by IABA Team | Jan 18, 2022
There are many professions that are specifically designated to help individuals with autism. These professions range from publicly available to private in-home programs. The needs of each child are different and so are the professionals that can best help with their development.
Let’s take a look at some of the most common professions in the field of ASD and talk about who can benefit from their services. This is not a comprehensive list and is not meant to be taken as medical advice. Please listen to the recommendations of your developmental pediatrician or doctor!
Autism Professionals
The following 8 professions are commonly used to help with the development of individuals with autism. Note that many of these services can be used together–it all depends on the optimal service plan for each individual.
A note that ABA therapy is still the only evidence-based practice for helping the development of individuals with autism. Other programs and therapies can work in tandem with ABA therapy, but may not show the same results without its inclusion.
Applied Behavior Analysis
Applied behavior analysts (ABA) help individuals with autism learn by using ABA therapy, the only evidence-based method for helping symptoms of autism. ABA therapists are often found in clinical settings but they are able to provide in-home services as well. ABA therapists design unique plans for each individual that work with strengths and weaknesses to ensure progression and development.
Special Education Teacher
Special education teachers are typically found in schools, both private and public. These teachers can be trained in many different areas of special education, including autism. If you are sending a child with ASD to a public school, make sure their special education program includes an instructor who specializes in autism.
Certified applied behavior analysts are known as Board-Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBA). Clinics may use a combination of BCBAs and other ASD service providers in order to provide the best care to clients.
Rehabilitation Therapists
Related to general ABA therapy, rehabilitation therapists specialize in using ABA therapy in a clinical setting to help with development. Rehabilitation therapists are not BCBAs, but are educated and certified to help with ABA therapy in a clinical setting. Rehabilitation therapists without any direct professional links to a licensed ABA therapy practice are not recommended.
Occupational Therapist
Occupational therapists (OT) specialize in helping clients with everyday activities and duties. Like special education teachers, OTs specialize in many areas, from rehabilitation to autism. OTs may be recommended for helping with a development plan or routine for an individual with autism.
Speech Therapists
Speech therapists are essential for helping individuals with ASD and verbal communication issues developing speech and language skills. Like most fields on this list, finding a therapist that specializes in helping individuals with autism is crucial, as there are many types of speech therapists.
Social Workers
Social workers that help families with ASD-related issues typically introduce families to care options, plans, and networks. Individuals with more severe ASD-related issues may need specialized services for their entire life–services that many change over time. Having a social worker to help navigate the care landscape can help families select the best services for their needs.
Finding a social worker who is able to help with all of your child’s needs may take time, as social workers specialize in different areas. If you are thinking about utilizing a social worker, make sure to address all your needs and concerns before starting any program.
Developmental Psychologists, Clinical Psychologists, & Pediatricians
A developmental psychologist focuses on human development over the course of a person’s life. Developmental psychologists can help navigate issues and concerns with a specific individual’s development and recommend plans of action. Developmental psychologists are also able to determine if an undiagnosed case of ASD may be the case of developmental delays.
Clinical Psychologists can serve a similar role as developmental psychologists, but for different ASD-related issues. Clinical psychologists may be able to diagnose cases of ASD and will have information on how to proceed for the best development of an individual with autism.
Pediatricians are the first line of defense for identifying ASD and what to do next. While most pediatricians won’t diagnose ASD, they are aware of what warning signs to look for and what to do if they are encountered.
ABA Therapy from IABA Consultants
This article was intended as an overview of professional services and practices you may encounter with finding a program for an individual with ASD. ABA therapy is the only evidence-based method for improving the development and growth of an individual with autism.
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.
by IABA Team | Jan 11, 2022
If you have had a child diagnosed with Autism (or ASD), it can be tough to know what to do next. The developmental pediatrician or clinical psychologist that diagnosed your child may have given you some starting points for your child, but what else should you know?
Let’s take a look at things you should know about before considering certain developmental programs and options for your child.
Diagnostic Levels of Autism
The first thing you should take note of is the level of your child’s symptoms and abilities in regards to the autism spectrum. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) lists 3 levels of severity for autism spectrum disorder:
- Level 1 – Requiring support. Level 1 is typically defined by inflexible behavior in multiple contexts, difficulty switching from one activity to another, and problems with organization & planning.
- Level 2 – Requiring substantial support. Level 2 is typically defined by difficulty with changes to routines, repetitive behaviors that interfere with everyday activities, and distress or difficulty changing attention or actions.
