Tag Archive for: ABAprovider

How to Practice ABA Skills at Home

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I can’t wait to get home and work on everything my child learned in therapy! Said no mother ever. 

Therapy is not just hard work for my kid; it’s hard work for me. I know a consistent approach is essential to the transference of skills and extinguishing harmful behaviors. But it’s not always fun or easy.

Over the last six years, I’ve learned a bit about the generalization of ABA skills from a therapy session to real life. It’s never like I expect it will be or I want it to be. But the good news is it doesn’t have to be perfect! I can keep practicing.

To stay calm and focused, I think of practicing ABA skills at home in three ways, which I’ll share in this blog post. By the end, you can implement or adapt some of these things to your home life.

Together we journey down this bumpy—but never boring—life of raising a child with autism!

 

ABA Skills

Foundational ABA Skills to Practice at Home 

It is helpful to go back to the basics. Fundamentally ABA is about understanding how the environment influences behaviors. It’s about understanding what brings about positive changes in behavior so you can respond accordingly. 

ABA Connect utilizes play and positive reinforcement, providing rewards or consequences to increase desirable behaviors. By reinforcing positive behaviors, our kids are motivated to repeat them in the future.

So when you intentionally or unintentionally practice ABA at home, try to model how your ABA Connect therapist works with your child. It’s perfectly okay to be playful, fun, and silly when working with your child to help extinguish challenging behaviors and promote desired behaviors. 

Practicing ABA Skills In Response to My Child’s Behavior

If one of my child’s undesirable behaviors sneaks up on me or, more aptly, sideswipes me unexpectedly, the first thing I try NOT to do is my instinctual response. I suspend whatever I want to say or do in mid-air. 

But instead of holding my breath, I let my brain and body take a deep breath and ask, How should I respond? 

When responding to your child at the moment, it’s essential to do so in a way that supports their growth. 

For mine, that can be ignoring when he pinches me for attention and instead telling him to “Tap me.” Or if he’s sucking on his hand incessantly, I gently remove it from his mouth and redirect him to another activity, often chewlry.  

I’m constantly asking myself, 

What is the function of my child’s behavior? 

What is he trying to communicate to me? 

Thinking from his perspective typically informs my approach at the moment. 

I understand this requires you to think on your feet, which is challenging. But if your first response is to THINK about what’s next, you’re already implementing ABA in your home.

Great job. Well done! 

Practicing ABA Skills In Daily Routines

Some of us naturally think proactively.  Whether you do or don’t, there are probably a few routine parts of your day that you can plan. If you plan out the steps to mealtime, playtime, and bedtime, for instance, you won’t have to think about what ABA strategies to use at the moment. 

How can you incorporate ABA skills into: 

Mealtime – I have a Big Mac button that my child can press to tell me either “more” or “all” done. Giving him this communication prevents him from throwing his bowl or spoon when he’s finished eating. 

Playtime – I ask my child to pick up toys at the end of playtime. He’s not sorting toys but can get about ten medium-sized toys into a toy bin. That’s it. That’s my expectation.

Bedtime – Bedtime is a natural time for routines. It’s potty, bath, brush teeth, and bedtime cuddles for my child. To get through these steps efficiently and with minimal redirection, I use a lot of First/Then language, “First, you need to do X. Then you’ll get your puppy (his favorite stuffed animal) once you’re in bed.” 

Consistency and repetition are your friends. They help reinforce ABA skills for your child. As hard as it’s hard to have rigid routines, it can also be a gift because it allows you not to think about every which way the situation could go down. You and your child know what to expect in the mundane parts of your day. 

Daily routines make teaching other family members the skills you learned from your ABA parent training session easy. 

If you can teach your child’s father to say “use your words” at mealtime rather than deal with him throwing the plate or give a sibling permission to ask your child to make a choice using their AAC, you are well on your way to implementing even more ABA strategies at home. 

Practicing ABA Skills When You’re Feeling Run Down

Let’s face it you’re tired. It’s exhausting raising children, and when you have a neurodivergent kiddo, it takes an extra dose of lovingkindness and patience. In addition to doing all of your ABA homework, you’re raising other kids, maybe working a full-time job, making meals, helping with homework, and scheduling vacations. 

Lack of time is one of the biggest obstacles to maintaining a consistent ABA plan at home. We tend to have great intentions, but all of us fun out of time and energy at a certain point. When this happens, give yourself some grace and try again the next day. 

If you’ve gotten to near burnout, sitting down with your BCBA and discussing parent goals may be helpful. 

Going Forward with the Help of ABA Connect

Feeling overwhelmed by your parent or caregiver role in ABA therapy is expected. However, at ABA Connect, our therapists can help you prioritize what you are working on with your child at home. There may be a million things you need to tackle but trust the process of taking each one at a time in order of importance. 

The most important thing is not to give up. Contact your child’s BCBA for support and guidance when you feel overwhelmed. They can help you triage some of your challenges.

Your only focus may need to observe your reactions to your child’s behavior. 

Or, you may need to implement a solid routine to give you a bit more margin in your life. 

And if you genuinely need to take a break and not do ABA for a bit, don’t worry. Take a break and then come back to it with fresh energy. 

If you have any questions or comments about ABA therapy, please leave them below. The team at ABA Connect is happy to help answer your questions. 

And if you found this post helpful, please like, share, and follow for more content on autism or ABA therapy.

If you are interested in a positive, play-based approach to ABA, contact ABA Connect.

 

Supporting Your Child’s ABA Journey with Confidence

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Understanding the ABA Parent Training Process at ABA Connect

Before my son Nathan came along, I thought I was a pretty good parent. I knew the fundamentals of providing a nurturing, loving home environment for my child with healthy boundaries and room to develop a sense of self. 

