ABA therapy

[DialsMavis]

Hi, I hope you don't mind me posting here, I am a regular, but not on the SN boards. I have an interview to train as an ABA tutor. I was wondering if any parents who have experience of the therapy could tell me a little more about it from their/their child's point of view? I have learnt a fair amount about autism at University and have been researching the principles of ABA and VB, but have only really read the results of studies and explanations from people who offer therapy programs. So, I would really like to hear if any of you as parents (and thus, experts) really rate it and what any bad points might be?

I am very aware that if I am offered a place, it would mean that I could affect a child's life trajectory, so I want to be totally sure I am the right person for this career. What would you say are the most important qualities needed in a tutor?
Thanks in advance

Well firstly I'd like to say hurrah to you for considering ABA - there is a shortage of tutors, and you sound very thoughtful and enthusiastic which is fantastic place to start

We have done VB with our ds for coming up to 2 years and I am genuinely thankful we discovered it as I don't know where we'd be if we hadn't done it.

Pros:
provides a clear, sensible method of living with a child with ASD - not just 'managing' them but actually teaching them.
gives the whole family (and extended family/friends if applicable) a way of knowing how to interact with the child
provides the child with skills needed in every area they need it - language, communication, behaviour, self-help etc

Cons
have to make an effort with everyone to be consistent, which can be hard (eg with friends/family/school (!) who can't/won't do it because it's too much work
most families who do it will have a never-ending battle with the local authority and school to allow it/fund it
is expensive for families to do if funding it themselves
can be hard to find good tutors

Most important qualities imo:
understanding of psychology - ABA is about understanding the function of behaviour so if you get that wrong, you can't teach effectively (and could do harm)
enthusiasm & energy
creativity (ie thinking of new situations for teachign opportunities all the time, esp in a VB programme which is likely to be NET)
reliability - nothing worse for a family than being let down by tutors being late or cancelling sessions
not shrieky - we've interviewed many tutors who think that to engage with a child you have to have a high-pitched manic voice like some childrens entertainer - wrong!

HTH. Good luck

It's hard work but amazingly rewarding, and you get to see results very fast.

Your toughest job will be dealing/ building a relationship with grumpy parents who are fighting a system that is unjust and evil and who have learned to trust no-one and who may want to off-load. It is sensible to stay focused on the child and get on and be professional with your work with them.

Side-tracked, unfocused tutors can be a bit of a weak link in an ABA programme as can arrogant non-team players. There can be egos unfortunately as the regulation in this country has been quite poor and a lot of people are wrongly getting by with dubious credentials.

But, good on you. There is a shortage of tutors, definitely potential to make a huge difference to Chikdren and families and depending on your career path, to the reputation of the profession.

Thanks for the replies. I have just finished a Psychology degree (BSc) and am waiting for my results. I will get a shadowing day if they like me, before I make a decision. Do your children enjoy/ not hate the program?

That's the whole point. Motivation.

Find what the child likes doing then give it to them in abundance using their very favourite things to tag on the learning to, and creatively turn their newly developed skills into their most favoured things!

Thanks Starlight, the organisation seems like they are in it for the right reasons. I want to be totally sure before I take the plunge (if they even like me in the first place), hence why I am posting. I would get 50 hours initial training and then ongoing after that.

I am really looking forward to the interview! must now go and iron and pick the fluff off my 'nice' trousers...

I will definitely take on the point about the voice, if I get the opportunity to shadow a tutor and meet some children. I sound like a patronising childrens TV presenter when I have children I don't know home for tea

For example, my Ds was obsessed with the shape of stars, but refused to hold a pencil.

So we drew all but the last bit of a line if a star and he became obsessed with completing it. We gradually left more and more bits of the star off and his pencil skills developed. He LOVED drawing stars so much that we then let him draw a star every time he did some correct matching which he found a challenge. He got so much praise for correct matching that he started to request matching as a task, so we allowed him to do some matching every time he touched his toothbrush (which he had a fear of) etc.etc.

So he woukd run to the door when his tutor came because she was just full of all these amazing and rewarding things for him to do iyswim.

Thanks it's great to hear about it in the real world, rather than as theory. Your point about parents struggles and remaining professional rings true for me too. As, I can see how I could get really caught up in things like that, so would have to make a real effort to stick to my role.