- Level 3 – Requiring very substantial support. Level 3 is typically defined by extreme difficulty coping with changes, restrictive or repetitive behaviors affecting many aspects of a daily routine, and major difficulties changing attention or actions.
Each diagnostic level of autism requires different plans for proper action to be taken.
ASD Services
There are many services available to help individuals with ASD. Many of these services can work in tandem to create a cohesive plan to help with many aspects of autism. Some of the areas to start looking for help with a new autism diagnosis include:
- ABA Therapy (only evidence-based)
- Speech Therapy
- Occupational Therapy.
- Individualized Education Programs.
Many ASD service providers cover several of these areas and can help point you in the right direction for services they don’t provide. Having a plan with communication between service providers is essential for providing adequate care. If you need to see multiple therapists make sure they share reports with each other–using conflicting therapy methods and tools may not work as intended. Consistency and communication are necessary!
Working with ASD at Home
Aside from professional help, there are many things parents can do at home to help a child with autism learn and develop. These are general good practices to add structure and stability to the home life of a child with autism. Make sure to maintain good communication with any ASD service providers to ensure both you and the professionals are teaching your child the same thing!
Add Structure
Simply scheduling consistent activities on a day-to-day basis can greatly reduce negative reactions to change at home. Getting settled in a scheduled routine is a great way for a child to know what to expect each day. Scheduling can include chores, meal times, bedtime routines, playtime, learning time, errands, and anything else that needs to be done on a regular basis.
Use Visual Aids
Using visual aids can help children with autism learn and digest information more efficiently. Providing imagery for tasks or events can help a child understand what is happening or what they need to do. Using visual aids in tandem with a scheduling calendar is also a great tool that may be easy for a child with ASD to understand.
Learn & Control Sensory Issues
Many individuals with autism have certain sensory issues. These sensory issues can be triggered by any of the 5 senses. Learning what causes certain undesired behaviors or outbursts can help you avoid situations at home. Make sure that the whole family and any guests are aware of any sensory triggers.
Encourage Communication
Children with autism usually have a range of language limitations or delays. Due to their lack of verbal, complex, or social communication children with autism will often engage in problem behaviors to get their needs met. Learning small steps stones of communication with your therapy team and encouraging them with your child will help promote their self-advocacy, decrease tantrums, and increase their communication skills.
Follow through with Demands
Oftentimes, because of limited communication skills, children with autism say, “no!” with their behaviors in big ways. Parents are often, and rightfully, overwhelmed giving into their child’s behaviors because it is how they are communicating. However, as language is being promoted it is important to provide consistent boundaries to decrease tantrums and other harmful behaviors like self-injury.
There are many other things that can be done to help with behavioral issues, but they should be given to you by your child’s ASD service provider(s). Making sure things stay on a consistent schedule and being aware of your child’s needs & triggers can go a long way in smoothing out life at home. It is important to only follow the recommendations of a Board Certified Behavior Analyst when choosing and implementing a behavior intervention plan.
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.
by Jessie Cooper | Nov 24, 2021
This past week I wrote to you about setting boundaries with our children. In my blog, I wrote about the importance of boundaries for the emotional development of children. I also wrote to you about my own struggles in setting boundaries as a mama. One of the main reasons I struggle with setting boundaries for my own children is the (out)bursts that come with it.
It just so happens that as a clinician one of my primary areas of specialization is problem behaviors (the bursts). It’s what I went to graduate school to study over a decade ago. Over 10 years later and I can tell you the science of reducing problematic behaviors hasn’t changed. My own journey applying clinical skills at home, of course, has not (well, not totally). Today I’d like to write to you about both.
ABA & Bursts
Let’s start at the beginning with ‘burst science.’ Applied Behavior Analysis teaches us that social behaviors, both positive and negative, can be broken into units that can be studied. In studying units of behavior, BCBAs are able to identify the function of behaviors (why behaviors occur) and missing skills in the child they are studying. When it comes to reducing problem behaviors, behavior analysts are looking for why the behavior is occurring. This involves looking at what is happening before the behavior and what happens after the behavior.
While studying the environment before bursts occur, BCBAs look for a deficit in the child’s environment. What are they missing? Studying environments after bursts allow BCBAs to see if the child’s problem behaviors filled the deficit. If they did, the child is successfully using the problem behavior to get their needs met. This means the problem behaviors are being reinforced and will continue to occur. Magic I’m telling you. Magic.
