ABA therapy…what I wish all parents and educators knew. Just watch. If you are unsure, just watch. If you are doubtful, just watch.
Just watch one session, watch one month, watch two months, watch the child unfold and develop right before your eyes. Watch as he goes from staring blankly when you say, “Touch your nose,” to independently touching his nose when asked, to saying “nose” when you touch your nose and say, “What is this?”
Watch as a child who will ONLY eat dominos pizza, takes a bite of an Amy’s frozen pizza that dad made at home. With his visual “first eat, then ipad,” watch as he smells it, then licks it, then puts a crumb in his mouth, then a one millimeter square piece in his mouth, then a one centimeter piece in his mouth, and slowly he chews and swallows a typical sized bite.
Watch as a 15 year old boy learns to count out money and make a shopping list. Watch him learn what items are at Target and what items are at Jewel. Watch him go into the store with the list in his hand and his wallet in his pocket. Watch him grab the items he needs from the shelves and put them in his cart. Watch him push his cart to the checkout aisle and put the items on the conveyor belt. Watch him hand the cashier the exact change needed to buy the items. Just watch independence.
Just watch. Watch skills develop with Discrete Trial Teaching and Verbal Behavior. Watch baby steps. Watch systematic desensitization. Watch natural environment teaching. Watch social skills training. Watch functional life skills training. Watch children develop and grow into people their parent’s never imagined possible. Watch ABA therapy change lives. Just watch.
For more about Applied Behavior Analysis, ABA, check out these posts:
Building Auditory Processing/Listening Comprehension Skills with ABA