Top 5 Myths about ABA

Every day we hear fake news. Sometimes it’s hard to tell fake news from real news. When you’re choosing a therapy to help your child having real news is vital. Here are the top 5 myths about ABA briefly explained.

Top 5 Myths about ABA Explained:

Myth 1: ABA is only for autism.

While ABA is most well known for it’s use with autistic children there are many other applications. ABA can be used to address a wide variety of conditions: ADHD, substance abuse, anxiety and anger, traumatic brain injury are only a few. There is also a lot of really neat use of ABA in business and sports. The Florida Institute of Technology has a certificate program in Organizational Behavior Management (OBM). OBM addresses performance management, safety systems and behavioural systems analysis.

ABA is in classrooms around the world every day. But it’s not called ABA… it’s just called teaching!

Myth 2: ABA is all about drills at the table

Old-school ABA was drills at the table. However lots of research in education shows that young children learn best through play. As the decades pass and research continues, new naturalistic interventions are becoming common, like the Early Start Denver Model and Pivotal Response Treatment. Generalization is also becoming an integral part of all good ABA programs. The child needs to show the skills across settings, people and materials in order for it to be useful. Generalization doesn’t happen exclusively at the table.

Myth 3: ABA is only effective when it’s more than 40 hours per week.

This is one of the most widespread myths about ABA. Early research showed that ‘intensive’ programs of 40+ hours each week were the most effective. However a recent study showed that there was no difference in outcomes between 15 and 25 hours/week of therapy. It is very common to see children in 6-15 hours of therapy each week with great results. Comprehensive ABA is 20+ hours of therapy per week. It’s comprehensive because it delivers a full curriculum. 5-19 hours of therapy per week is called Focused ABA because it focuses on specific skills and teaches those to mastery.

Myth about ABA: It's all about drills at the table.

Myth 4: ABA uses food as a bribe.

A big part of ABA is using positive reinforcement. We want to encourage the behaviours we want to see again. A surefire way to do this is by using positive reinforcement. By adding desirable things to the environment after a behaviour occurs you make it more likely that the behaviour will happen again. Anything can act as a reinforcer, as long as it makes a behaviour more likely to happen again. Sometimes that’s food, but more often it’s toys, praise and privileges. The ABA team should always be developing new reinforcers to keep the person motivated.

Myth 5: ABA will fix the autistic child.

ABA teaches skills and reduces challenging behaviour. This leads to improved quality of life. Autism is a neurological disorder. It has no cure. However, there is still plenty to be hopeful about. All children have the potential to learn and grow. It’s not about reaching a specific milestone, but rather about becoming the best that they can be.

Myth about ABA: It will cure your autistic child.

Conclusion

Finding the right therapy for your autistic child is vital to improving their (and your) quality of life. Don’t be led astray by the fake news. ABA is one of the most studied and effective treatments for your child.

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