourage you to speak with your BCBA or reach out to us at info@leafwingcenter.org.

Who Can Benefit From ABA Therapy?

There is a common misconception that the principles of ABA are specific to Autism. This is not the case. The principles and methods of ABA are scientifically backed and can be applied to any individual. With that said, the U.S. Surgeon General and the American Psychological Association consider ABA to be an evidence based practice. Forty years of extensive literature have documented ABA therapy as an effective and successful practice to reduce problem behavior and increase skills for individuals with intellectual disabilities and Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Children, teenagers, and adults with ASD can benefit from ABA therapy. Especially when started early, ABA therapy can benefit individuals by targeting challenging behaviors, attention skills, play skills, communication, motor, social, and other skills. Individuals with other developmental challenges such as ADHD or intellectual disability can benefit from ABA therapy as well. While early intervention has been demonstrated to lead to more significant treatment outcomes, there is no specific age at which ABA therapy ceases to be helpful.

Additionally, parents and caregivers of individuals living with ASD can also benefit from the principles of ABA. Depending on the needs of your loved one, the use of specified ABA techniques in addition to 1:1 services, may help produce more desirable treatment outcomes. The term “caregiver training” is common in ABA services and refers to the individualized instruction that a BCBA or ABA Supervisor provides to parents and caregivers. This typically involves a combination of individualized ABA techniques and methods parents and caregivers can use outside of 1:1 sessions to facilitate ongoing progress in specified areas.

ABA therapy can help people living with ASD, intellectual disability, and other developmental challenges achieve their goals and live higher quality lives.

What does ABA Therapy look like?

Agencies that provide ABA-based services in the home-setting are more likely to implement ABA services similarly than doing the same exact protocols or procedures. Regardless, an ABA agency under the guidance of a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst follows the same research-based theories to guide treatment that all other acceptable ABA agencies use.

ABA-based services start with a functional behavior assessment (FBA). In a nutshell, a FBA assesses why the behaviors may be happening in the first place. From there, the FBA will also determine the best way to address the difficulties using tactics that have been proven effective over time with a focus on behavioral replacement versus simple elimination of a problem behavior. The FBA will also have recommendations for other relevant skills/behaviors to be taught and parent skills that can be taught in a parent training format to name a few. From there, the intensity of the ABA-based services is determined, again, based on the clinical needs of your child. The completed FBA is then submitted to the funding source for approval.

One-on-one sessions between a behavior technician and your child will start once services are approved. The duration per session and the frequency of these sessions per week/month will all depend on how many hours your child’s ABA services have been approved for—usually, this will be the number recommended in the FBA. The sessions are used to teach identified skills/behaviors via effective teaching procedures. Another aspect of ABA-based services in the home-setting is parent training. Parent training can take many forms depending on what goals have been established during the FBA process. The number of hours dedicated for parent training is also variable and solely depends on the clinical need for it. If a 1:1 session is between a behavior technician and your child, a parent training session or appointment is between you and the case supervisor and with and without your child present, depending on the parent goal(s) identified. Parent training service’s goal is for you to be able to have ample skills/knowledge in order for you to become more effective in addressing behavioral difficulties as they occur outside of scheduled ABA sessions. Depending on the goals established, you may be required to participate in your child’s 1:1 sessions. These participations are a good way for you to practice what you have learned from the case supervisor while at the same time, having the behavior technician available to you to give you feedback as you practice on those new skills.

As mentioned in the beginning, no two ABA agencies will do the same exact thing when it comes to providing ABA services; however, good agencies will always base their practice on the same empirically-proven procedures.

How do I start ABA Therapy?

In most cases, the first item required to start ABA therapy is the individual’s autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis report. This is typically conducted by a doctor such as a psychiatrist, psychologist, or a developmental pediatrician. Most ABA therapy agencies and insurance companies will ask for a copy of this diagnosis report during the intake process as it is required to request an ABA assessment authorization from the individual’s medical insurance provider.

The second item required to start ABA therapy is a funding source. In the United States, and in cases where Medi-Cal or Medicare insurances are involved, there is a legal requirement for ABA services to be covered when there is a medical necessity (ASD diagnosis). Medi-Cal and Medicare cover all medically necessary behavioral health treatment services for beneficiaries. This typically includes children diagnosed with ASD. Since Applied Behavior Analysis is an evidence based and effective treatment for individuals with ASD, it is considered a covered treatment when medically necessary. In many cases, private insurance will also cover ABA services when medically necessary, however in these cases, it is best to speak directly with your medical insurance provider to determine the specifics of the coverage and to ensure that ABA is in fact, a covered benefit. Additionally, some families opt to pay for ABA services out-of-pocket.

