aba therapy skills Archives - Circle Care Services

Table of contents

ABA Therapy Methods That Improve Behavior
Use of reinforcement strategies
Elevation of positive behaviors

Emphasis on motivation and focus
Attention to socialization
Conclusion

We all know that Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy comes with a host of benefits. In addition to improving language and communication skills, ABA therapy decreases undesired behaviors and improves attention, focus, and memory, as well as many other skills.

But what about academic performance? Do children with autism spectrum disorder perform better academically when they receive ABA therapy?

Two Girls Smiling While Doing Work At Classroom Table

The answer is yes, and there are many reasons why or ways that ABA therapy improves academic and educational achievement. These reasons include its reinforcement strategies, its elevation of positive behaviors and reduction of undesired behaviors, its emphasis on enhancing focus and motivation, and its attention to socialization and the development of social skills.

ABA Therapy Methods That Improve Behavior

Use of reinforcement strategies

One of the best-known methods used in ABA therapy is positive reinforcement, which involves rewarding a child after they’ve completed a desirable, or positive, behavior. Positive reinforcement is a key component of ABA because it drives the skills and results that are most important for your child’s success, including their academic success.

Is your child with autism already getting ABA therapy? If so, you can build on it by using effective reinforcement strategies when you’re at home. And, if your child is attending private or public school, you should let their teachers know that positive reinforcement is key to their wellbeing. Classes with reward systems and rules for everyone to follow are most effective.

Since ABA uses some of the best ways to reinforce desirable behaviors, you and your child’s teachers can use these strategies to improve academic productivity. Some tried-and-tested reinforcers for academic achievement include:

Verbal praise
Free time
Favorite foods or special treats
Specific activities like going to the park, watching a movie, etc.

If done properly, reinforcing your child’s positive behaviors can improve your child’s academic performance by helping them develop all the positive, productive behaviors associated with school and academics.

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Elevation of positive behaviors

It’s not uncommon for children with autism to demonstrate behaviors like fidgeting, stimming (repetitive body movement or noises), aggression, and ignoring their peers and teachers, which can get in the way of their ability to succeed in a traditional academic environment, such as a public school classroom. Fortunately, ABA can address the root cause of those behaviors, and, as a result, it can serve as an outstanding supplement to your child’s academic program.

When combined with plenty of practice at home, ABA therapy can function as a tool to boost your child’s positive behaviors that will help them in their day-to-day life.

Young Asian Girl Smiling While Working On Schoolwork

If they’re receiving ABA therapy, it’s essential that you communicate with their Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) and Registered Behavior Technicians (RBTs) so they, too, can work on the behaviors that create challenges for your child in and out of the classroom.

Emphasis on motivation and focus

The structured environment that ABA therapy provides outside of school allows your child to focus on the things that are most essential to their success. And, when they’re in a center-based environment, they can receive an individualized treatment plan that helps them develop important academic qualities, like focus and motivation.

While focus helps your child sustain their attention and effort when completing academic work, motivation energizes them and directs their behavior toward academic achievement. That’s why focus and motivation are extremely important in school. And, thankfully, ABA therapy is equipped with the resources needed to help your child develop these skills and put your child on the right track in school.

Attention to socialization

Because most traditional classrooms involve interacting with fellow students, as well as the teacher, as part of the learning process, possessing social skills is very important. Many children with autism, unlike most neurotypical (non-autistic) children, struggle with social activities, such as taking turns, initiating conversation, and reading other people’s non-verbal cues, and they need special training so they can interact with other people in a positive way.

The good news is that ABA therapy incorporates social skills training so your child can develop and hone their social skills.

Here are some of the areas that ABA therapy focuses on when conducting social skills training:

Conversation

Conversation training involves practicing different exchanges with peers and staying on topic (when it’s a preferred topic). Your child will also learn how to take turns when having conversations, as well as how to initiate conversation. Other skills your child will learn are how to determine when another person isn’t interested in having a conversation, when to avoid certain topics, and how to change the topic.

Body language

Body language, which includes eye contact, facial expressions, and gestures, is a very important part of communication. ABA therapy will teach your child how to use their own body language as well as read other people’s body language.

Diverse Group Of Children Socializing & Reading Together In School

Parallel play

This involves your child playing near or alongside other children. In parallel play training, your child will learn how to approach their peers, request to play with them, and share their toys.

Playing games

Your child will learn a host of skills when learning how to play games. These skills include taking turns, showing good sportsmanship, communicating with other players while playing games, and winning and losing appropriately.

Improving their social skills, especially skills associated with conversation, body language, and play will go a long way in helping your child achieve academic success. That’s why ABA therapy, which teaches these skills in addition to many other skills, is an excellent way to boost your child’s academic performance.

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Conclusion

It’s a well-known fact that ABA therapy comes with a plethora of advantages. But one commonly asked question is whether ABA therapy improves academic performance in children. The answer is a resounding yes, which shouldn’t be surprising.

After all, ABA therapy uses reinforcement strategies that drive results and the development of skills and positive behaviors. It also elevates positive behaviors while reducing or eliminating undesired behaviors. Lastly, this type of therapy emphasizes focus, motivation, and socialization, skills that are key to strong academic performance. These are all skills that, when harnessed by your child, propels them to higher academic achievement.

If you’re interested in helping your child with autism and improving their academic performance and overall quality of life, contact Circle Care Services.

