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Trellis provides ABA therapy to help children with autism.

ABA Blog: Autism & ABA Articles

Addressing the Cultural Needs of Families with Autism

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Corina Jimenez-Gomez, faculty at Auburn University, and Lauren Beaulieu a behavior analyst for 20 years join us to discuss the importance of culturally responsive services in ABA. Along with their extensive work educating others in this area, they each bring their personal experiences to this important conversation. Corina is a mother and Venezuelan native now living in Alabama. Lauren also shares insights she has gained from her marriage to an Italian immigrant. There is so much rich information about how professionals can take responsibility and action to better serve families. One bit of advice offered to those just beginning their careers was, “Do a self-assessment and then get the training and focus on those soft skills that we tend to ignore in masters programs. Focus on relationship building. You may have to step outside your program to get that.”

Training: https://institute.centralreach.com/pages/cultural-competency-in-applied-behavior-analysis​​​​​​​

Interested in ABA Services for you child? Contact Us: https://lrnbvr.com/contact

Interested in a Career in the ABA Field? Apply Now: https://lrnbvr.com/apply-now

All Autism Talk (allautismtalk.com) is sponsored by LEARN Behavioral (learnbehavioral.com).

How to Manage a Career, While Raising a Child with Autism

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When Laura Brompton’s son, Bertie, was a toddler going through the assessment and diagnosis process for autism spectrum disorder, she says she needed a job she could do without needing to be emotionally invested.

She wanted to be able to walk out and leave work at the door.

“I didn’t have the emotional capacity to juggle Bertie’s needs with a job that would need me to focus my mind,” she says. “Bertie’s needs were the priority.”

She wondered how she could ever manage the stress of a career while raising a child with autism. She knew caring for her son would be demanding and expensive. She wanted to be fulfilled in her own work and be fully engaged as a parent. She knew some semblance of a work-life balance was going to be tough to achieve. But she was willing to adapt. So, she trusted her instincts and persevered until she found the right fit.

“When Bertie started school, I realized that I had a lot more time on my hands,” she says. “The job I was working in was weekends and early mornings, but I wanted to find something that would fit into Bertie’s school day so that I was always home when he was, and so I could take him to and from school.”

She wanted the same thing many parents juggling career and family do: a stable routine.

“For me, the best solution was to also work in a school,” she says. It was a change in her career path, but it was a way for her to strike a balance between work and home life. It gave her the freedom to be available when she needed to be.

Her son is almost 6 now, and she has found her niche working in a school and running “Bertie’s Journey,” a blog on Facebook documenting the frequent highs and occasional lows of Bertie’s life on the autism spectrum and their family’s day-to-day life in the United Kingdom.

While she doesn’t claim to have all the answers, she says these tips helped her transition:

1. Talk to your employer.

Finding an understanding employer is key to having the flexibility you need as a special-needs parent.

Academic studies, such as, “Daily Experiences Among Mothers of Adolescents and Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder,” from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, have looked at daily stressors parents experience, and researchers concluded that these parents need more support from employers.

“Make it clear to your employer that you have a child with autism spectrum disorder, and there may be times where that has to come before your work,” Brompton says. That opens the door to clear communication about expectations. And it opens up the opportunity for additional emotional support at work, where your employer understands the challenges you face.

2. Find a job you enjoy.

If you find joy in your work, it will reflect in the rest of your life, Brompton says. “It will help in so many ways and allow you a bit of time to be yourself.”

If you can’t find joy in your work, you may find yourself in a category researchers refer to as “parental burnout”—a phenomenon that can have serious negative consequences because a work-life balance seems so out of reach. Researchers see it as kind of a dying battery. When you can’t recharge, the whole family feels your zapped energy.

3. Establish routines.

Having good routines in place makes all the difference in keeping everything on track, Brompton says. Like many kids on the autism spectrum, her son thrives on routine. So she worked on establishing a consistent schedule. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has some tips here about how to create consistent routines for your own family.

“Getting to work and caring for a child with ASD can be a tricky mix,” Brompton says. “Having a set routine will make this run a lot smoother.”

4. Don’t take on more than you can handle.

Even before the COVID pandemic, women took care of almost twice the load as men when it came to shopping, cooking, cleaning, and taking care of kids and parents in the household, a McKinsey Global Institute study found. And many women are burning out. Last year, a Women in the Workplace study indicated that one in four women are considering leaving the workplace or downshifting their careers.

Brompton says she has learned when to say when. Sometimes, managing the balance between a career and raising a child with special needs can be overwhelming, she says. Sometimes you need a support system.

