Reinforcement is a common occurrence in our daily lives. Receiving a paycheck every month, getting a compliment from a friend, taking a coffee break from work – these are all forms of reinforcement. Some types are more predictable and some take longer to achieve. During ABA therapy, it is always our goal to fade reinforcement Read more about How to Implement and Use Token Boards[…]
On a recent post about visuals prompts, one of the questions we received was: “Why are you using visuals if the goal is for the student to verbalize? Won’t the visuals make the learner dependent on them?” This is a great question and the answer is that it depends on the learner and on how Read more about The Importance of Visuals and How They Promote Independence[…]
What to Expect When Setting Up an ABA Program Finding out that your child is not developing as they should be can be very overwhelming. Maybe you’ve just received a diagnosis of ASD and you’re not sure how to accept it or what to do next. Maybe it’s something that you’ve known all along but Read more about My Child Needs ABA – Now What?!?[…]
We LOVE using visuals. Pictures make stories interesting and visual schedules give kids predictability and control. We also use these visuals in the form of scripts to teach conversation. You might be wondering, “But conversation has to be natural and fluid. Doesn’t it defeat the purpose if it’s scripted?” Our answer (and the answer of Read more about Can Conversation Be Scripted?[…]
This is a continuation from last week – 5 Steps to a Simple Communication System. The concern I often hear is: Why should we use pictures if we want the child to talk? We don’t want the pictures to replace words. Imagine that you were dropped in a foreign country where you don’t speak a Read more about Why Picture Communication Supports Talking (And Doesn’t Replace It)[…]
I was observing a client of mine who is in a group setting. I couldn’t help but notice another student in the group (not one of mine). This other child is not able to speak and really wanted to play with the play-doh. So what did he do? He screamed until the teacher gave in Read more about 5 Steps to a Simple Communication System[…]
A child’s life is full of transitions. They go from their bed to the car to school to the playground, etc… For some children, this can be extremely difficult and transitions can be when teachers and caregivers tend to see a lot of negative behaviour. Why is this? Most of the time, it’s due to Read more about Transitions: 4 Tips to Prevent Meltdowns[…]
Should I be concerned that my toddler isn’t talking? As parents, we know that our children go through phases and it’s often not worth worrying too much about it. When they’re learning to walk, we let them fall – it’s part of the process. They’ll experience heartbreak, boredom, and disappointment – all par for the Read more about Late Talker or Autism?[…]
Conversation is tricky. There are so many moving parts but many of us learn it incidentally. However, for some of our students, it’s not always as easy. When do I talk about myself vs. ask a question? When is it appropriate to change the subject? Sometimes as a result of therapy, our kids get really Read more about 4 Ways to Teach Kids to Initiate Conversation[…]
I thought I’d address some of what I’ve been hearing lately: “Do you offer ABA or IBI?” (from a parent) “I don’t do ABA, I do PRT” (from a professional) For some reason, ABA is FULL of acronyms. This can seem daunting to someone unfamiliar with the field. First, a glossary: ABA Read more about DTT, ABA, PRT, IBI – WTH???[…]