by IABA Team | Oct 5, 2021
Many people with ASD (autism spectrum disorder) need support when learning specific skills or new behaviors that are positive and functional. ABA therapy can be very effective with teaching skills in these common areas:
- General social skills
- Communication
- Self-help
- Motor skills
- Play skills
- Leisure activities
- Independent daily living
How is ABA Therapy Beneficial?
The basis of ABA therapy is to identify why a person engages in a particular behavior followed by creating environments that support effective, lasting change for the better. When new, helpful behaviors bring about good results, old, unhelpful behaviors begin to decrease.
ABA therapy provides beneficial information on:
- Why behaviors occur
- How certain environments can affect behavior
- The best way to create a beneficial, long-lasting therapy plan
- The most effective therapy models for changing individual behavior
ABA Therapy Expectations
ABA therapy can be conducted in clinics, schools, outside settings, and inside the home. ABA programs are managed by Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs), who are Masters-level professionals and direct care providers. In most cases BCBAs are Registered Behavior Technicians (RBTs), which is a national certification.
The role and responsibilities of the BCBA include:
- Developing a treatment plan
- Helping parents and other caregivers manage treatment plans
- Developing and conducting progress assessments
- Monitoring work conducted by other direct care providers
Depending on the intensity of the treatment, BCBAs may work with the child and direct care anywhere from multiple days per week to a few days per month.
Direct care providers are closely monitored by BCBAs to make sure the correct therapy program is being followed. It is imperative that any comprehensive ABA therapy programs are followed by all caregivers, from teachers to parents. Talking to your BCBA will help you understand their therapy program.
Typical therapy sessions include play, practicing daily activities like toileting or dressing, and structured teaching activities. ABA Sessions are customized for each child’s strengths and needs and designed to improve the quality of life for both the child and their family.
Helping parents with continuing therapeutic practices at home is a critical part of ABA therapy. Without continued reinforcement, certain behaviors may take longer to learn or even regress.
ABA Therapy from IABA Consultants
If you have questions regarding autism treatment, education, or plans using ABA therapy, we are here for you! Our goal is to make sure no family is turned away due to financial constraints. Our therapy team would love to talk to you. Find the location closest to you and give us a call. We’re here for you.
Sources
Arizona Autism United
by IABA Team | Sep 27, 2021
The likelihood that a person with autism has another condition correlates strongly with the age at which they received their autism diagnosis, according to a new study. The study also noted that girls with autism are more likely than neurotypical girls to have other conditions, to a degree not seen in boys.
Study factors included whether a person with autism’s age at ASD diagnosis or birth sex changed their chance of having any of 11 common comorbid conditions (including epilepsy, anxiety, and ADHD). The study drew on data from around 16,000 people with autism and more than 650,000 neurotypical people up to 16 years old.
Among people included in the study who received late ASD diagnoses (11 to 15 years old) 26% of girls and 13% of boys were also diagnosed with a comorbid condition. The trend for intellectual disability in the study was the opposite with 40% of people with an early autism diagnosis having an intellectual disability, compared to just 10% percent of people with a late autism diagnosis.
Looking at Gender and ASD Comorbidities
For 11 co-occurring conditions considered by study researchers, the age of autism diagnosis was the single biggest predictor of whether a participant had that condition. Gender was another major factor.
Among individuals with autism, girls were 2.2X more likely to have anxiety than boys. By contrast, anxiety is about 1.4X higher in neurotypical girls than neurotypical boys. And while neurotypical boys are 2.6X more likely to have ADHD than neurotypical girls, the ratio dropped within the ASD population. Boys with Autism are just 1.6X more likely than girls with autism to have ADHD.
Looking at the ASD Spectrum Index
86 percent. That is the proportion of people with autism who show “a fair to very good level of objective psychosocial functioning,” according to a study that tracked the jobs. The happiness and close friendships of 917 adults — 425 men and 492 women — were tracked over a six-year period. These study results appeared in the journal Autism in June 2021.
The results of recent studies have started taking closer looks at both the age of ASD diagnoses and the gender of people with ASD. The early data shows promising results in the differences between boys and girls with ASD.
