How Often Should My Child Get Aba Therapy?
How to Use ABA Therapy: Figuring Out How Much Your Child Needs
As the parent of a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), you want your child to get the best care and support possible. Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy is a well-known and proven method for helping children with ASD, but it can be hard to decide how much treatment a child needs. In this blog post, we'll talk about the things you should think about and the evidence-based rules for figuring out how much ABA therapy your child needs.
How to Understand the Intensity of ABA Therapy:
ABA therapy is a personalized treatment that teaches and reinforces good habits while trying to get rid of bad ones. The number of hours and sessions of ABA treatment a child gets each week is a measure of how intense the therapy is. The best intensity can be very different based on things like the child's age, needs, the severity of their symptoms, and their family situation.
Guidelines based on facts:
Even though there is no one-size-fits-all answer to how much ABA therapy a kid should get, there are a few guidelines based on research that can help you decide:
1. Early Intervention: Research shows again and again that getting involved early leads to better results. The National Research Council says that young children with ASD should get 25 to 40 hours of focused intervention per week, with a strong focus on active engagement and personalization.
2. Intensity and Progress: A study published in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis in 2009 found that adaptive behavior, communication skills, and cognitive abilities improved more in children who had more intensive ABA therapy.
3. Individualized Approach: Each child is different, so their schedule should be made to fit their needs. The Association for Science in Autism Treatment (ASAT) stresses the value of making treatment plans for each child that take into account his or her strengths, weaknesses, and family's wishes.
4. Continued evaluation: Regular evaluations by trained pros can help you see how your child is doing and change the intensity of therapy as needed. These checks make sure that the therapy is still working and still meets your child's needs as they change.
Age Plays a Role:
Age is a big factor in how much therapy someone needs. To make the most of a young child's brain's ability to change and learn, early intensive help (20–40 hours per week) is often suggested. As kids get bigger, therapy might get less intense, but the focus will still be on building important skills.
Act of Balancing:
It's important to find a good mix between therapy and your child's other activities, like school, friends, and family time. If a child is overwhelmed, it can make them tired and hurt their general health. Work with professionals to create a schedule for your child that meets their needs and lets them do a range of things.
In the end:
Figuring out how much ABA therapy your child needs is a complex choice that should be based on age, individual needs, and evidence-based guidelines. Working with experienced professionals, like ABA therapists and developmental specialists, can help you make a plan that fits your child's growth and development goals.
Don't forget that flexibility is key. Your child's therapy will continue to be helpful and successful as long as they get regular assessments, talk openly with their therapists, and keep track of their progress.
Sources:
1. National Research Council. (2001). Educating Children with Autism. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
2. Howard, J. S., Sparkman, C. R., Cohen, H. G., Green, G., & Stanislaw, H. (2009). A comparison of intensive behavior analytic and eclectic treatments for young children with autism. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 30(2), 288-303.
3. Association for Science in Autism Treatment (ASAT): Age at Intervention
