aba therapy

[Miwish]

Hi,
are there any parents in the Birmingham area who have used/are using ABA therapy for their autistic child. I want to start ABA therapy for my 5 year old autistic daughter but I am finding it very hard to find a suitable ABA tutor as I need tutor recommendations from other parents who have used ABA therapy in the Birmingham area aswell as a recommendation as to which service provider I should use (i.e., any good consultants in the Birmingham area).

Also, my daughter is non-verbal so I am not sure whether I should start the ABA therapy for her or VB. I'm not sure whether ABA or VB would be suitable for her. Any advice appreciated. Thanks.

I am nowhere near Birmingham so cannot help you with tutors but I know PEACH and Autism Partnwrship, UK YAP run their program's nationally. Most of the independent consultants I know will be happy to travel as well. These are Duncan Fennemore and Sean Rhodes, Ruth Glyn, vicky boots etc.

Try googling these websites PEACH, VB Forum, Yahoo ABA UK group and and ABA tutor finder to find tutors etc in your area.

Most providers are running ABA program's which are laws verbal Behaviour these days. In the past, the emphasis of the programme was on learning skills often language was not a no 1 priority. These days the main emphasis of the program is communicltion mainly via speech, hence they have rebranded ABA as verbal behaviour, where as it is just a strand of ABA. Some providers use the traditional method of ABA which is called Lovaas. So if somebody is saying ABA or VB what they might mean is a choice between Lovaas or VB. they are both ABA.

I would not hesitate to go for a VB program. It has been brilliant for us sadly not on its own. For some people, ABA is enough on its own, but for us the ABA started working alongside dietary changes and intensive Occupational therapy. Just wanted to share my experiences of diet because ds1 is non verbal at 3.5 and he only started copying words after we cut out gluten and casein from his diet.

HTH.

Hi Dev9aug. Thanks for the advice. It's just so difficult to find an ABA tutor. Would you recommend simply hiring an ABA tutor (who has a lot of experience) without hiring a consultant aswell?

It is very difficult indeed. we have already moved once 100 miles away because there we no good tutors available locally. we are planning to move again for similar reasons + school.

I have no details of your situation so cannot recommend what you do, but I would personally not hire a tutor without a consultant or at the very least a good supervisor.

But I am also aware how hard it is to get started so if you really think you need to do something and hire a tutor then follow this simple rule, "First and foremost, do no harm" if you think you are not comfortable with something the tutor/supervisor/consultant is proposing, question them and do not let them implement it until you are satisfied and even then record it with evidence to see signs of improvement/deterioration and take appropriate action.

I would in the first instance get either of these books and get yourself familiar with the program before yo embark on a program so you are better prepared yourself and can question them if you need to.

www.amazon.co.uk/Motivation-Reinforcement-Turning-Tables-Autism/dp/1447748360

www.amazon.co.uk/Verbal-Behavior-Approach-Children-Disorders/dp/1843108526/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1355835195&sr=1-1

www.amazon.co.uk/Understanding-Applied-Behavior-Analysis-Professionals/dp/1843108607/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1355835242&sr=1-1

www.amazon.co.uk/More-Than-Words-Communication-Children/dp/0921145144/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1355835264&sr=1-2

I have all of them and they are all very good. If you stuck financially, then I would highly recommend that you get at least Motivation and Reinforcement and More than words. very very very useful.

Hi Miwish,

VB is the same as ABA, apart from it applies Skinner's book about verbal behaviour to teaching language (a famous behaviourist who discovered the basic principles of ABA). I would definitely go for natural environment teaching, without too much 'table-time' if your daughter is non-verbal..a lot of play and getting requests during play time!

I am a Bristol based ABA/VB consultant and would be happy to travel to you if you're interested. I am a BCBA (board certified behaviour analyst) returning to work from maternity! I have over 8 years experience in the field and am happy for you to ask families and/or schools I've worked with for references.
If money is tight I am happy to chat, (free of charge!) to answer some questions and point you in the right directions for support. Please feel free to contact me off list for my phone number.

Sarah