| When a parent gets a diagnosis of Autism or | | | | therapy, we use reinforcement to increase |
| Pervasive Development Disorder (PDD) it can | | | | behaviors and extinction and redirection to |
| almost feel like a death sentence. How will your | | | | decrease behaviors. Children soon learn that if |
| child grow up and be productive in society? What | | | | they do something correctly, mom or dad or a |
| will you tell your other children or other family | | | | therapist will clap and hug and tickle the child. |
| members? Autism, although it seems detrimental, | | | | Similarly, when children engage in inappropriate |
| can improve with the right kind of therapy. Over | | | | behavior like tantrumming, a parent or therapist |
| time, intensive behavioral therapy can ameliorate | | | | will continue with the task at hand and ignore the |
| the signs of Autism and allow your child a | | | | tantrumming and redirect to appropriate behavior. |
| meaningful life they deserve. | | | | Over time children with Autism enjoy therapy and |
| Applied Behavior Analysis Therapy | | | | learn many skills to help them play with peers and |
| The only proven method to help treat children | | | | learn at school. |
| with Autism is Applied Behavior Analysis Therapy, | | | | How Do We Teach Skills To Children With |
| otherwise known as ABA. ABA therapy is a form | | | | Autism? |
| on intensive behavior therapy that relies heavily | | | | Within an ABA program, there many ways we |
| on reinforcement and behavior learning principles. | | | | teach skills and one way is Discrete Trial Teaching. |
| This helps children with autism learn by breaking | | | | Discrete Trial teaching works by presenting an |
| skills down into easy to learn tasks and using | | | | instruction once, waiting for a response from the |
| these tasks to build a repertoire of skills such as | | | | child, and delivering a consequence to the |
| imitation, attention, play, social skills, self-help skills | | | | response. Prompting, or assistance, is used for |
| and pre-academic skills. As children with Autism | | | | teaching new skills and helps the child achieve a |
| learn skills that typical children gain naturally, | | | | correct response so that reinforcement can be |
| therapy becomes more natural and focussed on | | | | delivered. This form of teaching, Discrete Trial |
| getting the child ready for school and peers. The | | | | Teaching, is proven to be effective in maximizing |
| ultimate goal is to have children with Autism learn | | | | learning in children with Autism. |
| from their environment, peers and be ready for | | | | If you get a diagnosis of Autism, invest in |
| learning in a school environment. | | | | researching about ABA and ABA principles. You |
| Simple Behavioral Principles Used In ABA Therapy | | | | will see improvement in time and it will help your |
| When teaching this special population using ABA | | | | child in the long run. |