Things were well down the path of normal (whatever that is) when I had my second child. Before he was officially diagnosed with autism, I knew I needed professional help. 

ABA provided the parent support and training I needed.

You know your child best. But you may benefit from some insight, guidance, and encouragement from your ABA provider. I know I did.

This blog post will explore the ABA Connect parent training process, its benefits, and how it can empower you as a parent of a child with autism.

ABA parent training session

Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash

Giving Caregivers ABA Tools So Their Family Life Flows as Comfortably as Possible

During the initial parent consultation process, you may feel overwhelmed by your child’s behavior or disappointed you can’t communicate with your child. You are for sure sleep deprived! And you may even be grieving and having difficulty seeing hope for things improving. 

There is hope with the help of ABA!

ABA can guide you toward a better vision of your child’s future. During parent training, you are given tools to help your child and your family achieve a better overall quality of life.

What is ABA Parenting Training?

ABA parent training equips you, as a caregiver, with practical skills and knowledge derived from the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis. It aims to empower parents to implement effective strategies, promote skill development, and address challenging behaviors in their child with autism.

  • Your training includes reinforcement, prompting, shaping, and behavior management skills. These practical applications of ABA will help you in daily routines and interactions your child will have with others.
  • As part of the ABA parent training process, you will collect data and provide parent-reported observations to help track progress and inform decision-making. 
  • You may also benefit from shadowing sessions or observing your child’s therapists in action. You can learn to interact with your child in the same manner as their therapist.
  • Sometimes, a therapist will observe your interactions with your child to help solve some of their specific issues. This can happen in the clinic or the client’s home. Parent training in a client’s home allows the BCBA genuinely understand the family’s difficulties in their daily life and troubleshoot more effectively.
  • The parent/caregiver training process also creates a collaborative approach, fostering a supportive network for your whole family to achieve their goals together.
  • As you gain confidence in implementing ABA strategies, you maximize learning opportunities for your child and reduce their challenging behaviors. 
  • Parent training goes beyond the child’s ABA sessions and aims to empower you to generalize the skills your child is learning to other settings such as school, the grocery store, and the community.  

Getting Started with ABA Caregiver Training

During your initial parent training session at ABA Connect, you will sit down with your child’s BCBA and determine what your goals and priorities are for your child. There may be an overwhelming number of skills and behaviors your child needs to work on. Start identifying the most pressing things to work on for you and your family.

Your BCBA will then begin writing goals and training strategies that align with your priorities. The skills we work on in therapy should be the ones that are truly important to your family. 

ABA Connect therapists take into account your family’s cultural and familial considerations. We understand that different family dynamics exist, such as grandparents needing ABA training. Consider arranging a time to discuss ABA goals and conduct training sessions with these individuals. We value the input of all caregivers. 

While the initial parent training sessions are typically held privately between the BCBA and the parent caregiver, they can transition into observing a session in the clinic or at home. 

Monitoring ABA Progress and Adaptating the Plan Appropriately

Monitoring your child’s progress is a crucial aspect of parent training. Regular contact between the BCBA and parent caregivers allows for ongoing discussions about how things are going. It provides an opportunity to discuss new challenges and make any necessary adjustments to the implemented strategies. 

If a particular strategy is not working as expected, your BCBA can work with you to explore alternative approaches. 

There is always something new to try with the help of ABA.

Reducing Caregiver Stress and Building Parenting Confidence

Parent training significantly reduces stress within the household by providing caregivers with the necessary tools and knowledge to support their child effectively. 

Ultimately, we prepare families for the transition out of ABA services. When that time comes, we want you to feel confident to continue implementing effective strategies throughout your child’s life. By building your knowledge of ABA, you can confidently address new challenging behaviors that may arise.

However, once your child graduates from ABA Connect, we are always here to help. Whether you need to troubleshoot a new issue or re-enroll your child in services, we want to feel you have everything you need to advocate for your child and your family. We can also refer you to a support system of individuals to help encourage you on this journey. 

Often parents of our clients become advocates for ABA strategies and can pass on their knowledge to other individuals in the child’s life who may not have direct contact with ABA providers. Becoming an advocate for your child ensures the generalization of skills across different environments and with the people your child interacts with.

The Benefits of ABA Parent Training:

  • Empowering parents as primary caregivers – Parental involvement in the ABA process often teaches them to manage unexpected behaviors effectively. 
  • Enhancing parent-child relationship – ABA parent training strengthens the bond between parent and child by promoting positive interactions, effective communication, and shared experiences.
  • Promoting generalization of skills – Parents learn how to apply ABA techniques and strategies in various settings, helping their child generalize learned skills beyond therapy sessions.
  • Building a supportive home environment – ABA training can assist parents in creating an autism-friendly home environment that supports their child’s unique needs and fosters overall well-being.

Improve the quality of life for your child, yourself, and your whole family!

The parent training process at ABA Connect empowers parents and caregivers to support their child’s development effectively. By identifying priorities, setting goals, and providing personalized training, we strive to reduce stress, build confidence, and create a collaborative support system for the entire family. 

Parenting a child with autism can be a challenging journey, but it can also be incredibly rewarding. You play a vital role in your child’s development and progress. When done right, parent training gives you valuable tools and strategies to help you support your child’s growth and create a nurturing home environment. 

Remember, you are not alone on this journey. ABA Connect is here to guide and support you every step of the way!

If you have any questions or comments about ABA therapy, please leave them below. The team at ABA Connect is happy to help answer your questions. 

And if you found this post helpful, please like, share, and follow for more content on autism or ABA therapy.

If you are interested in a positive, play-based approach to ABA, contact ABA Connect.