Autism and Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA)

Autism is a complex neurological disorder that affects approximately 1 in 150 individuals. Its symptoms include, but are not limited to: language delays, cognitive delays, social awareness issues, sensory integration problems, and difficulty sleeping. There are many therapies available to help individuals with autism learn effectively. One of the most popular is Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA).

Since most people with autism are diagnosed by age three, early intervention methods usually begin around this age. The sooner intervention begins the more effective it will be. Children are more receptive to learning certain skills, such as language, at younger ages. ABA and other therapies can still be used with older children and adults, but progress is generally slower.

ABA is a behavioral therapy program that was popularized for use with children with autism by O. Ivar Lovaas at UCLA. He found that a 30-40 hour a week program with young autistic children brought significant results in their skills.

In the early years of using ABA, aversive techniques were used much more commonly than they are today. Aversive techniques could be anything from a spanking to a time out. Now more positive rewards for good behavior are used instead of punishments for bad behavior.

ABA can be used to teach individuals with autism a number of important life skills as well as academic skills. Autistic individuals do not learn in the same ways that neuro-typical (NT) children, so ABA uses methods that enable them to learn the same concepts as their NT peers.

An example of a basic ABA program to teach a child to make eye contact when spoken to would be as follows. The ABA therapist would say, "look at me," while holding up an edible reward at his/her eye level. If the child doesn't look, a consequence, in this case most likely a firm "no," would be given. Then the child would be shown the edible and the therapist's eyes they would be given an immediate verbal reward as well as the edible treat.

This same activity would be repeated several times to help solidify the concept in the child's mind. Data would also be taken on how the child performed, so that progress could be tracked. The same program would be repeated, ideally, every day the child had therapy until the child mastered the task.

An ABA program may have upwards of 20-some programs. The programs cover things from self help skills, gross and fine motor, academic subjects, games, social skills, and whatever skills the parent or caregiver desires. Ideally each program would be done at least once a day, six days a week. While this is lots of work for children they quickly adapt to the schedule. During the first few months of ABA behavior may get worse before it gets better. This is typical.

The startup time is the most stressful for everyone involved. Sometimes the children in the program become self-injurious due to the stress and changes in their schedules. With time, most kids grow to like the consistency of their schedules and actually enjoy ABA sessions.

While ABA is a very helpful therapy, other programs like speech therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, diet changes, and many others are also beneficial to kids and adults with autism. Parents interested in obtaining ABA and other therapies for their children should get in touch with their county board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities and their school district.

The Autism Research Institute's website, www.autism.com/ari, has a wealth of reputable information about research, therapy, and legal issues concerning autism. Mitzi Waltz's book, Pervasive Developmental Disorders has lots of information about education, funding, pharmacology, and legal rights that are invaluable to parents who have just received the diagnosis for their child and for parents interested in funding and legal issues.