The next step to starting ABA therapy is to contact an ABA provider whom you are interested in working with. Depending on your geographic location, ABA agencies exist in many cities across the United States. Your insurance carrier, local support groups, and even a thorough online search can help you find reputable and properly credentialed ABA agencies near you. Our organization, LeafWing Center, is based in southern California and is recognized for aiding people with ASD achieve their goals with the research based on applied behavior analysis.

Once you have identified the ABA provider with whom you wish to work, they should help you facilitate the next steps. These will include facilitating paperwork and authorizations with your funding source. Once the assessment process begins, a BCBA (Board Certified Behavior Analyst) or qualified Program Supervisor should get in contact with you to arrange times in which interviews with parents/caregivers and observations of your loved one can be conducted. This will help in the process of gathering important clinical information so that with your collaboration, the most effective treatment plans and goals can be established for your loved one. This process is referred to as the Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) and is elaborated on in different blog posts on our website. With regard as to what can be expected once ABA therapy begins, please read our blog post titled: When You Start an ABA program, What Should You Reasonably Expect from Your Service Provider?

Does Research Show that ABA is Successful in Treating Children with Autism?

October 15, 2019/in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), Autism, Autism Treatment, Autism Treatment For Children/by LeafWing Center

Yes—research does show that ABA is successful in treating children living with autism. As a matter of fact, since the early 1960s, the effectiveness of ABA based interventions has been very well documented particularly when helping children with developmental disabilities. Over 400 research articles were published between 1964 and 1970 alone and all have concluded that behavior analytic interventions demonstrated the most consistent results with individuals living with developmental disabilities. From the mid ‘80’s to 2010, there were over 500 peer-reviewed, published articles on autism and Applied Behavior Analysis.

Many families of children with autism are or are becoming familiar with the 1987 study published by Lovaas. That 1987 study was the first “group study” looking at children with autism receiving intensive ABA treatment (i.e., 40 hours per week) and children with autism that received 10 hours of ABA treatment or none at all. In this famous study, Lovaas and his research team implemented many of the basic principles and techniques of behavior analysis into an early intensive intervention program for children with autism. After approximately two years of ABA based interventions, 47% of the children in his study made tremendous gains and were able to enter a typical first grade classroom without any additional assistance and scored in the average range in IQ tests when prior to the intervention these same children scored in the low range in IQ tests. Of the control groups, the children in the study that did not receive ABA interventions but only community supports, only one child was placed in a first-grade placement and scored average IQ.

While this study is over 30 years old, there are recent replications and research studies that indicate similar findings. While it’s beyond the scope of this post to go into all the research studies indicating the effectiveness of ABA programs for children with autism, ABA currently is widely recognized as a safe and effective treatment for autism. It has been endorsed by a number of state and federal agencies, including the US Surgeon General and the New York State Department of Health. And for that reason, the use of ABA principles and techniques has rapidly expanded in recent years as more studies demonstrate that these principles help individuals with autism live more independent and more productive lives.

How Does Senate Bill 946 Affect Individuals with Autism in California?

October 1, 2019/in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), Autism, Autism Treatment, Autism Treatment For Children, Insurance, Medical Insurance/by LeafWing Center

Senate Bill 946, passed by the State Assembly and the State Senate on September 9^th, 2011 and signed by then Governor Brown and filed with the Secretary of State on October 9^th, 2011 is a monumental step for individuals with Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) in California. The new law took effect on July 1^st, 2012.

Previous to this bill signing, individuals with autism could get necessary services in one of three ways. First, families or caregivers could pay out-of-pocket. Only a small segment of the population could afford this as estimated costs for monthly services ranged from $3,000 to $12,000. The second way to get services was to request them from your local school district. This has proven to be very challenging as the school districts have been unfamiliar with the unique service type and more recently are financially challenged. Last was the option of regional centers. There are 21 in the state of California at present and each one has taken a slightly different approach to providing services for Individuals with Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorder. In addition, the budget crisis in California in the early 2010’s has greatly affected most regional center’s abilities to provide services. Thus, using a regional center then for services for an individual with Autism or PDD depending on where one lived and the policies of that regional center, could also prove challenging.

As a result of SB 946 over the last few years, individuals with Pervasive Developmental Disorders or Autism are entitled to use their medical insurance to obtain services. Specifically, as of July 1, 2012 individuals in the state of California can now use their medical insurance to obtain services Pervasive Developmental Disorders or Autism. This applies to the following medical service providers: Every health care service plan contract that provides hospital, medical, or surgical coverage. It appears that SB 946 does not apply to a medical insurance plan that does not provide behavioral health or mental health services, a health care service plan in the Medi-Cal program, a health care service plan in the Healthy Families Program, or health care benefit plan or contract entered into with the Board of Administration of the Public Employees’ Retirement System.

