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behavioral
analysis. Behavioral therapy is my
favorite therapy so far because it can be used
for a wide variety of behaviors and skills.
Behavioral Therapy is an autism teaching
strategy to correct a child's behavior (rather
it's throwing a tantrum, getting eye contact or
teaching social skills) and include these
techniques:
- breakdown of
tasks into small units
- discrete
trials including mass and expanded trials
- systematic
use of reinforcement (food, praise or toy)
- verbally
simple using clear and straightforward
language
- prompting
include: positional, physical,
gestural, verbal, and visual
- errorless
teaching with most-to-least prompting
The following
areas can be targeted:
-
Receptive
language (understanding of language)
-
Expressive
language (spoken use of language)
-
Action
on object command ("Put the toy on the
chair.")
-
Assists
with focus and student being able to sit
still.
ABA
therapy is sometimes also called “discreet
trial training” or the Lovaas Method.
Pioneered by Dr. O. Ivaar Lovaas, professor
emeritus at the University of California at Los
Angeles, it is an early intervention program for
children as young as 2 or 3 years old. ABA
therapy refers to a wide variety of techniques
that use rewards to develop new skills or reduce
unwanted behaviors, like aggression or
self-injury. Skills, such as learning to make
eye contact, are developed one at a time. ABA is
a highly structured, adult-led program (the
adult directs the activity while the child
follows along) intended to prepare a child to
enter kindergarten by age 5 or 6. It involves
intensive one-on-one instruction between the
child and a therapist or parent. The therapy
takes place in the home or school for as many as
20 to 40 hours per week.
ABA is backed
by the strongest scientific support of any
autism treatment, mostly based on Lovaas’s
original 1987 study in which he cited a 47
percent recovery rate. However, no other study
has replicated Lovaas’s results. ABA is
recognized for its effectiveness in helping
children learn language and cognitive skills,
but critics charge that the rigid structure does
not build social skills and that children tend
to become more robotic in their responses and
less spontaneous in adapting to real-world
situations.
Pivotal
Response Training or PRT is an approach
based on the ABA method but is considered to be
more naturalistic, meaning that instruction
takes place in a relaxed environment and the
teaching is child-centered, or guided by the
child’s interests, motivations and favorite
activities. Researchers believe that “pivotal
behaviors” affect a range of responses in
children with autism. Because these behaviors
influence a diverse area of functions, positive
changes can have a ripple effect on other
behaviors. In PRT therapy, instructions and
rewards are more varied than with traditional
ABA. PRT is offered through clinics and school
programs.
Floortime
was developed by Drs. Stanley Greenspan and
Serena Wieder. It is an alternative
behavorial approach focused on helping children
build fundamental skills needed for
communication and relationships. It is primarily
a home-based technique that enlists professional
helpers to work alongside parents and their
children. The adults get down on the floor with
the child and follow the child’s natural
interests.
Some critics
say there is not enough scientific research
supporting the effectiveness of DIR Floortime
and that children with more severe autism may
not be well-served by such a child-centered
program. However, the Floortime Foundation
claims that in a review of 200 children
diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorders who
were treated intensively with DIR Floortime for
up to six years, more than 50 percent have
"become warm, engaged and loving."
Treatment
and Education of Autistic and Related
Communication Handicapped Children (TEACCH)
is an approach developed in 1964 at the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The
classroom-based program evolved from the theory
that children with autism have strong visual
skills and respond well to visual cues and
symbols. Instead of using rewards for behavior
modification, TEACCH emphasizes picture systems
to develop organizational skills and help
children better understand what is expected of
them. TEACCH is based on brain research that
suggests people with autism have more difficulty
switching their attention from one task to
another. The approach focuses on helping
children transition more smoothly from one
activity to the next.
Autism
Education and Materials!
Behaviorial
Therapy E-Book
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