“If things get too much,” she says, “reach out to people.”

Laura Brompton says her most important role is “mum to Bertie,” who was diagnosed with non-verbal autism, among other diagnoses, in 2018. She blogs at @bertiesjourney on Facebook.

Looking for more tips about balancing a career while raising a special-needs child? Read “Perspectives: Support Women in the Workplace During the Pandemic.”

9 Types of People Who Should Apply for an Entry-Level ABA Job

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Looking for an entry-level yet meaningful and growth-oriented job? Like many, you may not know about the growing field of applied behavior analysis (ABA), a therapy based on science—and used to help people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) learn and grow. The entry-level position for ABA is called a behavior technician, and most jobs require no prior experience.

What does a behavior tech do? As a behavior tech, you would work one-on-one with children and young adults with autism to help them build skills and become more independent. You would also be part of a team of clinicians and caregivers working to help individuals achieve unique goals and reach their potential.

Are you a good fit for a job in ABA? Read on to see if you recognize yourself in any of these nine descriptions:

1. You want to make a difference.

New behavior technicians are often blown away by the progress their clients make.  Nothing is more gratifying than knowing that your work leads to positive change in the lives of kids and families. 

2. You love children.

Many ABA jobs involve working with children. If you love children and enjoy making them smile and seeing their progress, this might be the job for you. In most ABA jobs, your training is provided at no cost, so loving children is the only requirement.    

3. You like variety at work.

Work as a behavior technician is never boring. ABA positions may be located in any of number of environments, whether in an individual’s home, workplace, school, or community—or in one of our Learning Centers. For instance, you might work with a child at home to build turn-taking skills by playing a game or practice making requests through imaginary or pretend play. Likewise, you might venture to the grocery store with an older child or young adult to practice selecting food and going through the check-out line. Whatever the case, there is no end to the types of skills you may teach, from imitating words to ordering a meal and making change in a restaurant!

4. You’re interested in special education, psychology, speech and language pathology, occupational therapy, or physical therapy. 

You don’t want to start a degree program until you’re positive it’s the field for you.  Working as a behavior tech gives you excellent experience working directly with a population of children you might encounter in any of the above fields. As a bonus, hiring managers in education and other specialty services love to see an ABA background on an applicant’s resume.

5. You want to change your field or career.

ABA training is provided on-the-job. In most cases, you don’t need to come in with any special knowledge or training—only a great attitude and a willingness to learn.    

6. You’re a current or former paraprofessional or instructional aide in a school.

Some people gravitate to education but realize that working in a classroom is not for them. ABA allows you to work with fewer children more closely in a variety of settings, not just a single classroom or school. For this reason, you have more flexibility over your schedule and can often work part-time or full-time.

7. You’re independent and enjoy a supportive work environment.

As a behavior technician in an ABA setting, you typically receive written instructions on what to do, plus regular support from your supervisor, a board certified behavior analyst (BCBA). Most days, however, you also lead teaching sessions on your own, giving you an ideal mix of support and independence.

8. You want to find meaning in your work.

There is nothing more fulfilling than supporting a person in gaining independence or helping children find their voice. Behavior technicians do important, meaningful work each and every day, and often experience a strong sense of fulfillment. 

9. You’re curious and enjoy learning—and want a career with growth potential.

Ongoing learning and problem-solving are essential parts of any ABA career, including a position as a behavior technician. As a behavior tech, you can continue in that capacity or take your career to any number of next levels, starting with a position as a managing behavior technician. From there, with a bachelor’s degree, you could become an assistant behavior analyst—and then work toward your master’s degree, while serving as a clinical fellow. Once you earned a master’s degree, you could become a board certified behavior analyst (BCBA), and work your way to a managing BCBA or even a clinical director. The sky is the limit.

As more people enter the fast-growing field of ABA, either as a behavior technician for the long-run or as a stepping stone to another professional career, ask yourself whether you fit the bill—and, if so, visit our careers page and search “behavior technician” to apply for a job today.

Female Life on the Spectrum – Insights from Jennifer Cook

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Jennifer Cook was diagnosed on the autism spectrum at the age of 35 and is raising three children on the spectrum. She is the author of seven bestselling, award-winning books. This lively conversation had our host, Katherine Johnson laughing and crying. Jennifer provides perspective on why diagnosis has been widely missed in girls and women and promotes her philosophy of helping others, “Move from feeling like a mistake to feeling like a miracle”.