It is important to note that SB 946 specifically states that there is no intention of the bill to alter the responsibilities that have typically fallen under an Individual Educational Plan (IEP) under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA and its amendments and reauthorizations) or in and Individual Program Plan (IPP) under Title 17. We interpret this to mean that SB 946 does not mean that school systems will no longer have to provide services or will have to alter the services they provide to individuals with Pervasive Developmental Disorders or Autism because the bill now requires that medical insurance will now also cover services. In addition, we feel that the same conclusion can be reached that SB 946 will not eliminate, reduce, or alter regional center’s responsibilities to provide services to Pervasive Developmental Disorders or Autism under Title 17.

What treatments are covered? The following is what SB 946 is referring to when it is talking about services. Specifically, “Behavioral Health Treatment” means professional services and treatment programs, including Applied Behavior Analysis and evidence-based behavior intervention programs. Other than Applied Behavior Analysis, no specific mention of another treatment approach is made.

What is required of the treatment programs? The treatment programs must include all of the following criteria to be eligible for coverage. First, the treatment has to be prescribed by a physician or licensed psychologist. Second, the treatment follows a treatment plan prescribed (developed by) a qualified Autism service provider and administered by a qualified Autism service provider, a qualified autism service professional supervised and employed by the qualified autism service provider, or a qualified autism service paraprofessional supervised and employed by a qualified autism service provider. Third, the plan developed by a qualified Autism service provider has measurable goals that are specified to a timeline and that are unique to the individual being treated. The treatment plan has to be reviewed no less that once every six months, modified when appropriate, and describes the individual with Autism’s impairments that will be treated; develops an intervention plan that specifies the service type (i.e., techniques and methodology), the number of hours required, the level of parent participation to achieve those goals, and the frequency of progress evaluation and progress reporting. Fourth, discontinues intensive intervention services when goals have been achieved or are no longer appropriate. Last, the treatment is not used as a means of or a reimbursement for a respite program, day care, or educational services and cannot be used as a means to reimburse a parent for participating in the program.

What is a qualified Autism service professional? SB 946 specifies the following criteria must be met to be considered a qualified Autism service professional. First, this person provides behavioral health treatment (e.g., treatment for individuals with Autism). Second, if they do not meet the criteria to be a qualified Autism provider, that the person is employed and supervised by a qualified autism service provider (e.g., an agency or clinic). Third, that individual provides treatment that follows a treatment plan developed and approved by the qualified autism service provider. Third, is a behavioral service provider approved as a vendor by a California regional center to provide services as BCBA-D, BCBA, BCaBA, a Behavior Management Assistant, a Behavior Management Consultant, or a Behavior Management Program as defined in Section 54342 of Title 17 of the California Code of Regulations. We interpret this to mean that one of the criteria to be considered a qualified Autism professional is to have met the vendor requirements of a California regional center. Fourth, that the individual has training and experience in providing services for pervasive developmental disorder or autism.

SB 946 also provided for an Autism Advisory Task Force. The purpose of the task force was to submit a report to the Governor and specified members of the Legislature by December 31, 2012. The report developed recommendations regarding behavioral health treatment that is medically necessary for the treatment of individuals with autism or pervasive developmental disorder.

What is Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)? An elaboration

September 10, 2019/in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), Autism Treatment For Children, Behavior Analysis, Behaviorism/by LeafWing Center

Applied Behavior Analysis is the applied science of behavior formalized by B.F. Skinner. It is sometimes referred to as Behavior Modification, ABA, or Behavior Analysis. The theories, laws, and techniques have their foundations in years of basic research and describe some of the most fundamental things we know about behavior. Some early influences on the field of ABA include Watson, Thorndyke, Pavlov, and groups of psychologists, philosophers, and scientists in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s that pursued empirical science.

Contemporary hallmarks of ABA include the Law of Reinforcement, functions of behavior, contextualism, and determinism. Let’s briefly look at these areas to get a better understanding of the field of applied behavior analysis.

Simply put, the Law of Reinforcement states that behavior that is reinforced will continue to occur or will occur more often in the future. Conversely, a behavior that is not reinforced will not occur or will decrease in occurrence over time (though, sometimes we see a short increase after reinforcement is discontinued for a behavior that has been previously reinforced).