ABA Therapy from IABA Consultants
If you have questions regarding autism treatment, education, or plans using ABA therapy, we are here for you! Our goal is to make sure no family is turned away due to financial constraints. Our therapy team would love to talk to you. Find the location closest to you and give us a call. We’re here for you.
Sources
Spectrumnews.org, Community Letter
Journal of Autism & Developmental Disorders, July 2021
Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, July 2021
Health Services Research, July 2021
by IABA Team | Sep 20, 2021
People with autism aged 16 and younger and 40 to 60 have higher odds of being infected with COVID-19 than their neurotypical peers do, according to new studies. Researchers analyzed data from 16,406 people with autism in Israel’s largest healthcare organization. The team matched participants with a neurotypical person of the same age and gender.
The results show people with autism aged 16 and younger were 1.3X more likely to be infected with COVID-19. Participants with autism in the 40 to 60 age range had double the odds, the study noted. All results from this study appeared in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders in July 2021.
“These findings suggest that people with autism or other neurodevelopmental disorders should be prioritized for vaccines,” said the lead medical researcher. “There is awareness towards the increased risk of morbidity among people with neurodevelopmental disorders, but I can’t really connect the link and say, ‘OK, they’ve taken our findings and turned it into a policy.’”
Research has just begun, which is why it’s uncertain why certain people with autism have elevated odds of contracting COVID-19. Researchers noted the differences seen in participants aged 40 to 60 could be associated with familial interactions, but there isn’t enough evidence yet.
ASD & COVID-19 Research Studies in the US
The number of autism-specific Medicaid waivers went up nearly 500% from 2004 to 2015, according to a new study. Many states use Medicaid waivers to provide services to people who may not be covered for ASD Services under Medicaid.
US researchers compiled a list of 269 different Medicaid programs focused on providing services to people with autism or intellectual disability. During this 11-year study, 26 states changed their Medicaid waivers to increase care options for people with autism. Nine states added a type of waiver called (waiver 1915C) specifically for people with autism, far outpacing new waivers for other types of intellectual disability.
“There’s a big difference in how states use Medicaid to meet the needs of people with autism throughout their life,” says Lindsay Shea, associate professor and director of the Policy and Analytics Center at the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute at Drexel University in Philadelphia.
ASD State Benefits
Three states researched in the study— Arizona, Rhode Island, and Vermont — do not offer any 1915C waivers, which was the main type of Medicaid program assessed in the study, thus they were not included in the study data. Arizona, Rhode Island, and Vermont use a different waiver, called a 1115, to provide long-term patient care.
Researchers also used data from autism prevalence studies to estimate the percentage of people with autism in each state who could potentially be served using 1915C waivers. The study estimated that Wisconsin could serve more than 20 percent of people with autism or intellectual disability through Waiver 1915C, while Minnesota could serve about 14 percent. For most states, the figure was far lower. The average state could serve an average of 4 percent of intellectually disabled residents or people with autism through Medicaid waivers.
ABA Therapy from IABA Consultants
If you have questions regarding autism treatment, education, or plans using ABA therapy, we are here for you! Our goal is to make sure no family is turned away due to financial constraints. Our therapy team would love to talk to you. Find the location closest to you and give us a call. We’re here for you.
Sources
Spectrumnews.org, Community Letter
Health Services Research, July 2021
by IABA Team | Sep 16, 2021
When it comes to behavior-based ASD therapy, Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy is currently the only successful evidence-based methodology. Two of the main objectives of ABA therapy are to develop significant social skills and adaptive life skills.
ABA therapy uses many different techniques to successfully teach people with ASD important social and life skills. The techniques used in ABA therapy recognize the unique learning differences between every person with ASD to develop a unique program catered to individual strengths.
Let’s look at some of the most common practices utilized by ABA therapists.
Reinforcement Systems
ABA therapists often use reinforcement to teach people with ASD the (good or bad) consequences of certain actions. Constantly reinforcing practices without changing the end result teaches behaviors and skills over time.
Reinforcement systems work best when the reinforcement practices are enforced both by therapists and parents. If a behavior is only reinforced by a therapist it might not stick if a person realizes that behavior is ‘OK’ at home.
