Hello, Super Parents!
This week your Kiddos will change their daily routine a little and we want you to be prepared to continue promoting their development.
Previously, we have talked about Applied Behavior Analysis or ABA therapy, that is considered the best option in the treatment of autism thanks to decades of research and constant updating.
There are many ways ABA Therapy can help children with ASD to learn or improve communication, social, and daily living skills.
At Super Kids we apply ABA in each of our individualized plans; this work must also be reinforced at home. Remember that family is key at every stage of the development of the Superkiddos.
Here 3 strategies to apply ABA therapy at home!
1. Positive reinforcement
Positive reinforcement is one of the most common concepts found in ABA therapy; refers to the idea that something that happens after a behavior (anything a person does) has an impact on that behavior occurs again in the future. When a behavior is followed by a positive reinforcer, the positive behavior will occur again.
2. Reward with tokens
Token rewards are a great tool that can be used to help Kiddos practice skills in the home environment. It involves giving tokens (such as stickers, stars, or whatever your child likes) when desired behaviors or goals are achieved.
You can have stickers for different daily activities and skills, such as getting dressed, brushing your teeth, sitting down to eat during a meal, etc.
Read more about the Rewards Method here.
3. Use Modeling
In Applied Behavior Analysis, modeling involves demonstrating to another person how to do a specific activity. It’s a type of indication in which parents show their children the actions they should replicate, doing it first.
Modeling can be used in the context of your everyday life to demonstrate how to perform countless activities and positively influence your children’s ability to learn new skills.
Some examples of how can use modeling to help your children:
• Brush your teeth while your children do too, to show them how to do it correctly.
• Use the type of language you want your child to use to communicate effectively in certain situations, (including when you’re under stress, experiencing frustration or anger).
Modeling is an activity of perseverance, patience and reinforcement. Your child probably won’t do it perfectly the first time, but keep trying and eventually they’ll do better.
BONO: Use ABA toys!
ABA focuses on key areas of development, including language, cognition, motor skills, social skills, and more.
Some ABA therapy techniques may involve using games and toys to keep the child active and interested in activities. Many ABA toys on the market help children improve their play skills, coordination, cognition, language, motor skills, or social skills.
Some of these toys are:
• Anti-stress toys to help children self-regulate or stay calm.
• Sensory toys: to do sensory activities it is not absolutely necessary to buy toys like Playdough, you can make a sensory
board with items you have at home such as rice, pasta, or cotton and trying different textures, painting, etc.
We also remind you that for these Spring Break days (and any day without school), we created an article with recommended activities to do at home with your Kiddo, so go read it!
Applying ABA therapy at home can be difficult sometimes, but here is our Super Kids family to support you!
Feel free to contact us, to know which strategies would be best for your child and get the best results.
Together, we make it better!