Through a great deal of clinical experience, it has become apparent that one challenge with really applying this law and understanding its fundamental truth relates to a not having a good understanding of what reinforcement is or can be. Some general misunderstandings include the assumption that consequences most people would describe as positive or pleasant will function as reinforcers. For example, most people would assume that receiving a thank you note would be a reinforcer for a job well done. In practice, this is not the case. There are individuals that would have no interest in a thank you note, but would rather prefer a pay increase. There are, of course, some that would.

Often times, people attribute what they would find reinforcing to another person. Life shows us, this is not the case. Conversely, when we talk about reinforcement, something that we think may be reinforcing may in fact be punishing (a consequence that causes a behavior not to occur or to decrease in the future). Similarly, reinforcers can vary in their magnitude or effectiveness dependent on the environment and on what has happened in the time before the reinforcer is being used.

One final thought is that behavior is often under multiple schedules. Some of the schedules are reinforcing and some of them are punishing. The effects of the reinforcers and punishers that are a part of each schedule vary. This makes it challenging for all but only the most skilled Behavior Analysts to have a good understanding of reinforcement, reinforcers, and schedules of reinforcement. The field of Behavioral Economics is making strides in empirically describing these concerns. However, the law of reinforcement remains one of the important concepts in Applied Behavior Analysis.

One of the more recent (relatively speaking as it dates back to the very early ’80’s) concepts in Applied Behavior Analysis is behavioral function. Previous to this notion, the field was more commonly known as behavior modification and behavior was mainly changed by modifying consequences (e.g., reinforcers and punishers).

Research in the early 80’s demonstrated functional relationships between problem behavior and the conditions that reinforced it. This research led to the concept of behavioral function. Simply, a behavior must be analyzed in terms of what function (i.e., purpose) the behavior served for the individual performing it.

Nowadays, we commonly look at the inappropriate behavior that children with autism perform in these terms. We ask, “are they performing this behavior for attention? Are they performing it to escape or avoid something that they do not like? Are they performing the behavior to get access to something that they want? Are they doing it because it gives them some sort of pleasure?”

Additionally, there are two questionnaire-based assessments, the Questions About Behavior Function (QABF) and Motivation Assessment Scale (MAS), that assist users with determining the function of the behavior in question. The QABF was developed with adults with developmental disabilities and the MAS was developed on children with developmental disabilities.

Contextualism is a concept somewhat close to behavior function. In short, contextualism refers to analyzing behavior in terms of the context that it occurs. What are the characteristics of the environment? Is it loud? Quiet? Hot? Who is there when the behavior happens? What happens right before the behavior occurs? What happens earlier in the lead up to the occurrence of the behavior? What happens after?

All of these questions are things that we ask when we analyze behavior. Taking these things into consideration is why we refer to Applied Behavior Analysis as contextual.

Our final hallmark of ABA is one of the more ephemeral concepts. It is complex and philosophical in nature and often times needs to be reflected on to really get a grasp of it. This is the concept of determinism. This is also one of the more controversial concepts in ABA. Essentially, the concept of determinism says that our behavior is under the influence of our learning histories, the antecedents that occasion the behavior, and the consequences that reinforce or punish it. We are not operating under the umbrella of free will.

Like was said earlier, this is a controversial concept. Some say that our verbal behavior (i.e., thoughts) can control our behavior. In some cases, it may mitigate our behavior and, of course, it is behavior and therefore is under the same influences of antecedents, consequences and learning history. However, with the exception of the species-specific behavior we are born with, we are products of our learning histories and present environmental factors.

Applied Behavior Analysis is an elaborate science of behavior and it has been applied in many arenas (businesses, animal training, individuals with developmental disabilities, individuals with Traumatic Brain Injury, etc.,). There are many laws and principles and even more techniques based on these laws and principles. Some of the main hallmarks remain those referenced above (i.e., reinforcement, functions of behavior, contextualism, and determinism).

Some Considerations and Strategies for Students with Autism in Classroom Settings

September 3, 2019/in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), Autism Treatment For Children, Autism Treatment For Students In Classrooms/by LeafWing Center

When creating an educational program for students with ASD, each student’s unique characteristics present unique challenges for administrators and school support staff. An effective classroom must include a physical structure that enhances learning opportunities and instructional approaches that facilitate learning, language acquisition, behavior management, social skills, and academic goals. We can apply many of the basic principles of effective instruction that are used in within the general education classroom as we work with students with autism and Asperger Syndrome, however, there are certain strategies that have been proven to be particularly effective. These strategies provide structure and predictability to the learning process, allow students to anticipate task requirements and setting expectations, and teach a variety of skills across content areas in the natural environment, enhancing the likelihood of generalization.