Reinforcement systems can be emphasized with rewards or punishments. Most rewards and punishments involved in ABA reinforcement are small things, like words of affirmation or giving/taking away certain privileges.
Every person with ASD is different, so ABA therapists develop unique reinforcement systems for each client. Make sure to speak to your child’s ABA therapist in order to continue the correct reinforcement systems at home.
Discrete Trial Training
Discrete Trial Training (DTT) and ABA therapy are often mixed up with one another. This is easily cleared up by clarifying that DTT is a teaching strategy often used by ABA therapists.
What is DTT? DTT is a teaching method that breaks down skills and tasks into separate discrete parts. DTT looks at larger skills & tasks and breaks them down into small steps that people with ASD can figure out one at a time and eventually combine to complete larger tasks.
DTT often employs reinforcement techniques by rewarding the completion of component tasks. The use of DTT was one of the first systems employed by ABA therapists and has extensive research supporting it’s effectiveness.
The ABCs of ABA: Antecedent – Behavior – Consequence
ABA therapists look at overall behavior patterns and how to best teach desired behaviors to individuals with ASD. The ABCs of ABA therapy is a great way to remember this methodology; Antecedent – Behavior – Consequence. Here is how the ABCs of ASD work:
- An antecedent or stimulus provokes a behavior
- The behavior happens in response
- A consequence occurs (positive or negative depending on the behavior)
Consequences used in this methodology relate to reinforcement. Behaviors that need to be encouraged or mitigated need to have consistent consequences. Again, making sure the same consequences happen in therapy and at home is extremely important. Different responses to the same behavior send mixed messages to people with ASD, making it difficult for them to respond appropriately.
Modeling
Modeling is a methodology used by ABA therapists that modes desired behaviors, skills, tasks, and other important things for people with ASD. Modeling is a visual method of therapy, seeking to teach those with ASD certain behaviors and skills through observation.
The use of modeling depends on the student, as some are more receptive to emulating skills and behaviors than others. Talking with your child’s ABA therapist is important during modeling-type teaching, as some modeling techniques may help the child at home.
Chaining
Chaining is an ABA therapy technique that divides large tasks (a chain) into smaller pieces (chain links) to make them easier to learn. Chaining has two basic therapy types–forward chaining and backward chaining.
Forward chaining is when a task is taught by showing the smaller pieces in chronological order until the full task is learned. Reinforcement is used for each small step, in order to ensure the steps are fully learned. Once all the steps are mastered, the complete task can be completed.
Backward chaining is a bit different from forward chaining. Instead of having a person with autism master each small step for a task, a therapist will help with each small step up until the last step of task completion. The behavior during the completion of the last step of the task is reinforced. Backward chaining is used when a person demonstrates the ability to complete a full task when they understand the results (due to reinforcement).
Chaining is a very effective technique, as large tasks with many steps can be hard to learn for those with autism. The basic forms of chaining, forward & backward, are used for different people after a therapist identifies the best method for that person.
For chaining to be most effective, the use of ABA task analysis is necessary.
Task Analysis
Task analysis is used by ABA therapists to learn about individual children. Instead of reinforcing or correcting behavior, task analysis provides therapists with information on which therapy methods a child will respond to. Task analysis gives a therapist data they can use for both chaining and reinforcement methods of ABA therapy.
Utilizing task analysis allows a therapist to identify the most important areas where behavior or skill improvement is needed. Task analysis is very important as it identifies critical behavior or skill issues and gives therapists the data they need to help with those areas in the best way possible.
Task analysis is the basis for which of the therapy methods mentioned will be used. Combinations of basic ABA therapy methods are also used when a therapist identifies the needs of a specific individual. Each person’s ABA therapy regimen will be different, as each person has unique strengths, weaknesses, and needs.
ABA Therapy from IABA Consultants
If you have questions regarding autism treatment, education, or plans using ABA therapy, we are here for you! Our goal is to make sure no family is turned away due to financial constraints. Our therapy team would love to talk to you. Find the location closest to you and give us a call. We’re here for you.
