15 Benefits of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Therapy
Find a list of benefits of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA therapy) for autism in this up-to-date guide. We'll cover the most meaningful benefits of ABA therapy.
15 Benefits Of Applied Behavior Analysis
When dealing with children with autism, it can be frustrating for parents depending on the level of autism a child might have.
Some children have an easy diagnosis and can function relatively normally, while others deal with severe disabilities that diminish their mobility, thinking, and social capabilities.
ABA is a type of behavioral therapy that was designed by Ivar Lovaas to help provide children with autism with the skills that they need to help them function easier in different social situations. Plus, it assists parents in various ways, as well.
Here's a list of benefits of ABA therapy for children diagnosed with autism:
- It helps to prepare children with disabilities for school and "real-world" experiences.
- ABA is designed to help teach functional skills to kids early on in their life.
- It can help teach parents how to help their children with disabilities.
- ABA can help to decrease behavioral problems.
- ABA has a lot of research to help support it.
- ABA therapy can help children to be the best versions of themselves.
- ABA can help children improve their social skills and make friends.
- It can help children with disabilities to be more independent.
- ABA is personalized to provide proper assessments for each child.
- It is designed to help children with disabilities overcome difficult obstacles.
- ABA therapy has proven to be effective.
- It can help to improve the ability to generalize and retain information from other forms of formal therapy sessions.
- It can help parents to learn how to interact with their children more effectively.
- It can help to enhance independent living skills in children with disabilities.
- ABA therapy can help to promote better parenting of disabled children.
1. It helps to prepare children with disabilities for school and "real-world" experiences.
Regardless if you are dealing with a child with autism or a child without autism, there comes a time in every parent's life when they have to let go and make sure their child is prepared for the real world.
For most parents, this is hard but not impossible, but what about parents with children dealing with autism?
One of the benefits of ABA therapy is that it uses different models, like Pivotal Response Training and Direct Instruction techniques that will help children with autism throughout their entire lives.
Not all children with autism will have the capacity to go out into the world on their own, but ABA therapy has been effective in helping increase the chances for those who can.
2. ABA is designed to help teach functional skills to kids early on in their life.
Many children with autism suffer when trying to learn early functional skills, like walking, getting dressed, going to the bathroom, or communicating.
These are things that most people barely think about, but they can be a huge challenge for children with autism.
ABA therapy uses different techniques, like direct instruction and natural environment training that focus on helping with these types of things.
Professionals will utilize direct instruction by giving children clear directions on what they want them to do, while parents can work on early functional skills learning at home with the ABA module Natural environment training.
3. It can help teach parents how to help their children with disabilities.
One of the worst things for a parent is when they have no clue how to help their child with something.
Many parents who have children diagnosed with autism are overwhelmed, and they do not understand how to help their children.
ABA is classified as a family-focused therapy, and although it is centered on helping the child, it has tools that provide parents with the help they need, as well.
It helps parents understand their children and ways that they can interact and help them that are not available with other types of therapies.
4. ABA can help to decrease behavioral problems.
Many children who are diagnosed with autism have behavioral problems because, unlike most kids, they do not know how to healthily express their emotions or what is wrong.
ABA therapy can help children with autism learn how to deal with their negative feelings without throwing a fit.
Natural environment training methods are incorporated into the therapy to help teach them how to cope with their anger healthily during play therapy.
Then, it utilizes direct instruction techniques, which helps eliminate or greatly diminish a child's frustration at not comprehending what they are expected to do.
5. ABA has a lot of research to help support it.
Unlike other forms of therapy that have been used on children with autism, ABA therapy has research that support it.
It has proven to work through countless studies, and it is one therapy that takes different types of behavioral and physical therapies within it to help with different aspects that many autistic children experience.
Read More: ABA Therapy Statistics
6. ABA therapy can help children to be the best versions of themselves.
Many children with autism struggle to enjoy their daily lives and be happy, but ABA therapy is designed to help them be happier by making reliable and stable connections with other people and themselves.