Predictability and sameness are significant factors throughout student’s daily lives. One way to address these elements in the classroom is with “Environmental Supports”. Environmental supports help students organize the physical space in ways that help our students predict any changes in their daily routines or deviations from typical expectations that may take place during the school day; different activities or events, a substitute teacher, or fire drills. We can help students understand expectations, and in general, make sense of their entire environment. Researchers have defined environmental support as “aspects of the environment, other than interactions with people, which affect the learning that takes place”. Examples of environmental supports are: Labels, Boundary settings, Visual schedules, Behavioral-based education tools, Activity completion signals, Choice boards, and Waiting supports.

All of these environmental support strategies are a simple yet effective way to help a student respond appropriately in their day-to-day activities throughout their school day. Environmental supports can be effectively utilized across all environments and all settings to help support individual with ASD. Additionally, environment supports have been shown to increase student independence, and help stimulate language.

The physical organization of the classroom can be a crucial element for them enhancing success. Structure and predictability facilitate the students understanding of the environment, which can help decrease worry or agitation the student might have. This is really important for students with autism who tend to react negatively or really that difficult time with changes and unsent uncertainty in their environment. Something as simple as labeling furniture and objects in a classroom can have numerous benefits for students with autism; label boxes or containers with visual representations such as icons or hand-written labels. Students can then be taught to match the label on the container to the label on the shelf, allowing independents in retrieving or returning an activity to its appropriate place in the classroom.

Again, we want to emphasize that each student is unique and the strategies used need to reflect their unique needs.

What Constitutes Effective Intervention for Individuals with Autism? The National Research Council’s report on Effective Treatments for Autism Still Stands True

August 20, 2019/in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), Autism Treatment, Autism Treatment For Children/by LeafWing Center

In 2001, the National Research Council published findings effective treatments on Educational Interventions for Children with Autism from birth to age 8. The committee set out with the question “What are the characteristics of effective interventions in educational programs for young children with autism spectrum disorders?” The findings were published in a comprehensive book titled, “Educating children with autism.”

In answering the above question, the committee recognized that there were numerous articles written on autism treatment and that there were numerous treatment programs across the country claiming to be effective in helping children with autism. Treatments ranging from ABA-based programs to developmentally-based programs to diet-based programs or more idiosyncratic programs such as sensory integration. In order to base their recommendations on clear evidence of effectiveness, the committee ruled out treatment that did not base their statements on some form of data regarding the outcome of the children.

They took a look at over 900 articles written on the treatment of autism and also enlisted the assistance of ‘model’ programs currently in place for the treatment of autism. These model or state-of-the-art programs were typically university or research ran programs who that enlisted the services of highly qualified professionals. Of the ten model programs selected, seven were from an applied behavior analysis framework, one was from a developmental framework, one was purely parent training, and the last was a combination of behavioral and developmental frameworks.

The committee listed key features seen as variables of effective programs in an effort to use this information from these state-of-the-art programs and translate it to publicly funded early education programs across the country and to begin some quality control.

The first characteristic identified as a key feature of an effective treatment program is that of early entry into a program. When reviewing the information from these model programs and based on findings from the literature, the committee saw that the earlier a child is placed in treatment the better their chances of making gains. Therefore, their first recommendation was that educational services begin as soon as a child is suspected of having an autism spectrum disorder highlighting the importance of early intervention. Early detection and treatment are key phrases often heard in the medical field and this is the exact same case when it comes to the treatment of autism. So, early entry is recommendation number one.

Next, the committee looked at the intensity of these programs and what has been shown in the literature to be an effective level of intensity. Their conclusion upon review of the information was that educational services include a minimum of 25 hours a week, 5 days a week, 12 months a year during which time a child is actively engaged. The word minimum in this recommendation is key as some children may need more than this minimum of hours given the severity of their symptoms or their resistance to treatment.

Additionally, the notion of active engagement is very important as the recommended number of treatment hours is not merely the number of hours recommended for a child to be placed in a treatment program, but the number of hours to child is actively learning while in the program. This means that the child should not be just physically present in a treatment program, but that each and every hour of that program is designed in a way in which the child will learn for a minimum of 25 hours per week.

Another way of looking at this is if it was recommended that a child attend a special education program 30 hours a week, one would initially think that the recommendation for a minimum number of hours has been met. However, if, within these 30 hours, the child spends at least two hours a day playing alone in the playground, one hour a day eating lunch, a few hours a day in unstructured and unsupervised solitary play activities, and only two hours of actual teaching occurs within the school day, a child is left with only a 10-hour a week treatment program. And while play time is extremely important for any child, if a child does not yet have the skills to know how to play, how can the child be expected to interact with other children during these free play times without specific structured teaching? So, it is important to look beyond the number of hours and actually look at what each hour of the treatment program will entail whether that be an ABA program, school-based program, or any type of recommended treatment program. It’s imperative that a child be placed in a program where they can access the curriculum and where the teachers or therapists are actively engaging the child so as to capture each and every teaching opportunity and make it a worthwhile experience. There needs to be intensive teaching and learning occurring during a child’s time in an intervention program.

