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therapy and ABA

Akira1

Hello

I'm new here. Our 3 year old son was recently diagnosed. He is currently non-verbal and classified as a requester.

I'm desperate to improve his communication skills but don't know the best route to take.

We live in Essex and currently he sees a Speech and language therapist twice a month for an hour each time. With 18 months till he starts school and everyone saying that intervention at this time is crucial i feel like the clock is ticking on his chances but that we aren't doing enough to help him.

After doing some research we discovered ABA. Opinions seem very mixed on this but the one thing i have noticed is that there appears to be empirical data to back up its success and i'm not finding this with other forms of treatment, including those provided by the NHS. 

Does anyone have experience of ABA? Or success stories with other forms of treatment? Or even just general advice on how we can get more help for him at this important time?

Thank you

  • Hi

    Thanks for your response, i will read through these links tonight. 

    I completely agree with what you say about there being no substitute for a caring parents. But i also feel there are gaps that we can't fill at this stage, in knowledge, experience and in not having such an emotional attachment.

  • Former Member
    Former Member

    A good place to start if you are looking at interventions is researchautism.net/autism-interventions This orgamisation works with NAS, as I understand it, but they have different areas of focus, NAS concentrates on the here and now whereas RA concentrates on research.

    I read one account on this forum by someone who had a very bad experience of ABA - so I would be wary of claims being made for that.

    What I would say is that positive reinforcement (essentially, rewarding good behaviour but ignoring or distracting away from bad behaviour) which is a key part of ABA is a good thing for any child but particularly a child with autism. Autistic children need encouragement and love but they try to make rules of how the world works in their minds so it is important to be consistent and rational when responding to them. If you say no then it is important not to confuse them by changing your mind and giving in to a demand and then saying yes. Try to work out what you want to do and then stick to it. Of course, this means being realistic when making the decision. If you aren't going to stick to a decision then don't make that decision.

    Individual therapists for any treatment may have more or less insight and ability in what they are doing. I am sure that there are good practitioners of ABA but I am equally sure that there are hopeless and dangerous practitioners too. You have to go into this with your eyes open.

    The main resource that you have available to you is actually your own time. There really can be no substitute for a caring parent that is prepared to spend a large amount of time on bringing up a child. Back this up with research and discussions here and elsewhere and you will be able to make a difference.