For More Information:
https://www.jenniferotooleauthor.com/
https://www.sanctuary-magazine.com/autism-in-heels.html
https://www.nowyoubelong.com/welcome

All Autism Talk (allautismtalk.com) is sponsored by LEARN Behavioral (learnbehavioral.com).

This School Year, Build a Trusting Relationship with Your Child’s Teacher

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by Katherine Johnson, M.S., BCBA
Senior Director of Partnerships, LEARN Behavioral

Building a strong relationship with your child’s teacher can benefit everyone involved. In fact, studies show that parental involvement in a child’s schooling boosts their motivation and performance. Parents with positive ties to their child’s teacher can learn more about the school environment, which can help them better understand and support their child. Meanwhile, teachers benefit by having another person on the educational “team” who can provide helpful information and context about the child’s learning history and home environment.

How, then, can you nurture this valuable alliance? Here are some things to consider.    

Communicate regularly and respectfully.

As with any relationship, communication is key. Reach out to the teacher early on, and be sure to connect consistently throughout the school year. Before you send that 50-page missive though, find out the teacher’s preferred method of communication. There are so many ways to be in touch these days: email, communication logs, phone calls, chatting before or after school. Some teachers even text with parents or ask that they communicate through special apps. With all of these methods, teachers can become overwhelmed, and your thoughts become less helpful and more stressful. So, however your child’s teacher likes to exchange information, respect their preferences. Share your goals with the teacher and make sure you understand their expectations. And as important as it is to be thoughtful about how to best share your own thoughts, the most important piece of communication is always: LISTEN! 

Build good-will.

Make sure your child’s teacher feels respected and appreciated. Whenever you have a chance to recognize their hard work, don’t be shy—reach out and tell them. Teacher Appreciation Week isn’t until May; make it your mission to offer words and gestures of appreciation throughout the year. Teachers are juggling a myriad of things: children, lesson plans, IEPs, and state regulations, just to name a few. Find out how you can be useful to them and help wherever you can, whether it’s sending in a few extra boxes of tissues or volunteering to come in and help with materials. You can also show your respect for their time by preparing for meetings, organizing your thoughts ahead of time, and adhering to the meeting times. 

Handle concerns with respect.

No matter how great the teacher, there are often bumps along the way. When this happens, take your concerns to the teacher first. Don’t go over their head until after you’ve tried to resolve things first.  Schedule a meeting to discuss your concerns, and arrive with an open mind and a collaborative attitude. Share your perspective, with the understanding that it is just that: your perspective. Ask for the teacher’s perspective and take the time to listen thoughtfully. Practice active listening by restating your understanding of the teacher’s important points. This will not only make the teacher happy but also help you listen more closely so you can better grasp their position. 

Just as your child works to build a relationship with their new teacher, you can work to build a relationship, too, starting with these steps. Keep in mind the old adage, “communication is a two-way street,” and know that most teachers want to hear from you and consider you a partner in your child’s education. Although you may, at times, want to fire off a heated email, move forward with patience and respect for the teacher’s workload and preferred methods of communication, knowing that listening is a critical part of the process—and key to your success.

Looking for more advice on making the school year a success? Read “10 Tips to Transition Kids with Autism Back to In-Person School.”

10 Tips to Transition Kids with Autism Back to In-Person School

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by Michelle Mannella, M.Ed., BCBA, LBA
Behavior Analyst, LEARN/SPARKS

Wow, it’s finally here! Some of us thought this moment would never arrive. But it’s time to send our kids back to school in-person or maybe for the first time at all. In the midst of a pandemic-frenzied world, returning to school can feel scary, difficult, and exciting for both children and parents alike.

With the emotions that come with such a milestone, it’s important to think about how to prepare for this, especially when sending a child with autism to school. Many children have been at home with their families for 18 months—or longer. This transition may be unfamiliar and uncomfortable.

“It takes a village” is a concept that could not be more accurate for a situation like this. As a board-certified behavior analyst (BCBA) with many years of special education experience, that’s where I can step in with advice. Here, I offer 10 tips that you can start doing now to make the transition less stressful and more enjoyable for everyone:

Prepare your child.

Take time to talk to your child about the changes soon happening. Explain that there will be other children around, new faces, and a new environment.

Start a routine now.

Begin waking up your child at the time they would need to get up for school. Eat breakfast and lunch at regularly scheduled times, and set designated times for your activities. If necessary, use a visual schedule to help your child better understand what to expect.

Visit the school.