The committee actually described intensity as a “large numbers of functionally, developmentally relevant, and high-interest opportunities to respond actively.” In other words, a child’s time spent in a treatment program should result in high levels of learning when it comes to the matter of reaching their educational goals. So, the higher the level of active engagement, the higher the intensity, the higher the change rate for steady gains.

Next on the list of key characteristics was the child to teacher ratio. The committee recommended that programs consist of sufficient amounts of adult attention in order for a child to meet their educational goals, either learning with one-to-one or very small group instruction. The decision of student-to-teacher ratio should be made, depending on the learning ability of the child rather than depending on the staffing needs of the program. Therefore, if a child can learn in a small group of maybe two children and one teacher, then that should suffice; however, as is the case for many young children with autism, if the child cannot occupy their own free time in a constructive manner, redirect their attention when asked, or learn via observation of a peer, then the teaching instruction should be in a one-to-one manner, that is one teacher with one child.

The committee recognized the need for well-trained personnel. The committee noted that all the model programs they reviewed were developed by persons with Ph.D.’s in autism-related fields and the programs were directed and implemented by teams of professionals who had extensive training and experience in autism spectrum disorders. It is so important that the person designing a treatment program for a child with autism has extensive knowledge not only in the field of autism, but hands on experience in designing effective programs.

Next, the committee recognized the notion of individualization. A key characteristic of these model programs was that of comprehensive, individualized treatment goals based on the needs of each individual child rather than a one-size-fits-all curriculum for all the children in the program. The curriculum or individualized plan developed for each child should be based on their own personal strengths and weaknesses. The goals for each child should also focus on the development of a child’s social and cognitive abilities, their verbal and non-verbal communication skills, adaptive or self-help skills, and the reduction of behavioral difficulties using more positive behavioral approaches rather than punitive approaches.

The second part of this recommendation, that “goals “are frequently adjusted,” cannot be emphasized enough. While the initial curriculum and targets developed for a child may be individualized at the onset of a treatment program, it is critical that these goals and targets be reviewed routinely and adjustments be made when necessary.

And lastly, the committee recognized the important role parents have when it comes to the effectiveness of treatment programs. A key characteristic amongst all model programs was their emphasis on parental training and involvement in the program. The involvement of parents is a very valuable tool in the treatment of autism because children spend most of their time with their parents; therefore, parents must play an active part in the treatment team so as to continue where the formal treatment sessions end. With parents as active participants of the program, a child will always be in a consistent environment where their skills can be generalization generalized and maintained.

How to teach your child with autism to wait

How to teach your child to wait and what you could do before and after telling your child “no”

August 13, 2019/in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), Autism, Autism Treatment, Autism Treatment For Children, Autism Treatment For Students In Classrooms, Autism Treatment In Community Settings/by LeafWing Center

Two common difficulties that we encounter when working with families over the years are regarding waiting and when a child is told no. These two scenarios can be overwhelming as they are often accompanied by the most intense challenging behaviors. We will go over these on this this post.

First off, the skill of requesting appropriately must be well-established already. If this skill is not yet in your child’s repertoire then it must be taught first. If the skill is already there, but it’s not as fluent as we’d need it to be, then work on that first.

Let’s say your child can already ask for a cookie—this is great, but what can you do if for some reason, you child has to be told to wait? If your first thought given that question you just read is along the lines of “oh…” then do consider the following. There is this passage of time that happens between being asked to wait for something and finally getting that something. The key here is working on that gap. Depending on how your child “understands” that concept—time—you may have to be more hands-on when helping out your child go through it. Instead of simply saying “wait,” try giving your child something that he likes to “kill time.” This is not something out of the ordinary. Case in point: look at long lines of people at a grocery store, a theme park ride, at a bank, et cetera. It is very rare to see a long line of people, waiting, just starting blankly at the back of the head of the person in front of them (unless you’re in the military or something similar) and just “wait” for their turn. Perhaps you’ll notice a handful dealing with waiting in not-so-positive ways but for the most part, people will do something to pass time. From being on their phones, talking to someone whom they are with, looking around, reading a book—we, again, most of us, can handle waiting because we fill that gap with something else. And that is something that you can try out—offer your child something that they will not mind doing while they wait. The more reinforcing that activity the better. When starting to teach your child to wait while engaged in something, make sure to keep the wait-time very short. How short? It depends on each child really, but a good rule of thumb is to end the wait when your child is still behaving well (i.e., before your child starts that path to a full-blown tantrum). Let’s say that time is around one minute—great. Keep it around that time limit and systematically increase the time just a bit and stay on that higher limit (e.g., from one minute to about two minutes) until your child gets used to it. From there, you can once again increase the limit to say three minutes. This does not happen without any difficulty—the key here is you being consistent. Also, avoid a situation wherein the wait time had been too long that your child “forgets” about whatever it is he or she is waiting for. You need your child’s motivation for whatever it is he or she is waiting for for the learning process to “click.” Once that motivation goes away, the teachable opportunity is lost so it is best to be realistic on how long you really want your child to wait.

