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6 Strategies to Use at Home to Improve Behavior
Okay, parents, you must have heard of ABA by now. When done well, Behavioral Analysis is one of the most effective treatment approaches for autism. It stands for Applied Behavior Analysis, meaning behavior change using the scientific principles of behaviorism. ABA is likely to help if you’ve ever wondered how to assist your child in reducing problem behaviors and improving their communication skills. While trained professionals in clinical, school, and home settings carry out ABA, there are many things that you can practice at home to support your child’s ABA therapy. Here are 6 strategies common in ABA (and sometimes other disciplines) that you can start using today to help your child with autism:
Use Visual Supports
You’ve heard this a hundred times, and probably by now, you’re sick of hearing it, but visual supports are crucial for children with autism. Why? Because many individuals on the spectrum struggle with receptive language skills, meaning they have difficulty understanding spoken language. However, they often excel at the visual processing of information. This is why using visual supports, such as pictures or brief videos, can be so helpful in communicating with your child. It also reduces anxiety associated with difficulty communicating their needs. You can use visual supports to explain expectations, rules, and routines. You can also use them to teach new vocabulary words or concepts. There are many different ways to create visual supports. You can print out photos from the internet, draw your pictures, or even use objects around the house as symbolic representations (e.g., a spoon could represent “eating”). Let’s assume you want to help your child learn “putting on a coat.” You could put a big chart in their bedroom with a picture of a coat and the words “I put on my coat” underneath. When leaving the house, point to the Chart and say the words while helping your child put on their coat. Over time, they will remember associating the visual support with the desired behavior..
Use Positive Reinforcement
You’ve probably heard of reinforcement being used in fire safety training or people constructing buildings, which usually means adding something to increase the strength of a material. Regarding behavior, reinforcement means adding something that will increase the likelihood of the desired behavior being repeated. There are two types of reinforcement- positive and negative. Positive reinforcement is adding something pleasant after the desired behavior is displayed to increase the likelihood of that behavior being repeated. An example would be rewarding your child with a sticker after putting on their coat without being asked. Conversely, negative reinforcement is when you remove something pleasant after the undesired behavior is exhibited. That way, you decrease the probability of that behavior being repeated. An example would be taking away a toy your child is playing with if they start hitting. It’s important to note that reinforcement should only be used after the desired behavior has already been displayed- not before or during.
Use a Token Economy
Token economies are often used in ABA therapy but can also be used at home to support your child’s therapy. For example, you could create a chart with behaviors you would like your child to display (e.g., putting on their coat, brushing their teeth, etc.). Each time your child displays the desired behavior, they earn a token. Once they have earned a few tokens, they can trade them for a reinforcer (e.g., 10 minutes of screen time, a favorite toy, etc.). Initially, tokens should be given often and for small steps towards desired behaviors. For example, if you are trying to teach your child to complete a morning routine, you could create a visual schedule depicting each step in the morning routine and give a token each time a step is completed. Over time you can give less tokens (fade out slowly) until your child completes the entire schedule for 1 token (and eventually no tokens at all). Remember, initially, you WANT your child to earn their tokens (and corresponding reinforcers). Earning things is how kids learn the contingencies and what behavior will/will not be reinforced. If kids don’t earn tokens (or earn too few), they won’t learn what behavior you are looking for as quickly. Token economies are a great way to increase desired behaviors while teaching your child about delayed gratification.
Generalization
Generalization is when a skill is transferred from one situation to another. For example, if your child learns how to put on their coat in therapy, you want them to be able to put on their coat at home, at school, and in other settings. Often, our students with autism do not “automatically” transfer the skills they learn in therapy or in the classroom to other settings. Occasionally we get “lucky,” but typically generalization is something that has to be planned for. One of the primary goals of ABA is to help your child generalize the skills they learned in therapy to other settings and people. A good ABA provider will spend significant time planning for generalization so that kids can demonstrate skills learned in therapy at any time, anywhere, with anyone. You can support your child’s generalization by providing opportunities for them to practice the desired behavior in different settings with different people. You could have them practice putting on their coat while you’re at home, while you’re out running errands, and while you’re visiting family or friends. You could also have different people help them practice putting on their coats (e.g., their father, their grandparents, etc.). The more opportunities your child has, the more likely they will generalize that behavior.
Prompting
Prompting is when you give your child a cue or hint to help them remember what they’re supposed to do. For example, if your daughter is having trouble putting on their coat, you could prompt them by saying, “Remember, we need to put our arms through the sleeves.” Prompts can be given verbally, visually, or physically. It’s important to use prompts in a way that is least intrusive and most likely successful. For instance, if your son is having trouble putting on their coat, a physical prompt (e.g., placing their arm through the sleeve) would be more effective than a verbal prompt (e.g., saying, “Remember, we need to put our arms through the sleeves”).
Fading
Fading is when you gradually reduce the number and intensity of prompts to help your child naturally remember what they’re supposed to do. For example, if you’re using physical prompts to help your child put on their coat, you would start by physically placing their arm through the sleeve. Once they learn the process, you would reduce the number of physical prompts you use (e.g., only placing their arm through the sleeve once instead of twice). Eventually, you would stop using physical prompts altogether, and your child would be putting on their coat independently. Fading is important because it helps your child become more independent and less reliant on prompts.
These are examples of the many ABA strategies you can use at home to support your child’s therapy. If you’re unsure where to start, talk to your child’s therapist about which strategies would be most beneficial for your child. Trust me, they will be 100% thrilled you want to carry over strategies at home. And remember, every little bit helps! Even if you only have time to implement one or two of these strategies, you’ll make a big difference in your child’s life.
Reference;
NevadaAutism. (2019). Basics of ABA. Retrieved from; https://nevadaautism.com/basics-of-aba