When I was a special education teacher, we invited families on individual tours of the school to make the start of school less overwhelming. Call your school and arrange to visit. During your visit, familiarize your child with important areas, such as the nurse’s office, bathrooms, cafeteria, classrooms, gymnasium, the playground, and the principal’s office.If you are unable to visit the school, look at and talk through pictures online with your child. Also ask your child’s teacher to take pictures of different areas of the school, and go over those areas with your child. Explain what happens in each part. For example, show a picture of the cafeteria and explain that students eat lunch there.

Have your child meet the teacher.

Ask if your child’s teacher can Zoom with you and your child, or even meet in person to put your child at ease. This way, your child’s teacher is not a brand-new face on the first day of school.

Talk to the teacher yourself.

Meet with your child’s teacher before school starts to address any concerns. You can give the teacher tools and tricks about effectively working with your child—this helps more than you might realize. After all, who knows your child better than you, right?

Plan a play date.

Depending on your level of comfort with other families, reach out to parents who have children in the same class to see if they’d like to have a play date. This would allow your child to recognize some familiar faces on the first day. If your school offers any social events before or soon after the start of the school year, make sure you attend—and use it as a chance to meet other families.

Check on your child’s learning accommodations.

When speaking to your child’s teacher and staff, make sure your child’s agreed-upon accommodations are in place. More than likely, you have already signed an IEP or a 504 plan, but the beginning of the school year can be overwhelming for everyone, and sometimes things can slip through the cracks. Don’t assume everything is understood and in place—double-check.

Practice the transportation routine.

It can help to practice going on the school bus or following your child’s transportation plan. The first day of school can feel stressful, so the more familiar your child is with their routine, the better. You can also provide their driver with any important information about your child’s needs or challenges. Try to do this on the first day of school—or if possible, before.

Attend a school open house.

If your school has an open house or other welcome events, take your child to introduce them to the new environment, meet teachers and staff, and start the process of making new friends.

Start a communication log with staff.

Before school begins, decide what type of communication and the frequency of communication you want with your child’s teacher. A communication log may be a good method of keeping in touch with your child’s teacher on a daily basis and making you feel comfortable as your child goes back to school.

As the school year approaches, these steps can help you get ready—and most importantly, enable your child embark on a successful year of learning, growth, and fun.

For more back-to-school tips for parents of kids with ASD, read “Five Steps to Help Your Child with Autism Make Friends.”

Autism Today: A Look at How Far We Have Come and What is Still Needed

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Dr. Fred Volkmar, a professor at Yale University with over 40 years in the field of autism-related studies, joins us to provide perspective on how far we have come in the diagnosis, research, and services for individuals with autism.  With all the gains, there is still a great need for more research.  As Dr. Volkmar put it, “I think until we get more parents pushing for work on adults, we’re just not going to see it. You have to put your money where your mouth is and I think the federal government needs to fund more research on adults with autism”. Dr. Volkmar also discusses his latest book written with his wife, Dorothy Goodwin which aims to provide parents with practical help for their family.

For More Information:

Book: https://lrnbvr.com/wiley
Yale Autism Seminar: https://lrnbvr.com/yale-autism-seminar
Center of Excellence on ASD: https://www.southernct.edu/asd-center

All Autism Talk (allautismtalk.com) is sponsored by LEARN Behavioral (learnbehavioral.com).
 

How to Handle Screen Time with Your Child with Autism

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by Brittany Barger, M.Ed., BCBA
Behavior Consultant, Autism Spectrum Therapies

Summer can mean outdoor activities and family vacations, but it can also mean more time spent at home, with parents and caregivers scrambling to come up with a kid-friendly daily agenda, while managing work, running errands, and tending to countless other priorities. It should come as no surprise, then, that screen time is an easy “go-to” activity for families.

If you, like many parents, find your child spending more time in front of a screen than you would like, you probably ask yourself: Will too much screen time be harmful? How can I limit my child’s time on screens?

While research indicates some potential negative side effects for children who have prolonged exposure to screens,1 let’s be real: in the 21st century, it is nearly impossible to eliminate screens entirely. Still, it’s important to know that young children who spend more than two hours a day in front of screens may face an increased risk for developmental delays in language acquisition and communication skills,1 and that violent and fast-paced content and overall screen time are linked to ADHD-related behavior.2

To parents of children with autism, this knowledge can feel daunting, considering that kids with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can have delays in communication and language acquisition, along with deficits in attention. But let’s not forget the tremendous influence we have on our children—and the many tools we can equip them with to manage their own exposure and create healthy habits around screen time. These self-management strategies can help immensely as they grow up and transition to adulthood.