Sources
Autism Speaks, What is Discrete Trial Training?
National University, ABA Psychology and Autism
Regis College, ABA Therapy Examples
by IABA Team | Sep 13, 2021
A recent study in the July 2021 issue of the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders has prompted outrage among many autism researchers.
Every researcher on the study (a study focused on autism prevalence and related costs in the US over the next 40 years) has connections to organizations that have wrongfully tied autism to vaccines. This is a conflict of interest that none of the researchers on the study properly disclosed.
About the Researchers
Mark Blaxill, the study’s research lead, is editor-at-large of Age of Autism, a website that promotes distrust of vaccinations and the long-debunked link between vaccines and autism. Blaxill has made national news for his anti-vaccine views.
Toby Rogers, a study co-investigator, is a political economist. Rogers has written for the Children’s Health Defense Fund, a website that seeks to discredit vaccine safety. Another co-investigator, Cynthia Nevison, is a research associate at the University of Colorado and a former board member of SafeMinds, an organization that has unsuccessfully sought to link vaccines to autism.
“It’s abundantly clear that this paper doesn’t follow the journal’s policies,” says David Mandell, associate professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania and editor-in-chief of the journal Autism. “If you reference the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders’ conflict-of-interest guidelines, it says that certain ideological commitments and personal beliefs, personal relationships, all those things have to also be disclosed.”
The failure to properly disclose ties to certain organizational interests has led many researchers to disregard the study. The study researchers mentioned they are not paid to write articles or publish studies for politically motivated organizations in defense of the study.
Misrepresentation of Data
Autism prevalence data from the state of California was used to forecast that 3 to 10 percent of children in the United States will have autism by the year 2060. Based on this figure, the study mentioned the future societal cost of autism could be as high as $5.5 trillion per year. A third analysis claimed to model how prevention might reduce autism prevalence in the future.
Outside researchers say the data is flawed “because it was calculated by looking at really old data, comparing it to new data, and then assuming an exponential function.” Many researchers mentioned this issue as numbers that increased exponentially due to two totally different sets of data will always be too large.
One outside researcher noted “The rise in autism prevalence in recent years can be attributed to better observation and increased diagnosis on the community level. The base rate of autism isn’t magically rising because there’s some toxin that causes it, which is the underlying assumption [the paper’s authors] have.”
Prevention calculation in the study also used “magic numbers,” says Madison Hyer, a biostatistician at Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center. “Magic Numbers” means it isn’t clear what the word prevention means or even what’s being measured. “Are they saying that this is the cost of supporting or treating individuals with autism across their life in some way? Or is this the cost above the cost of supporting someone without autism? Everybody costs something.”
Outside Researchers on Prevention Prediction
Other comments from outside researchers mentioned “[the study] made some really severe assumptions about productivity … It looks like they were assuming anybody with autism would have zero productivity, but many people with autism work.”
Many outside researchers without organization ties observe that some people with autism may have disabilities and challenges, but that we as a society should think about how to support them. They’re still quite productive members of society.”
Some outside researchers noted that some of the data used to calculate productivity may have also come from questionable sources, says Kristen Bottema-Beutel, associate professor of teaching, curriculum, and society at Boston College in Massachusetts. “The data they use appears to be from a non-peer-reviewed PDF.”
“The Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders was established in 1971, and its first editor-in-chief was Leo Kanner, one of the first clinicians to describe autism. Some researchers say the new study has diminished their perception of the journal, which has an impact factor of 3.047. (A journal’s impact factor reflects how often its articles are cited.)”
“[This paper] makes me question the peer review process,” says Brittany Hand, assistant professor at Ohio State University in Columbus, who also wrote a letter of protest to Volkmar. “How in the world does something like this get past [peer review]?”
ABA Therapy from IABA Consultants
If you have questions regarding autism treatment, education, or plans using ABA therapy, we are here for you! Our goal is to make sure no family is turned away due to financial constraints. Our therapy team would love to talk to you. Find the location closest to you and give us a call. We’re here for you.
Sources
Spectrumnews.org, Community Letter
The Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, July, 2021