Is it terribly hard to get funding if you can't finance it yourself?

Yes. Very hard. The battles for funding takes place in a very political arena. It isn't actually about cost. There are consequently a lot of myths about ABA and a lot of misunderstanding. This can be a frustrating part of your job.

We have done ABA for nearly 3 years, my DS is 5.5. It has been life changing, we just have a very different child than the one we had before ABA. I think if you have any doubts about ABA then go and see the alternative e.g. a child in mainstream with a teaching assistant / special schools. You will then see why ABA makes such sense. Good training and support is important when you are starting out.
You have to get used to receiving constructive criticism as part of your job, but its completely non judgmental, everyone in the team including parents get 'feedback' about how they could be more consistent / approach things better. Its a group effort.

I would ditto bialy's list of pros and cons.
Yes funding is a nightmare - the most stressful part.
I am not grumpy with my tutors, I adore them for giving me a break .
My DS does enjoy it - he certainly is very bored when he is not doing it; an ability to make it fun is important, even when you may be getting little back. He is a much happier child than before ABA.
He has more skills and things that were a nightmare (toiling, eating / diet, sleep, haircuts, tantrums, outings) are now hugely better.
He is also much more social and affectionate. DS was a typical social baby/toddler and then regressed losing most of his skills, we had little help for months and then started ABA. Within weeks he started talking again, using our names again and being cuddly and affectionate again. It was like a light had gone out, a total system shutdown and we were left with a shell of a child, then we started ABA and its no magic bullet but over time, day by day with a lot of very hard work, we felt like we started to get our son back bit by bit. I don't actually know where we would be without ABA.
I also like the systematic approach, its reassuring that there is science behind it and a plan - completely unlike the provision the Local Authority gave him which was totally random, one size fits all and entirely unsuccessful (although very cheap). I feel now I always know where we are and whats next.
I also get to input into the programme issues that come up at home, so it cuts across home and school life; whereas most other provision assumes the child stops being autistic at the end of the school day / in holidays and you don't need advice at home!
Some children make good steady progress, some amazing progress and some slow progress. You need to be able to see the reward in every small step. I don't think it suits everyone, you have to be quite dedicated and disciplined. You don't have to be that confident when starting out, we have had several new graduates on our team and within a year they are transformed confidence wise. You just have to be willing to learn.

I hasten to add that I have never been grumpy with our tutors either. But because of this they have sometimes told me about their frustrations with other parents which I have felt uncomfortable about and don't consider very professional.

I've never been grumpy with our tutors, though have had to fire part company with a few - either because they just didn't get it, didn't understand the functions of ds's behaviour (eg thinking something was attention-seeking when it was avoidance, so ignored it, thereby allowing ds to escape from a demand), or because they were crap and unreliable.

But on the whole I have, like agnes, adored our tutors - and the ones that stick with it become almost part of the family. As a parent of a child with asd, it can be pretty lonely, as others not going through it don't really understand - and there is ime always a tendancy for people to under-estimate the abilities of someone with autism, and to really misunderstand the condition. So it is just great to have someone who understands it, and who has high expectations.

For me, the most important thing is that there are now people I can ask what to do in any situation, and who can tell me what to do to improve the situation and to help ds.

In answer to whether ds enjoys it - with a good tutor he loves it. Sometimes still when the door rings for a home session and he realises who it is he'll say he doesn't want to see them, probably because he knows he has to 'work' and not be allowed to watch tv - but within 30 seconds he is all over them

But if it's someone who he hasn't really paired properly with it has been a nightmare.

TV presenter is fine - just not a really manic shrieky one

Thanks everyone, lovely stories! You have all really set my mind at rest. I think I was slightly concerned that in practice ABA might feel to the child that they are being forced to conform and behave in a way we/school require. I think I will only be able to do part time at first as the wages will only just about cover my childcare and it's a fairly long commute.

I have a second interview tomorrow and will get to meet a child who is part of the program

Oooh, good luck!

My only advice really would be to 'love' the child. The world can be very confusing and frightening for a child with ASD and the care and attention of those around them can help them make sense of it and become less scared over time. You don't do this by bullying them into submission, but by showing them what fantastic opportunities there are for them with their new found skills. It can be hard work convincing them at times, but so rewarding when it clicks!