Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) and ABA therapy services are proven to be highly effective in supporting children with ASD and their families. Based on individual behaviors and depression, combined with overall goals, our team creates ABA therapy practices and exercises, all of which can be applied at home.
ABA is a method that evaluates individuals and their surroundings so we can learn more about how they learn (or what may inhibit their receptivity). We also observe what situations trigger limiting behavior/expressions and which open the space for change and growth. Based on these observations, we implement skills or practices—broken into small step-by-step approaches—focusing on positive reinforcement for desired behaviors and outcomes.
Using the techniques we identify in our office sessions is exponentially more effective when they’re implemented at home rather than remaining isolated to weekly or bimonthly therapy sessions. The daily routines, exercises, and strategies become part of the norm. This means you’ll more quickly benefit from a decrease in less functional behaviors and an increase in positive participation at home, school, and social arenas.
Here are five proven ABA therapy methods that are easily translated into your home or daily routine. Remember that our skilled therapists are happy to discuss which at-home therapy methods would be most effective for your child (and household) and the best ways to adapt them using what you have on hand.
Most everyone benefits from visual cues and pictorial representations, but that’s especially true for children with ASD—especially those who are less verbal. We recommend using PECS (picture exchange communication) cards or similar, simple visual symbols to establish the household rhythm and routine.
Don’t have the budget for these? No problem. Posterboards and home-drawn visuals work just fine, and we can help you with these. You can also ask your child’s school teacher for tips on how to create visual charts or cues that can help in the classroom. What works at home should be used at school—and vice versa.
These can be used anywhere in the home where routine/timing/order is important:
These visual charts are anchors for your child and also help them to anticipate transitions, which are notorious for exacerbating things like outbursts, hand flapping, stimming, or even tendencies to self-harm.
Visual gestures and cues also benefit children with autism, as opposed to repeating commands/statements (which can be confusing) or raising your voice (which can become stressful or create sensory overload). So, for example, on a cold day, after saying, “Remember your jacket...” you might follow up by pointing to where the jacket is hanging on the hook, providing extra non-verbal cues that support their understanding and movement through the routine.
So many of the things we think of as ABA therapy for ASD at home are actually just good parenting or relational practices. An important example of that is emphasizing positive reinforcement and refraining from reactive outbursts or punishment.
Positive reinforcements should be said, expressed, or provided immediately after a desired behavior or goal is achieved to anchor a direct association in the brain.
Examples include:
Too many words are a big problem if you’re trying to teach a child with ASD something new. They’re overwhelming, and a sense of helplessness sets in. Modeling and role-playing are far more effective.
For example, when you unfold your napkin and place it on your lap before mealtimes, your child can repeat the gesture. You can model facial expressions to teach what they mean. You can role-play things like taking turns in games or while playing with toys or model how to “be a good loser” when they don’t win at a board game or don’t come in first in a race.
The more you use modeling and role-playing at home or out in public (real-world teaching in general, daily life settings is just as essential as isolating the learning to home and therapy offices), the more automatic and natural the child's behaviors or responses become.
The more you can learn what triggers escalations in undesirable behaviors and responses, the more you can address them at home and in public.
If there are behaviors that you can’t get to the bottom of or negatively impact your child’s or the household’s quality of life, bring them to the attention of your ABA therapist for additional sleuthing to figure out root causes or triggers and resources/practices for addressing them.
One of the things you and your child will notice here at the Autism Response Team offices and therapy sessions is that consistency is a way of being. Children and parents/caregivers know what to expect. We provide clear rules and expectations for the children we work with, and we reinforce specific outcomes. This provides a safe experience for children because it’s all predictable.
Consistency is key. And while it sounds simple in theory, we understand it’s challenging for tired adults or siblings at the end of a long day. We’ll work with you to create reasonable, consistent rules for your household, along with age- and ability-appropriate expectations. From this, we can also scaffold consistent feedback via positive reinforcement or natural consequences/outcomes to guide your daily life at home.
The Autism Response Team is founded around the central mission of involving the whole family and providing education regarding a specific autism diagnosis to empower our families for hope and optimal outcomes. We are passionate about progress and strive for success across all environments, developmental stages, and ages.
When you consult with us, we’ll provide realistic, reasonable ABA-based therapy that you can incorporate at home, school, and in public. Contact us to learn more about how we can support your child with ASD and the rest of the family.
