Steve Laffer Steve Laffer

Applied Behavioral Analysis: What is ABA?

What is ABA, and how can it help you?

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is an intervention often used for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). It:

  • Teaches an individual how to do something (for example, prepare for school, behave better, play with others, or do things for himself or herself);

  • Is very tailored to an individual’s needs;

  • Breaks a new skill down into very small steps;

  • Rewards an individual for each step he or she does, even if he or she needs help;

  • Is patient-friendly, and rewards the individual receiving ABA with things or activities he or she likes;

  • Can be adjusted to any level of ability;

  • Collects data and measures the individual’s skills regularly in order to adjust the teaching level.

ABA programs can be very structured for “work time,” but also include play time and group activities. ABA programs work best when they are used every day for enough time to show progress and when they include family members to help choose goals and to continue teaching at home.

Examples of some ABA teaching programs are:

  • Discrete Trial Training (Lovaas)

  • Pivotal Response Training

  • Verbal Behavior Approach

  • Competent Learner Model

  • Functional Communication Training

  • Precision Teaching

  • STAR Curriculum

  • Incidental Teaching

What Ages of Individuals Can Benefit from ABA?

ABA works with people of all ages, but it is best to start as early as possible. Most research on ABA has focused on children, and studies have shown that ABA helps children with autism learn.

Most children are between 2 and 6 years old when they begin ABA treatment. If a child starts at age 2, ABA can help him or her to develop better communication and other skills to get ready for preschool. At older ages, ABA is often used as part of an individual’s education, to teach social skills, daily living skills, or to help change problem behaviors.

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Steve Laffer Steve Laffer

Symptoms of Autism

Symptoms of Autism

Written by Autism Speaks Date retrieved: 1/3/2021 autismspeaks.org

The core symptoms of autism are:

  • social communication challenges and

  • restricted, repetitive behaviors.

Symptoms of autism may:

  • begin in early childhood (though they may go unrecognized)

  • persist and

  • interfere with daily living.

Specialized healthcare providers diagnose autism using a checklist of criteria in the two categories above. They also assess autism symptom severity. Autism’s severity scale reflects how much support a person needs for daily function.

Many people with autism have sensory issues. These typically involve over- or under-sensitivities to sounds, lights, touch, tastes, smells, pain and other stimuli.

Autism is also associated with high rates of certain physical and mental health conditions.

Social communication challenges

Children and adults with autism have difficulty with verbal and non-verbal communication. For example, they may not understand or appropriately use:

  • Spoken language (around a third of people with autism are nonverbal)

  • Gestures

  • Eye contact

  • Facial expressions

  • Tone of voice

  • Expressions not meant to be taken literally

Additional social challenges can include difficulty with:

  • Recognizing emotions and intentions in others

  • Recognizing one’s own emotions

  • Expressing emotions

  • Seeking emotional comfort from others

  • Feeling overwhelmed in social situations

  • Taking turns in conversation

  • Gauging personal space (appropriate distance between people)

Restricted and repetitive behaviors

Restricted and repetitive behaviors vary greatly across the autism spectrum. They can include:

  • Repetitive body movements (e.g. rocking, flapping, spinning, running back and forth)

  • Repetitive motions with objects (e.g. spinning wheels, shaking sticks, flipping levers)

  • Staring at lights or spinning objects

  • Ritualistic behaviors (e.g. lining up objects, repeatedly touching objects in a set order)

  • Narrow or extreme interests in specific topics

  • Need for unvarying routine/resistance to change (e.g. same daily schedule, meal menu, clothes, route to school)

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Steve Laffer Steve Laffer

Is it Autism and If So, What Next? A Guide for Adults

A guide for adults with autism.

Written by Autism Speaks Date retrieved: 1/3/2021 autismspeaks.org

Growing awareness about autism has led many young adults and adults to suspect they may be on the spectrum. 

This guide provides an overview of autism and helps clarify whether you should seek out an evaluation by a professional.

If you are diagnosed with autism, the kit will also walk you through next steps. It also includes critical information about your rights as an adult on the spectrum.

There is also a list of helpful resources for you to find more information as you set out on this new journey.

The tool kit is divided into the following sections:

  • What is Autism?

  • What are the Symptoms of Autism?

  • Strengths and Challenges by Dr. Stephen Shore

  • Medical and Psychiatric Issues that May Accompany Autism

  • How Do I Get a Diagnosis?

  • Why Do I Need a Diagnosis?

  • My Story: Diagnosed with Autism at 34

  • How is Autism Treated?

  • From Denial to Acceptance: I Was Diagnosed with Autism at 24

  • What are My Rights?

  • Disclosure...To Tell or Not to Tell?

  • Conclusion

  • Glossary

  • Resources

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