We BCBA’s love our acronyms! Here’s another one for you: DRO. This stands for the Differential Reinforcement of Other (behaviour). It essentially means that we are providing reinforcement for THE LACK of a behaviour. Why would a DRO be useful? Many problem behaviours have a positive opposite that we can reinforce. So instead of telling Read more about What is a DRO and How to Implement One[…]
One of the common concerns we get from parents and therapists is that the child isn’t motivated for anything. Why is this important, you ask? Well, because in an ABA program, we rely on motivation to get things done. It’s the “then” in the “first/then”. It’s the reward at the end of the token board. Read more about How to Keep a Child Motivated in ABA[…]
I love the summer. I love the change in seasons, the break from the monotonous everyday routine, the relaxing vacations, and the long days. However, for many of the kids we work with, the changes that come along with summer can be very overwhelming. By the end of the school year, many children are just Read more about How to Prepare a Child with ASD for the Summer[…]
With most students that you encounter in ABA, you’re likely going to have to deal with parents. If you’re lucky, you’ll have rock-star parents who are on-board with everything you do and follow-through like champs. Other parents may seem less interested in the goings-on of the ABA sessions and use the time to get their Read more about How to Promote Parent Involvement in an ABA Program[…]
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[…]