You see, by studying what a child is seeking in a specific environment you can create interventions that fill the child up with what they are seeking to immediately decrease the problem behaviors. This isn’t a long-term solution, but it creates a short-term solution to make the days easier for the child and their families. While the child is being satiated BCBAs work on teaching new skills surrounding the child’s needs. This always looks like teaching functional communication skills, how to ask for exactly what you need.
Sometimes teaching specific skills can look like teaching patience and tolerance to ‘no’ when what the child wants isn’t good for them to have all the time. For example, if a child is throwing tantrums to get access to candy it’s damaging to have non-contingent candy all of the time. But if a child is tantruming for positive attention, we can fill them up without having to teach tolerance to no. Though we might have to teach waiting because sometimes mama (or papa) is busy.
The key to this remedy is to also remove reinforcement when a child is using their problem behavior to get their needs/desires met. If, in the scenarios above, the BCBA is providing candy (one piece) every 30 minutes and within 15 minutes the child hits to get access to the candy the BCBA cannot give the child the candy. If they do they will reinforce the hitting and take the motivation away from using words. It is here, in this little sweet spot of the behavior intervention, that bursts occur. Let’s talk about that.
Why Do Bursts Occur?
Underneath the bursts for children (and adults… more on that later) is fear that their needs/desires won’t be met. The bursts occur because, in the child’s mind, that very thing they want could become unattainable, their need won’t be met, and they will have to experience negative emotions. Dealing with both the fear of a need/desire not being met alongside psychologically negative emotions is tough stuff for a child. This right here? This is the hard part for parents and the sweet spot for teaching emotional resilience and intelligence.
As a mama, I know firsthand how easy it is to give in. To not want to deal with the temper tantrum, the screaming, and the crying. We are human beings and crying children is not comfortable. When we give in as parents at a given moment it provides immediate relief to ourselves and our children. It also perpetuates the very behaviors we don’t want to see more of and does not teach our children how to deal with the big emotions.
About a year ago Henry and I were at Dametrius’s football game and Henry wanted candy from the concession stand. I had packed snacks and knew sugar was on the menu later so I didn’t want him to have extra candy. I leaned down and told my little son, “no, not now we’ll have dessert at dinner”. Of course, in public, a full-on tantrum occurred. At that moment I thought how perfectly aligned this example was. You see at that moment I could have made a concession at the concession stand by just giving in. If I gave in Henry would happily watch the game and I wouldn’t have to be teaching Henry to breathe and tell me how he feels. But giving in also meant teaching my son to numb his emotions with food and that screaming works. So I stood my ground and worked with Henry.
You see under the bursts, as we are teaching boundaries. As children burst, their hearts need to know they can ride through negative emotions and still be safe on the other side. That nothing bad comes from feelings and that needs can be met in new ways. To me, as a clinician, I know that working through the bursts creates long-lasting, positive, change. As a mama, teaching my children to ride what is underneath the bursts is more valuable than any concession I could make at any given moment.
Xoxo,
Jessie
by Jessie Cooper | Nov 17, 2021
Last week I wrote to you about my own journey in boundary-setting as a business owner and woman. This week I’d like to dive deeper into boundaries and talk to you as both a mama and a clinician about boundaries on the home front.
As a clinician, not only do I have extensive knowledge about early childhood development but one of my areas of expertise is reducing disruptive and dangerous behaviors. I spent the first five years of my career in Applied Behavior Analysis working in early intervention and on crisis cases.
I can see my young self now, rested for the day, walking into a therapy session and teaching things like how to work through a tantrum. I worked with each family on their own values and expectations of their child, observed the needs the child was trying to get through their tantrums, and taught consistent consequences to the family as well as adaptive skills to the child. In the range of adaptive skills I often taught language (use your words), patience, tolerance to hearing ‘no,’ disappointment tolerance, and expression of feelings. Each family and child was unique but the structure of the treatment was similar and based on boundary setting.
Learning Boundary Setting as a Mom
Fast forward about 8 years to when I became a mama and my son Henry became a toddler. Henry was (and is) a strong-willed child. I remember writing in his baby journal “I didn’t know babies came out like you…” because Henry was (and is) so vocal about how he sees things and how he wants things done. As a mama, I tried to also be a BCBA and use the same tried and true treatment structure with Henry. State a boundary, follow through with the boundary, use your words, and teach new skills. Easy right? No. Hard no.
