We know every child has a different journey through Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy and each family’s experience is truly unique. This is why Little Spurs Autism Center has caregiver education and training embedded into each of our children’s programs. This month we are hoping to highlight and share insights on how our centers’ specialized services support children and their families. Let’s take a look at what we offer for caregiver training and education, and what one of these sessions might look like.
- Getting to Know Your Child’s Team: Bringing a child’s caregiver into a meeting with a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) is essential. This provider oversees the tailoring of each child’s individual plan of care for therapy and develops it specifically to their needs. They are also monitoring each Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) who is on the child’s case and providing training on their individualized plan of care.
- Review: These meetings typically include reviewing an upcoming treatment plan and collaborating on their future goals. Your child’s BCBA will go over current goals and progress they are making on their therapy plan. This is a perfect opportunity for caregivers and the BCBA on the child’s case to communicate about anything going on outside of therapy sessions and share developments so the treatment plan can be adapted appropriately.
- Collaborative Approach: Children are full of surprises! This is a good time to share any new behaviors that have emerged, life updates for your child, and to advocate for any needs they may have at the current time. Teamwork is important, caregivers and BCBA’s working together to plan for the child’s upcoming therapy sessions are vital to success in therapy. This is also a great opportunity to review your child’s behavior intervention plan (BIP) and discuss any barriers you are encountering outside of therapy.
- Modeling: During these sessions, it is common for a BCBA to teach parents and caregivers a variety of skills. These skills may include current programming skills, teaching skills, behavior reduction skills, or other ABA knowledge. This takes place with modeling the behavior or skill, introducing new strategies, and demonstrating the skill or behavior so caregivers get a better understanding. Don’t be surprised if you get a little homework to take home and practice too!
Caregiver involvement is essential to the success of a child in ABA therapy because you are an essential part of your child’s overall development and growth in life! We believe in encouraging parents and caregivers through education and insights on your child’s therapy plan, as well as collaborating with BCBAs, to ensure you feel equipped to utilize those skills to continue teaching after they have graduated from ABA therapy and to support them as they continue to grow.
Little Spurs Autism Centers offers collaborative and compassionate ABA Therapy to children 0-21 years old. Offering both center-based and home-based care, LSAC is excited to empower families by providing them with the support they need. For more information, please email us at autism@littlespurs.com