Again, teach waiting only if they can truly have that cookie, but at a later time (or after a number of activities). If they cannot have that cookie, then don’t say wait (after which they do) then tell them no in the end. Hence, the next topic: what can you do when you are about to tell your child no (i.e., denial).

True: a no is a no and that is something our children must learn; however, before we get to that lesson, let’s take a few steps back. If you know that your child cannot have that cookie, give your child’s behaviors a chance to not escalate. Offer your child something she likes instead of whatever that is she wants at the moment. The key here is you offering an alternative that she truly wants—whatever that is given that moment. If your child accepts the alternative—great! If your child does not like your attempts to compromise—and if your child is capable—ask her to choose her own alternative item/food/activity. Be prepared to honor her choice. If your child accepts that scenario—great! If not, time to roll up your sleeves—it’s time to teach your child that no means no. There is no going around this. You have offered her alternatives. You have also given her a chance to choose her own alternative. If those fail, you have done your job but despite your efforts to teach alternatives, the tantrums will happen. As those behaviors are happening, the worst thing that you can do is give in—no. Don’t give in as that will only reinforce all those not-so-nice behaviors. It will be difficult, but a no is a no.

When your child’s behaviors start to de-escalate, it is still possible to offer her alternative and/or giving her a chance to select her own, but never give in.

If your child already engages in the most extreme challenging behaviors such as self-injurious behaviors or property destruction or any other behaviors that compromise the safety of others during times when he or she is denied access to something, we highly recommend that you immediately seek assistance from a trained professional.

Using Structure and Scheduling for Your Child and Taking Much Needed Time for You

August 6, 2019/in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), Autism Treatment, Autism Treatment For Children, Parent Training/by LeafWing Center

When you arrive home with the kids after school and work, the first thing you may want to do is relax! Turning on the television for your child, letting her watch a movie, or allowing her to engage in her repetitive behaviors to her heart’s content is very tempting. You have had a long day and rest is probably the first thing you would like to do. Allowing these things just discussed though should be kept to a minimum and used as “earned” activities or used in emergency situations (i.e., when you just can’t take it anymore!).

So, what do you do instead? When do you get “you” time? First, focus on creating structure for your child during these down times. Structure and routine are so important for children with autism. They are important for just about everyone but when it comes to children on the autism spectrum, they really thrive on routine and structure. You establish predictability with structure and routine and it can also help with meltdowns.

Create a visual schedule for your child for the evening routine using printed out photographs which you can Velcro in order to a piece of paper (a laminated paper is best). A child can, by following clear pictures, recognize the order and importance of daily activities. This reduces stress and anxiety because they know what to expect and what will be happening next. For example, you may allow 15 minutes of free play time, then homework, then dinner, then bath/shower, then bedtime routine activities, then bed. It allows your child to see what to expect for the evening and also guides you as the parent, reminding you each evening what the structure should be.

What if your child does not follow visual schedules independently? That’s okay! It may take a few days, or even a few weeks, but after you guide them through the schedule each night, using a timer to signal the end of each activity, and guiding them to take off each picture as it is completed, they will learn to follow the schedule themselves and become independent before you know it.

Final tips: Be sure to include fun things that your child likes on the schedule, not just work activities and boring nightly activities. Sometimes let them choose the activities during certain times (e.g., bedtime routine activities). Lastly, be sure that when your child has successfully completed their schedule and is successfully in bed, do something good for you! Enjoy that piece of cake that’s been sitting in the refrigerator or that glass of wine you’ve been waiting for all week. Watch a movie with your partner. Now it’s you time!

