In the last post we went over ABA terms, now we will go more in-depth into how we use these terms during sessions, and what ABA sessions look like at Little Spurs Autism Centers!
The BCBA has now completed an Initial Assessment and has developed an individualized treatment plan for your child. The results of their assessment will determine how long your child’s autism therapy sessions will be and what will be targeted to work on during a session.
At the start of sessions Behavior Technician work on building rapport, also known as “pairing,”. No matter how long a Behavior Technician has worked with your child, it’s always best to increase that bond and have the client lead the start of the session.
Throughout the sessions, we tend to engage in Natural Environment Teaching (NET) where we incorporate the natural environment into the teaching, development, and generalization of skills. NET allows your child to be engaged with their favorite activity and be learning new skills at the same time! This is where we can incorporate tacts, mands, echoics, and many other programs based on your child’s needs.
There are many different types of tacts, whether it’s labeling colors, shapes, letters, numbers, emotions, household items, community helpers, body parts, etc. This is done by simply asking “what is this?” and presenting an image, and or pointing at the item we are trying to target. Working on tacts in autism therapy helps to increase vocabulary, language, and communication.
As a reminder, mands are a request for wants or needs. We work on this by asking “what do you want?” “what do you want to play with” “are we all done?” and many others. By doing this we are giving your child a cue, or prompt” to vocalize their wants and needs. As we progress into ABA sessions, we hope to fade the prompt “What do you want?” so that your child is able to ask for what they want independently.
Overall sessions can change from day to day because they are truly tailored to your child.
There are many more programs that we work on during ABA therapy, this is just the beginning!
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
