ABA Therapy for Children: What It Is, How It Works & Who Needs It

ABA or Applied Behavior Analysis therapy is not one-size-fits-all. Depending on the child’s age, goals, situation, and profile, the therapy is decided. Although parents do try to control the situation themselves, rather than putting pressure on yourself, it is best to get advice.

Before that, this complete guide will help you to know what ABA is, how it works, and who needs it. But let’s start with the biggest cause:

Awareness Gap

Yes, there are a lot of parents who don’t even know what to do when their child is showing signs that are different from normal children. Instead of seeking help at the right time, they consider implementing home remedies first. But parents need to understand that this practice does not help a child in any possible way. Also, not just parents, but there are several pediatricians and doctors who use traditional speech or occupational therapy alone instead of using ABA. Even if they afford the therapy, they don’t even know how to tackle the situation. That is why Cradle Children Hospital comes in. We support parents whose children are dealing with speech delay, behavioral challenges, or issues developing skills or reaching milestones per age.

What is ABA therapy for Children?

Applied behavior analysis therapy is a research-based behavior therapy for children with autism or any other developmental disorders. The core of this process is to understand what actually makes a child behave in a specific way, how they behave, and what happens after that. You can say it helps to understand patterns, which ultimately help pediatricians to choose alternatives.

Based on the daily activities at school or home, a complete structure is created through which a child is able to communicate, socialize, learn, or develop independence, depending on what works best for a child.    

What exactly is this approach about?

The purpose of this approach is to use principles of learning and behavior to help children develop useful skills and reduce the issues that are interfering with daily life. 

Suppose a child is unable to communicate that they want a toy. So, they start to throw tantrums or cry. In the ABA approach, a pediatrician teaches them to communicate their need using pictures, gestures, pointing, or even words. Over time, this not only helps the child communicate their needs but also helps them control their behavior. 

What happens during ABA Therapy?

According to the child’s strengths, needs, and developmental goals, the whole therapy is designed. 

• Assessment and goal setting- first, the therapist identifies your child’s challenges, skills, and behavior; specific goals are created that significantly improve communication, following social interaction, or daily living skills. 
• Breaking skills into smaller steps- you cannot teach your child the skills immediately; through smaller steps, your child learns them. One step at a time is best for sustainable growth. 
• Teaching and prompting- verbal activities, visual cues, demonstration, and other appropriate prompts help your child to develop independence and confidence. 
• Practicing skills- not just through words; patterns, gestures, and other ways in which a child practices over the course of a period eventually help them to develop skills. 

A-B-C model of ABA therapy

The centre of the therapy revolved around the ABC model-

Antecedent- in this, the therapist understands what actually happens (behavior) right before some action (example: don’t spill food here and there). 

Behavior- the child responded to the action (example: start doing more or stop spilling the food). 

Consequences- this is where they understand what happened right after the action (example: positive reinforcement by therapist or parent or lost the opportunity to calm the situation). 

ABA Methodologies

1. Discrete Trial Training (DTT)

It is one of the teaching methods used in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). In DTT, therapists work with the child one-on-one using structured steps and let the child repeat each step. Although DTT and ABA are not the same, DTT is used in ABA therapy. The name implies that the skill is broken down into smaller elements and then each is practiced individually using repetition of the process of learning. During DTT, the therapist issues an instruction to the child, watches how he/she reacts to it, and if necessary, prompts him/her, rewarding the desired reaction. DTT may be helpful for developing different skills, such as communication, following instructions, recognizing objects, matching, socialization, personal care, etc. DTT differs from ABA as it is only one of its methods.

2. Early Start Denver Model (ESDM)

It is a play-based and relationship -focused approach that combines ABA principles to teach children with autism or developmental delays. The key features of ESDM include-

• Play-based activities using toys, puzzles, coloring, sensory social routines (activities require no toys like tickling, peek-a-boo, singing, chasing). 
• Natural learning skills, which pediatricians use verbal and nonverbal communication, social relatedness, imitation, and play skills.
• Positive reinforcement in ABA involves giving rewards or praise to children for achieving milestones, even if they are the smallest ones. 
• Parents’ involvement is the most important thing in any developmental therapy for a child. Their involvement helps them to learn how to interact with the child, and they can also implement it at home. 

3. Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT) 

It is more structured than the DTT approach because it majorly focus on activities that are important to perform in daily life. 

PRT is a technique employed in handling autism through the use of the ABA approach. The pivotal response training is meant to help children with autism acquire social skills, communication skills, motivation, and others. Whereas conventional ABA is dependent on teaching skills in a highly controlled environment, the PRT involves making use of the interests of children as well as the environment for skills acquisition. Through the PRT, the clinician will identify the interests of the child and create opportunities for interaction. If the child’s interest is to play with toy cars, the clinician may make him ask for the toy, pick colors, and perform certain actions.

Conditions That Can be Treated/ Supported Through ABA Therapy

The application of ABA has been associated mainly with autism spectrum disorder. The treatment of autistic children through ABA therapy will entail training the kids on how to communicate, interact socially, play, learn, be independent, and behave functionally. Application of ABA techniques will assist kids who have a developmental disability, intellectual disability, communication problems, and some behavior problems. This may depend on the particular child and whether the techniques will apply to the particular child.

Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autistic children will have varying levels of ability to communicate, interact socially, play, be flexible, and have behavior problems. In such a situation, ABA therapy for autism will assist the kid in training on functional communication, instruction following, turn-taking, requesting, social interaction, self-help, and daily living skills. When a child gets angry because they need a toy and cannot express themselves in words, the therapist will teach the child how to request toys through language, gesture, pictures, or any form of communication.