How to Teach Children with Autism How to Play Independently

July 16, 2019/in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), Autism Treatment, Autism Treatment For Children, Parent Training/by LeafWing Center

Do you ever wonder how you make it through each day, getting your child dressed and to school? What about shopping, laundry, house cleaning, and dinner? Somehow you do it, and that is enough for anyone to be proud of. We want to provide you with some additional techniques that may help with the time when your child with autism is home and needs to be looked after, but you also have things to accomplish.

Preparing dinner is a great scenario that many parents have difficulties with. The solution for many parents is to put a movie on, give the child the iPad, or to allow the child to engage in whatever self-stimulatory behaviors they enjoy most (e.g., running around the house repeating phrases, flapping objects up and down, or rolling cars back and forth on the floor while lying down staring at them). Although these may be activities that make your child happy and allow you to get dinner ready, there are additional techniques that foster appropriate independent engagement by your child with autism during times you cannot provide your full attention.

Activity schedules work wonders for this purpose. Activity schedules are visual guides that lead a person through a series of activities, leading to an ultimate prize. Visual schedules help with transitioning from one activity to another with minimal prompting.

There are some pre-requisites to being able to utilize schedules although these can be worked on in the meantime if your child does not have them. Your child should be able to independently play with some objects, even if the object is as simple as a peg board, or as complex as a 100-piece Lego structure. Laminate pictures of these activities and velcro them to a vertical strip hanging on the wall. At the bottom should be a picture of what your child really wants to do in the moment, even if it’s dinner! If your child has never had experience with an activity schedule, guide them through the process of pointing to the first picture, finding the activity, playing with the activity, putting the activity away, taking that picture off the schedule, pointing to the next picture, and so on and so forth until the ultimate activity or item is achieved.

Some tips: start with only one or two activities until your child can independently utilize the schedule and transition from activity to activity. Also, remember that the activities should be somewhat preferred by your child, as this is their independent time and we want to increase the success of them playing independently. If they dislike activities, this increases the chance of challenging behaviors and the need for more of your attention. It may take a few days, or even weeks to develop this skill. Over time, your child will be able to complete this task with increasing independence, practice decision making and pursue the activities that interest him or her and it will give you some much needed time to get things done while at the same time knowing that your child is being productive.

What should you do IN RESPONSE to your child engaging in challenging behavior?

June 25, 2019/in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), Autism Treatment, Autism Treatment For Children, Autism Treatment For Students In Classrooms, Autism Treatment In Community Settings, Parent Training/by LeafWing Center

Remember those four reasons why people may engage in challenging behaviors discussed in the previous post? People may want attention from other people, may want something, may want to get out of something, or may enjoy how the behavior feels. If you haven’t already read it, we suggest reading the prior post so the information below is as useful as possible.

This post will focus on reactive strategies, based on the reason your child is engaging in the particular challenging behavior. In other words, what should you do in response to your child engaging in the behavior? This is probably the most stressful for parents as they may wonder if what they are doing is right. They may wonder if they are hindering or helping their child. Hopefully we can provide some guidance.

If your child engages in a particular challenging behavior to get something that he/she wants, it is important for him to learn that his behaviors do not lead to getting what he/she wants. You should avoid giving them what they want when engaging in the problem behavior, and even after the behavior ends. The child should only be allowed to get what they want if he engages in a more appropriate behavior, which we will discuss in a future post. This can be difficult for parents as giving the child what they want quiets them down and relieves much of the stress in the home or community setting. The problem is that your child will learn this connection and continue to engage in this behavior in the future when they want to same thing. It will become a repeated cycle.

If your child engages in a particular challenging behavior to get out of something, such as homework or eating dinner, it is important to not allow him to get out of the situation until they engage in a more appropriate behavior. If the child hits and screams while doing homework, it is important to follow through, require them to complete a few more problems without hitting and screaming, and then they can leave. More appropriate behaviors to get out of doing things they don’t want to do will be discussed in future posts.

If your child engages in a particular challenging behavior to get attention, you should avoid providing attention to them until the behavior is not occurring or he engages in a more appropriate behavior to get your attention. Providing attention only teaches them that this bad behavior leads to what they want. This connection needs to be disconnected and the child needs to be taught more appropriate ways to get attention.

Last, if your child engages in some challenging behavior because it feels good, such as head banging, it is important to block this behavior so that this particular behavior does not provide the sensory satisfaction that your child is receiving (in addition to preventing them from doing harm to themselves). You can physically block the behavior or there are many devices created for this purpose.

Stay tuned for a future post providing suggestions for what to teach your child to do instead of engaging in the bad behaviors they currently know will get them what they want. Just reacting how we have described above will not teach new, appropriate ways to get what they want. Teaching a new, more appropriate behavior is the key to decreasing challenging behaviors.

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