How, exactly, can you foster healthy screen-time practices in your child with ASD? Here, I share four tips that I use in my own home with my son and in my clinical practice:

Create structure and routine

Home is often a less structured environment than school, so screen time can be a “filler” activity when a child doesn’t have anything to do. An easy way to reduce time on screens is to plan out what the day will look like with your child. As you plan, involve your child in the process as much as possible. And know that failing to plan is often a plan to fail—especially for kids with autism, who tend to rely on structure and routines to help them navigate the day.

To establish natural boundaries around screen time, designate time that your child will have access to their devices. This will help your child understand your expectations—and what they need to do before they can access to their electronics. For instance, you might say, “First you need to eat breakfast and shower.  Then you can watch 30 minutes of television.”

Modify the environment

Modifying your child’s environment is another easy way to reduce access to screen time. Removing computers, televisions, and tablets from bedrooms—and making devices available only in common spaces—allows you to monitor your child’s screen time more easily. Holding batteries, chargers, and power cords in a separate location that must be accessed by an adult is another way to limit or monitor exposure. These steps also encourage social interaction, given that your child must interact with you to access their electronics.

Keep in mind, too, that some devices allow you to set time limits, so that after a specified amount of time, the device will restrict access or lock particular screens. This sort of intentional planning will go a long way in creating an environment that sets up your child—and family—for success.

Re-cycle

By this, I don’t mean tossing your devices into your recycling bin, as tempting as that may feel. What I mean is taking toys, activities, video games, DVDs, or any tangible items that your child interacts with—and “cycling” through them time and again.

For example, we store many of our son’s items in boxes and typically leave out only one or two of the boxes, while putting the others away. When he starts to lose interest with the current items, we pack them up and replace them with some of the stored boxes. How does this help?

Restricting access to his old toys makes the items more interesting, given that he hasn’t played with them in a while. Likewise, it prevents us from spending money on new items, saving us money in the long-run, while making the “new” items a good distraction from screens. In this scenario, everyone wins.

Encourage self-monitoring

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, long-term success with screen-time consumption depends largely on your child’s ability to monitor and adjust their own behavior. Each child requires varying degrees of support to self-monitor based on their development, but helping to bring awareness around “how much and what kind of consumption is healthy?” will empower your child to start. What can you do?

While implementing a true self-management protocol should be done under the supervision of a board-certified behavior analyst (BCBA), you can do some simple things to encourage your child’s self-management skills. Start by setting clear expectations around what kind of content is acceptable in your home. If appropriate for your child’s age and development, discuss why certain content is acceptable, while other content is not. Parent controls such as the ESRB game ratings and the Motion Picture Association’s film rating system can help you and your child make informed decisions—and can kickstart discussions on acceptable content. In addition, Common Sense Media publishes reviews of movies, TV shows, apps, games, and even distance learning programs. Written by parents and caregivers themselves, these reviews are incredibly helpful in figuring out appropriate versus inappropriate content—and in generating interesting discussions among families.

While these four steps are not exhaustive, they’re a simple starting point for encouraging “screen-time success” in your home and with your family. If your child receives applied behavior analysis (ABA) services, discuss these strategies with your clinical team so they can help you effectively implement any changes in your child’s treatment plan. Most importantly, don’t be afraid to try out different strategies—and see what works best for you and your child.

For non-screen alternatives to summer fun, read “How to Keep Your Child with Autism Engaged this Summer.”

References

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28168778/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29499467/

Follow Your Passions: The Vast Areas of Interest in ABA

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Dr. Danquah-Brobby is an international psychologist and board-certified behavior analyst currently serving as the ABA Chair for the Chicago School of Professional Psychology’s Washington, DC Campus. Paula joins us to talk about a variety of topics related to the education, professional progression, and interests of behavior analysts.  From teaching young learners to working internationally, this conversation highlights the many opportunities to diversify your work and experiences in the field of ABA. Paula and Richie discuss parallels in their careers and the moments that define success for their clients, their students, and themselves. As Paula shared, “I saw the beauty and the science of ABA and I thought – alright, I am going to be in this career for the rest of my life”. 

For more information:

https://www.thechicagoschool.edu/
https://www.facebook.com/TCSPPDC
https://www.instagram.com/tcsppdccampus/
https://twitter.com/TCSPPDCcampus 

All Autism Talk (allautismtalk.com) is sponsored by LEARN Behavioral (learnbehavioral.com).