During the current COVID-19 pandemic, parents need to be armed with the right tools to not only manage, but educate their children at home. We are going to be creating and collecting an ongoing list of resources of technology sites and apps that parents can use at home with their children. This list is by Read more about Resources for Children with Autism During COVID-19[…]
What is Sensory Behavior? Sensory behavior, (i.e., “stims”) is usually a form of automatic reinforcement, meaning that it’s done because it just feels good. Cooper, Heron & Heward, describe automatic reinforcement as a “behavior that creates a favorable outcome without involving another person, (2007). I have a necklace that I wear all the time, and Read more about Sensory Behavior[…]
What is Discrimination Training and Why Do We Teach It? In ABA, we often refer to different operants of language – the mand, the tact, the intraverbal, etc. When discussing receptive language, we are referring to the student’s ability to take in and understand language. Can the student follow basic instructions? Does the student know Read more about Discrimination Training[…]
So you are finally a BCBA, you have went through all the fun steps of credentialing to licensing (depending on your state), and you are now ready to start supervising staff (insert big feelings of imposter syndrome here). I have spoken to many people who said one of their biggest fears was when it came Read more about Behavioral Skills Training (BST) with ABA Therapists[…]
Lets just put this out there, I LOVE TEACHING, especially kiddos with autism. You see these amazing children are so eager to learn. They are like little sponges. My son who is now 13 was diagnosed with autism at a very young age, and I knew from the moment he was born he was one Read more about Teaching Children with Autism[…]
Behavior Analysts are interesting specimen: we like to create our own language for things when it may or may not be entirely necessary. While we could easily refer to language in terms like labelling, requesting, or conversation, we made it more complicated – we refer to language in terms of “verbal operants”. The field of Read more about Verbal Operants[…]
When working with any behavior, whether it be a problem behavior or even a target behavior, it is critical to make sure that all stakeholders are in agreement with what that problem behavior is, and what it is not, so that when it is observed it can all be agreed upon. If you are not Read more about Defining Problem Behavior[…]
Often children with ASD demonstrate high rates of non-compliance. Following through with instructions is an important skill that we really want our kiddos to learn. Not because we want them to listen to everything we say or do, or not make decisions for themselves, we love it when our kiddos make decisions for themselves, but Read more about Following Through with Instruction[…]
Extinction is one of the first things practitioners and also parents will learn about in ABA. Many people think this means ignoring the child which is certainly not the case, what it actually is, is just ignoring the behavior. ABA practitioners use this procedure where reinforcement that was previously given for behavior is no longer Read more about Extinction[…]
Sleep challenges are common in children and can cause stress for parents and family members. Some simple straightforward strategies may help your child develop good sleep habits. In some cases, however, intensive treatment strategies are needed. What does the Research Say? Researchers have studied sleep disturbances in the autism population and have found that 52% of Read more about Tackling Sleep Challenges[…]