Developmental and Intellectual Disorders

Individuals affected by developmental and intellectual disorders require additional support while learning certain skills necessary for the performance of particular tasks. The application of ABA methods enables one to break down certain activities into stages and learn how to perform them accordingly. For instance, the process of cleaning one’s teeth consists of such operations as taking the toothbrush, applying the toothpaste onto the brush, brushing the teeth starting from the top part to the bottom one, rinsing it, and returning the toothbrush to its place.

Communication and learning difficulties

One can use ABA therapy to help individuals learn skills related to communication and learning. Individuals can be taught to ask for assistance, answer questions, follow instructions, recognize certain objects, make decisions, and gain new skills. 

Important Note to Parents:

One should keep in mind that the application of the ABA technique does not cure autism or other developmental disorders; rather, it helps one gain particular skills. 

This might come as a shock to you. Autism is a lifelong neurodevelopmental condition that has no medical cure. Therapies and techniques are used to support a child to build skills through which they can perform their daily lives like other children. This neuro problem cannot be cured. 

ABA vs Speech Therapy vs OT

Which is better for your child?

Every therapy plays a different role, and based on the condition of a child, pediatricians recommend that parents start their specific therapy. From the above table, you get the hint about how each therapy helps to aid specific conditions. Moreover, ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) therapy might be new for you. However, ABA therapy for autism is an evidence-based intervention and highly recommended for children with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) because it is also proven to be effective. 

Practices that parents can do at home

1. Communicating needs and wishes

As a parent, you need to understand that your child also has some needs and wishes, and you should allow them to communicate their needs and wishes without having to always guess their needs. When your child requires food, try to teach them how to communicate their needs through any kind of communication method that they use. This can be a sign, symbol, picture, or gesture. The idea here is not to teach your child how to talk, but how to communicate.

2. Provide Choices

Giving choices is helpful in decision-making and communication.

For example: while serving something like milk, give them an option between mugs. You have to give your child time to choose so that you can be able to fulfill their needs and satisfy them.

3. Following instructions

While playing or talking, you can easily teach your child in a manner where they can understand the instruction. Some examples include:

• Please bring me the ball.
• Place the toy there.
• Go and get your shoes.

4. Making the child self-reliant

The parents can ask the child to assist them in their activities rather than completing all the work themselves. The child can assist them in tidying their toys, picking clothes, bringing plates to the kitchen, or assisting in brushing their teeth. Sometimes, a single activity can be divided into multiple activities, and it ultimately helps in developing confidence.

5. Positive Reinforcement

While the child is learning something, the parents need to employ positive reinforcement methods. These include positive reinforcement like verbal praise, playing the child’s favorite games, or any other method of positive reinforcement based on the child. It is more like appreciating them, and we all know that when someone appreciates our work, it makes us happy and encourages us to do better. This same goes with a child. 

6. Ensure that the play is educationally good for your child.

The play will make your child learn to communicate and socialize, to imitate and play in turns, to problem-solve, and many other skills. There are many kinds of games that the parents can try out with their children, like construction games, puzzle games, role-play games, ball games, and turn-taking games that will teach your child to communicate and socialize.

7. Consistency is important

Over time, the process will become easy with the help of consistency. So, parents need to maintain consistency in teaching and communication methods recommended by your child’s therapist. Parents should make the learning process a part of the routine process for their child.

How can you measure progress?

1. Tracking specific goals- analyse whether they are able to accomplish the task by themselves or not. 
2. Record everything- count how often their behavior changes, how they react to things, or when you say no to doing some tasks. 
3. Duration- record for how much time they throw tantrums or show behavior. 
4. Observe skills progress- there are a number of skills which your child might develop throughout the therapy, and as a parent, make sure to note how much they have progressed and what skills they have developed. 
5. Monitor communication- gestures, expressions, emotions, requests, answers, initiation, and signs are ways to communicate. So, analyse which technique they use to communicate. 
6. ABC model- while recording their progress, make sure to follow this model, as this will help you know what things trigger them and how they respond once you try to talk to them. 

Cost of ABA Therapy in Jaipur 

This is the biggest question for many parents. Factors like how long the therapy lasts, your child’s situation, whether additional requirements are there or not, therapist fees, and medications (if needed) influence the overall cost. That is why it is hard to tell the overall cost. However, per-session cost is between ₹800 and ₹2,000. And at Cradle Children’s Hospital, our pediatricians ensure that you receive the best services, so that your child can live a healthy and normal life and perform their daily tasks easily. 

Concluding Note

When a child is not behaving as we do, then we conclude that they are throwing tantrums, but have you ever thought that this might be because they are dealing with challenges? Developmental, emotional, and other challenges might be making your child behave that way. So, if your child is dealing with immense behavioral challenges, then seek expertise from Cradle Children’s Hospital and start your child’s therapy. 

Book your child’s consultation today!

FAQs

Is ABA therapy effective for my child?
By now, you know that this is entirely based on the condition of your child. This whole plan is created so that the child can gain confidence and build skills.

How long does ABA therapy last?
It depends on how quickly a child progresses and how much parents put effort into making things work at home. 

Is ABA therapy effective for autistic children?
Yes, it is one of the best therapies that is highly recommended by pediatricians. It helps autistic children to manage their behavior, develop motor abilities, social skills, communication, and self-care. 

Can ABA therapy also help to treat children with harmful and destructive behavior?
Yes, it does. Because it helps to identify the unsafe behavior pattern of a child, what triggers them, and how they respond. 

Can parents apply for ABA at home?
Yes. Visiting a therapist along with your child gives you a lot of hints on how to implement techniques at home. This is beneficial for your child as well. By implementing them in their routine, you create a habit in them to respond and behave appropriately.