We also encourage you to join our email list so you can learn more tips and tricks about raising your child with autism.

Table of contents

Communication and social skills
Focus and academic performance
Motor skills

Hygiene
Job competence

If your child with autism spectrum disorder experiences difficulty in social situations, e.g., having conversations and reading facial expressions, they might be a good fit for Applied Behavior Analysis, which is widely known as ABA therapy.

But what exactly is ABA therapy, and how can it help your child? In a nutshell, ABA focuses on developing the behaviors and skills needed to live and thrive in our society.

Young Boy Doing ABA Therapy Acitivty Guided By An ABA Therapist And A Parent

Its behavioral interventions work by applying our understanding of behavior to real-life situations. And what’s the ultimate goal of ABA? The goal is to increase positive behaviors in children, like using manners, while decreasing problematic behaviors, such as aggression.

You may be wondering what behaviors and skills ABA therapy can help your child with. The good news is that there are several. And if your child develops in these specific areas, they’ll be well on their way to living a happier, more meaningful, and more fulfilling life.

So, without further ado, here are 5 behaviors and skills that can be helped with ABA therapy.

1. Communication and social skills

Children with autism,, especially children on the lower spectrum often greatly struggle in social situations. Behaviors like communicating their needs and desires, following instructions from adults and authority figures, waiting patiently and quietly, and keeping disruptive behavior at bay are some of the things that children with autism commonly experience difficulty with.

Thankfully, ABA therapy, which emphasizes developing social skills for children with autism, is effective at improving a wide array of skills related to social interactions.

Although social skills come more easily for neurotypical children, they need to be systematically taught to children with autism. And that’s what ABA therapy is largely about.

2. Focus and academic performance

ABA is known to improve children’s academic performance by improving their memory, focus, and even IQ. In fact, ABA has proven that it can improve performance for all types of students, not just students with autism and other developmental disorders.

This type of therapy has demonstrated so much effectiveness at supporting and improving school performance that it has been heavily incorporated into everyday educational procedures. We can see that ABA and other behavioral therapies are having more and more of an impact on the practice of education – and, of course, there’s good reason for that.

Whether your child is on the lower spectrum of autism, or a neurotypical individual who doesn’t experience many academic challenges, ABA is sure to help them become better students and more balanced individuals.

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3. Motor skills

For children who experience challenges with motor skills, which are skills related to movement and the coordination of muscles, ABA can be an excellent intervention.

There are two main types of motor skills:

Fine motor skills

If you can easily make controlled movements using the small muscles in your wrists and hands, you probably have good fine motor skills. Often, children with autism have a difficult time with fine motor skills, a challenge that can impede their academic progress. If they can’t properly hold a pencil or pen or use scissors and other tools, they’ll likely struggle in school. Other tasks that require fine motor skills include brushing teeth, washing hands, and getting dressed.

Gross motor skills

African American Girl Doing An Activity Guided By Her ABA Therapist

Bigger movements, such as jumping and running, are what we call gross motor skills. Without these skills, children with autism may struggle with basic actions, such as sitting, standing, lifting, walking, and jumping. Having problems in these areas can lead to low levels of confidence and the avoidance of social interactions.

With ABA therapy, your child can develop fine and gross motor skills, which will help them physically navigate the world around them.

Although developing motor skills can be incredibly challenging, ABA uses a gradual, step-by-step approach that ensures your child will improve in the long run.

4. Hygiene

Hygiene is important for a number of reasons. First, it’s hard to develop meaningful social relationships when you don’t practice good personal hygiene. Secondly, good hygiene is a great way to protect yourself from infectious diseases such as colds, the flu, and even COVID-19. While there are many ways to cope with COVID-19 and other illnesses when you have a special needs child, mainitaining proper hygiene is the first step.

By teaching children with autism how to independently perform everyday self-help tasks like brushing their teeth, washing their hands, and taking a shower, ABA therapy improves hygiene skills and, by doing this, puts them on a better long-term health trajectory.

5. Job competence

When people think of autism, they often think of children. But autism doesn’t only affect children. It can be found in people of all ages, and although some children with autism “outgrow” their diagnosis as they get older, others grow up to be adults with autism.

And autistic adults, like neurotypical adults, need to make a living by working. Because ABA improves their social and communication skills, motor skills, memory, and focus, it makes them more attractive job candidates to employers and also makes them higher-performing workers.

Just like non-autistic people, people with autism have to compete for positions, but they’re often at a major disadvantage. Thanks to ABA therapy, they can make themselves more appealing candidates and perform just as well as, if not better than, their neurotypical counterparts.

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Conclusion

It’s easy to see now that ABA therapy comes with a wealth of benefits for individuals with autism. This form of therapy, which increases positive behaviors while decreasing negative ones, is effective at helping autistic individuals navigate the world they live in.

It helps with a host of behaviors and skills, including communication and social skills, focus and academic performance, motor skills, personal hygiene, and on-the-job competence.

Because ABA is so helpful, it’s increasingly being used to help all kinds of people, not just people with autism, in many kinds of environments. For example, it’s being incorporated more and more into the education practice because people are becoming more aware of its various benefits.

If you have a child with autism and want to take their life to the next level, you should strongly consider ABA therapy. If you’re interested, sign up to join Circle Care’s email list! We send out tips, tricks, and helpful information about ABA and parenting with children with autism.