When I first started my career in ABA, I was surprised by how much management and training that was required. In most of my early supervision experiences, I found it so challenging to watch the therapist and provide feedback – it was so much easier to just jump in the chair and do it myself! Read more about Therapist Training Tips[…]
It’s usually around this time of year when I feel like the days and weeks are too long. Maybe it’s the long stretch of work/school with no real break until summer. Maybe it’s the itch for the weather to get nicer so we can enjoy more outdoors time. Or maybe it’s just plain, old burnout. Read more about How to Prevent BCBA Burnout[…]
ABA doesn’t have to be an intense, one-on-one intervention that happens in 20-hour-a-week increments. The principles of ABA can be applied to so many everyday events and activities to help shape language and appropriate behaviour. So even if a child isn’t sitting down for 30 hours a week of intensive therapy, there are many tips Read more about How to Encourage ABA in the Everyday[…]
For many parents, their child’s first haircut is a celebration. It’s an exciting experience – going to the hairdresser, collecting those first locks of hair and giving the child a lollipop at the end! However, for many parents of children with autism, the word “haircut” elicits a terror response. Their child wouldn’t sit still, wouldn’t Read more about Teaching How to Tolerate Haircuts[…]
Many of our students struggle with initiating language and conversation. This is why there is usually a strong emphasis on manding and requesting in an ABA program. Teaching them to ask for things that they want builds a relationship of communication between the child and others. Basic manding teaches a child to ask for tings Read more about Manding With ‘Wh Questions’[…]
In our last blog post, we discussed expanding language to 2-3 word phrases using verbs and attributes. In this post, we will discuss expanding language even further using one of our favourite materials – sequencing cards. There are various sequencing skills that the ABLLS assessment touches upon: visual performance of putting picture sequences in order Read more about Expanding Language Skills – Part 2[…]
When working with a student who is just acquiring language, we spend a lot of time teaching how to answer questions. “What does a dog say?” “What’s your name?” “What’s this?” “What do you do with a shoe?” The answers to these questions are often simple 1-word answers, which is a great place to be Read more about Expanding Language Skills – Part 1[…]
Direct Instruction is an evidence-based teaching approach that falls under the umbrella of ABA. We use at least one (or a combination of a few) DI programs with many of our students. We even have some students who have loved the books so much that Language for Learning became a leisure activity! Direct Instruction operates Read more about Direct Instruction (DI) Programs[…]
A Behaviour Intervention Plan (BIP) is what takes the observations from a functional assessment and turns them into a concrete plan of suggestions. It is also sometimes known as a behaviour protocol or behaviour treatment plan. It should be based on a functional assessment or a functional analysis so that the suggestions made are function-based. Read more about Writing a Behaviour Intervention Plan (BIP)[…]
Behaviour is communication. It is our students’ way of telling us how they feel or what they need. Behaviour can have many different forms but what it looks like is not as important as what it’s trying to tell us. The function of the behaviour is the part that tells us WHY the behaviour is Read more about Function Over Form: Functional Communication Training[…]