| When many parents think of ABA therapy, they only | | | | ABA therapy teaches each step in a pattern, process, |
| know what they have heard on online message | | | | or concept through repetition and guiding. A child is |
| boards. Unfortunately, the opinions offered on these | | | | taught the step over and over using prompts and |
| boards are not always dependent upon facts and | | | | positive reinforcement until they can repeat or perform |
| research, and many people who choose to speak on | | | | the step with no guidance. While this does essentially |
| the topic are simply misinformed- often grossly so. | | | | teach them to memorize behaviors and answers, it |
| While some parents get up in arms over the | | | | also does much more. One of the most remarkable |
| misconception that ABA therapy is nothing more than | | | | things about ABA therapy is that it can help to rewire |
| rote memorization and repetition, the truth is that it is | | | | the brain. In other words, the repetition helps to |
| much more than this. There is a reason why ABA is | | | | create new pathways in the brain that enable children |
| widely respected as the most effective treatment for | | | | to literally learn how to learn. |
| autism spectrum disorders, and that is because it | | | | |
| works. | | | | Through the use of memorization, repetition, |
| | | | | reinforcement, guiding, and prompting, ABA therapy |
| It would be silly to deny that memorization and | | | | works to help children learn to process tasks and |
| repetition are not an integral part of ABA therapy, but | | | | concepts on their own. Studies show that the skills |
| they are far from the only aspects. In order to really | | | | learned through ABA therapy are with these individuals |
| understand how Applied Behavior Analysis works, it is | | | | for life. Furthermore, intensive ABA therapy at a |
| important to first understand how autism works. The | | | | young age enables many of these children to learn |
| brain of an autistic individual does not work the same | | | | how to interact and learn in a standard classroom |
| as it does in others. While most people can watch | | | | environment. ABA therapy is about more than |
| someone brush their teeth and understand what is | | | | learning how to repeat an answer or behavior, it is |
| happening, the mind of an autistic person does not. | | | | about learning how to understand, act, and react. If |
| Instead, they must learn tasks like this one step at a | | | | you have spent too much time reading negative |
| time, with the pattern broken down into the most basic | | | | comments on message boards, you are urged to take |
| elements possible. | | | | the time needed to learn what ABA therapy is really all |
| | | | | about and what it can do for your child. |