It focuses on socializing skills that many autistic children struggle with, and with the use of natural environmental therapy, the kids are capable of choosing what they want to do, which helps them to remain happy and feel like they have some control.
Plus, many therapists that provide ABA therapy use pivotal response training to help encourage positive behavior and happiness through using positive motivations that are catered to the child and what they enjoy.
7. ABA can help children improve their social skills and make friends.
Unlike most children, children with autism often have issues with making friends and picking up on social skills.
Therefore, they need extra attention and a therapy module that helps to promote these things, like ABA therapy.
It uses different types of training techniques that help to promote social skills, which will help them to get along with their peers better.
Plus, ABA focuses on and encourages some group learning, which will provide autistic children with more opportunities to work on these skills, rather than keeping them isolated, where they can become agitated and frustrated.
8. It can help children with disabilities to be more independent.
ABA is well-known for helping autistic children become more social, but it is also great for helping them to become more independent.
Pivotal response training will help kids to become more motivated to do things by themselves, while direct instruction will help to encourage kids to solve problems on their own, which can be an excellent motivation tool.
9. ABA is personalized to provide proper assessments for each child.
Following the progress of any treatment for a disabled child is important.
With ABA therapy, children are provided with individualized assessments to ensure that each child's growth is moving along based on their abilities and not what is considered to be the "norm" for children of their age.
Professionals that provide these assessments do so in a child's natural environment to better observe the progress of ABA therapy.
This is often done while the children are socializing with other children or playing. By doing these observations, professionals can discern what children need assistance with and adjust their ABA therapy plan accordingly.
10. It is designed to help children with disabilities overcome difficult obstacles.
Autism has varying degree of disabilities that falls under it, which means every case is different. This also means that the obstacles a child with autism has to overcome can vary, as well.
ABA therapy is designed to help these children to overcome obstacles that are difficult for them, but not for every child.
For instance, one child might have difficulties with social cues, while others are extremely affectionate and social but have issues with comprehending situations.
11. ABA therapy has proven to be effective.
There are hundreds of different therapies and techniques that professionals have recommended over the years to help children with autism, but many of those therapies are unproven.
However, ABA therapy has the research and studies to back up its effectiveness.
Every child and case is different, but ABA therapy doesn't just focus on one or two problematic areas for autistic children.
It can provide a variety of approaches, which can help in different situations for different children. Plus, it helps to cater to the individual needs of each child, not a set formula.
12. It can help to improve the ability to generalize and retain information from other forms of formal therapy sessions.
ABA therapy is often used in unison with other types of formal therapy sessions to get the best results possible.
When doing this, children with autism can learn from different people in different types of therapy sessions.
ABA therapy helps them to generalize and retain information easier from their other therapy sessions, which helps in day-to-day situations.
13. It can help parents to learn how to interact with their children more effectively.
As a parent of an autistic child, it can be difficult to interact with them, especially if the parent has never been around anyone with autism previously.
There are many innovative parenting solutions inside ABA therapy modules that are designed to help parents to learn how they can better interact with their children, providing a more effective and prosperous outcome.
14. It can help to enhance independent living skills in children with disabilities.
There are some children with autism who will never be able to live out in the world on their own, but even these children, can learn to still be independent.
ABA therapy is set up in a way to help enhance a child's independent living skills.
These types of skills can take a while for autistic children to comprehend, but it uses different methods to cater to the individual child, which helps to increase the chance it will stick.
15. ABA therapy can help to promote better parenting of disabled children.
Many parents have issues when someone tries to tell them how to parent their child, but parents who have children with autism, often find that they need help knowing how to parent their children, due to the extra obstacles they face.
ABA therapy is designed to not only help children with autism, but it helps their parents to understand autism and the special needs of their children, allowing them to provide better parenting in most situations.