Throughout my journey into motherhood, while I love my boys above all else, I have struggled with both postpartum depression (Henry) and a toxic home environment because of domestic abuse. Toss in three boys who all have varied needs, wants, desires, and voices and the stress of setting boundaries felt impossible. You see, the thing with setting boundaries is that when you first set them children tend to resist them. Boundaries feel like a “no” to children (often they are) and the “no” feels like something for them to rebel against. As a parent, you have to be ready for the explosion as you set expectations. I’m going to be honest here; I could not weather the explosions so I became a, “yes mama”. Ugh.
Boundaries by Example
A year ago when I left domestic abuse my children & me. We were living in a psychologically frightening environment and I knew, no matter how much I wanted their dad to get help, that I couldn’t stay any longer. I set the boundary that I would not live in an abusive environment and modeled this incredibly important boundary for my children.
Yet as the last year passed my small children had so much change in their little worlds. While some of my “yes mama” tendencies went away, some remained. Want a new toy? Sure. One more piece of candy? OK. TV time? You got it. This also worked the other way and when my children behaved in ways I didn’t love (not staying in bed, dumping their food on the floor, screaming for things) I would spend time making empty threats (one more time and then…) and eventually give in. While home life was much calmer as a single mama and my children were happy with me, I knew I had to reset, buckle in, and teach boundaries.
You see, without boundaries children don’t know which behaviors are OK and which ones are not. Without boundaries, they don’t learn how to navigate unpleasant emotions and what to do with their unpleasant emotions. They also don’t learn how to behave in social situations and can become impolite, spoiled, and disruptive.
Keep in mind that little children are still children. It’s basically their job to overreact while testing boundaries early on. It’s our job as parents, however, to shape their behaviors in positive ways. Yes of course I want my children to be happy but I also want them to know how to navigate their own inner and outer worlds. Boundaries are the way to teach this.
Maintaining Boundaries
As the fall came so did a new peace in our home. I set some simple boundaries for the boys I knew I could follow through with and continued to teach them how to navigate their emotions. I spent time making sure the values I set were in alignment with my values and that I was ready for tantrums when they came. The boundaries I set were for good listening, respect, kindness, and understanding “no.”
My children have become calmer overall after the initial, “holy crap” boundary bursts. Boundaries tell them what is OK and what is not so they don’t have to guess or use tantrums to figure a given situation out. When they don’t like the answer they know we can hold space for them to be sad or mad. It’s a win-win.
Me? I have a ton of compassion for the woman I was in early motherhood and know I was doing the very best I could at the time. I also am incredibly grateful that I’m in a space to apply my clinical skills to mommyhood. One day (and boundary) at a time.
Xoxo,
Jessie
by IABA Team | Nov 11, 2021
ABA therapy is the only evidence-based ASD therapy, but the treatment only works if it is done with care. Not all ABA service providers are the same. How can you tell if your child’s treatment is being conducted correctly?
There are some red flags you can look for if you feel your child is not progressing or benefitting from ABA therapy. The points we are going to talk about won’t cover everything, but they will cover some of the most easily observable ABA therapy red flags.
We have split this article into two parts, as we want to mention why these red flags can be harmful and what you can do to notice them. Click here for part 1.
Not Listening
Every parent has concerns about their children. ASD parents usually have more things to be concerned about. If you have voiced specific major concerns to your child’s ABA provider without an acceptable response, you may need to rethink things.
By voicing major concerns we are talking about lack of progress, not sharing enough information, billing too many hours etc. These are things that should be addressed as soon as possible. Smaller concerns may slip through the cracks so you may need to repeat them in order to ensure they are taken seriously.
If all of your concerns go unaddressed by an ABA therapy provider, it may be time to look for a new one.
Only Using a Few ABA Therapy Techniques
Relying on a small pool of ABA therapy treatments and techniques can lead to a poorly developed program. If you notice your child is being treated with the same methods all the time, you may need to look at their overall program.
Some programs may focus on a small number of treatments for a set period of time, so be sure to ask when or if the program will change or progress. Your child’s ABA therapist should have a good answer why certain treatment methods are or aren’t being used.
All children with ASD are different, so be sure not to question a treatment program after a short amount of time. Have a discussion with your ABA provider to learn about the program that was designed for your child.
Templated ABA Therapy Programs
Similar to only using a few aba therapy methods, templated programs can be a major red flag for ABA programs. Every child with ASD is different and requires a different approach tailored to their strengths and needs.
This red flag can be seen relatively early in selecting an ASD treatment program or clinic. If you are presented with a brochure of programs or therapy ‘packages’ mentioned in a consultation, you need to really look at what is being offered.
In order to get the most out of ABA therapy, each child needs a custom-built program. ABA programs built on general needs will not help each child enough to address specific behaviors 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.
