If you have a child with ASD, chances are, you have heard about the amazing ABA therapy benefits, and you want them for your kid, too. Perhaps you’ve watched a YouTube video about it, or maybe you’ve heard about it from a friend. But perhaps you have some concerns. Maybe you’ve chanced upon some content saying ABA is nothing more than strategies to fix negative behavior and does not provide the autism support children on the spectrum need. But what’s the truth?
Read on as we discuss why ABA therapy benefits go beyond surface-level behavior modification.
ABA Therapy Benefits You Might Not Know About
Yes, ABA is widely known and acknowledged as an effective method for reducing problematic behaviors in children with autism. But here are some surprising benefits that you might not be aware of:
Emotional Growth
One of the many things children with ASD struggle with is self-regulation. That’s why they appear to show little to no emotional growth. Of course, that’s not true. Just because autistic kids find it difficult to regulate their emotions and manage their reactions to certain things and situations doesn’t mean they’re not growing emotionally.
One of the benefits of ABA therapy in kids is that they are equipped with the tools needed, so they can better self-regulate and control their emotions. In turn, this helps them adjust to different situations they might not be familiar with. Therapists teach kids coping strategies. They help them recognize their emotional triggers and encourage them to explore the complexities of the world more confidently. Children receiving ABA therapy services also learn to manage stress and frustration, ultimately enjoying improved emotional well-being.
Communication Skill Development
Communication difficulties are not uncommon among children with autism. ABA therapy breaks down language and communication into smaller, more manageable components, helping kids learn to express their thoughts more effectively through speaking, writing, sign language, or augmentative and alternative communication systems (AAC).
Therapists employ different techniques, like modeling and reinforcement, to encourage the use of verbal and non-verbal communication tools. With the help of ABA therapy, kids learn to express their wants and needs, as well as their thoughts and feelings.
Enhanced Social Skills
Handling social interactions is not one of the strengths of most children with autism. It is actually a challenge for many of them to begin and maintain friendships. Children learn basic social skills through ABA therapy, including identifying and understanding social cues, taking turns, polite responses in social situations, sharing, and more.
Through the repetitive autism learning support that ABA therapists provide children on the spectrum, they get to engage with others better, form friendships, and even join fun group activities.
Better Academic Performance
ABA Therapy also plays a big role in helping kids with autism perform better in school. Therapists break down complicated school tasks into more manageable activities, helping learners understand critical concepts better.
Therapists also come up with IEPs or Individualized Education Plans to address the unique needs of each child. By providing their autism learning support, ABA therapists ensure kids get the right accommodations that will help them reach their academic goals.
Healthier Family Well-Being
ABA Therapy encourages family involvement, and programs typically include parent training and sibling support. This aims to provide caregivers and families with what they need to be able to support their kid’s progress and to help continue positive reinforcement at home.
This family involvement means that the benefits of ABA go beyond the needs of children with autism, but also those of their families. Kids who receive ABA therapy get stressed less often, and their caregivers are less frustrated, too.
What Strategies Ensure ABA Therapy Benefits That Are Beyond Behavior Modification
Now that you understand how ABA Therapy benefits are not limited to behavior fixes, let’s take a look at some of the effective ABA techniques that help deliver those benefits.
Positive and Negative Reinforcement
Many parents are already familiar with positive and negative reinforcement. This technique simply means you reward good behavior and discipline for negative behavior. To make it work, though, it has to be done consistently, meaning whenever a kid acts inappropriately, they need to get disciplined. This is so they won’t get confused as to why the same behavior gets punished only in certain instances and not in others. The same goes for positive reinforcement. Rewarding them whenever they behave appropriately will help them understand that they’re doing the right thing in those situations. Rewards don’t have to be extravagant prizes – stickers, star stamps, hugs, praises, or extra screen time will all work.
Natural Environment Teaching
This autism support technique used in ABA therapy encourages skill development in real-life scenarios. So, instead of explaining the idea of ordering food from a restaurant or how grocery shopping is done, they’d be taken to a restaurant and a supermarket to learn how to actually do those tasks. While this approach can be challenging, it’s undeniably effective.
Verbal and Physical Prompting and Fading
This ABA therapy strategy makes use of prompts to teach children new skills or to guide them to complete their activity. As you can tell from its name, verbal prompts are words used by the therapist to encourage a child to do something (like saying hello when they see a new kid). Physical prompts include guiding a child’s hands so they can do a task like writing, cutting, or pouring water.
Your Child Deserves the Benefits ABA Therapy Offers
By now, you’re probably searching for “ABA therapy near me”, and we can’t blame you. ABA therapy can indeed help your child with autism not only modify negative behavior, but also learn the skills they need to thrive in this world. From developing the right communication tools to being able to socialize with others, achieve more in school, and keep a healthier family well-being, your child can learn all these from seasoned therapists from Acclimate ABA.
Acclimate ABA has a team of professional therapists who aim to help children with autism in Utah reach their full potential. Get in touch with us today to learn more about our services!
