ABA therapy for autistic toddler

[derbygirl23]

Hi there,

DS is most probably autistic and we are currently going down all channels for diagnosis.

was talking to DS’s preschool and when o mentioned ABA therapy, it was shut down immediately and I was told it was awful and shouldn’t be given to our toddler.

having searched any info on ABA on mumsnet there seem to be only good things said so am quite confused.

why would ABA therapy be considered so terrible?

TIA

I’m sure you will get others who are better informed but I think the bulk of criticism around ABA is because it is often geared toward making an autistic person ‘appear’ NT. Eg goals may include reducing stimming, that type of thing. I understand that many autistic adults suffered trauma as a result of ABA - I think the fact autistic adults tend to be quite against it is particularly concerning. Also when you see articles about ‘curing’ autism or showing ‘no symptoms’ etc I think they often point to ABA - but of course it is not curable and we should not be trying to hide these traits in our DCs

we did try it for a while with our DD (when she was about 2.5-3yo). We stopped because of lack of capacity with the service provider but in hindsight I didn’t love the approach. Eg for her a real ‘problem’ behaviour they tried to focus on was climbing. Yes, it can sometimes be dangerous when it’s a fence or something, but mostly for her it’s to regulate - she really needs to climb to feel regulated I think. They didn’t really listen when I made that argument. In other ways it felt similar to floorplan / Hanen / other approaches that just try to build connection with the child.

what was great is that we had an ABA BT attending DD’s nursery with her one day a week, and we really liked her (just not her organisation). At the time DD was in mainstream and they were struggling with her - so it was a big help to have one on one whilst she moved up the waiting list for dedicated SEN.

good luck, it’s a tough time when you start to realise it looks like autism is likely, or at least I found it tough.

Because all they know is a few old video clips from the 1960s. It is also intensive and will highlight how crap most of the standard support is. With ds the standard support was a hopeless early bird nas programme and two ineffectual people who wanted to video me trying to get my severely autistic ds to play with some toy cars whilst he tried to bite me. There was also some ineffectual bubble blowing. With dd I did ABA. She is very much autistic and her own person. However she has many more skills which make her life easier and is more engaged with the world. Ignore them. Find a good consultant and set up a programme if you can. You do not gave to do 25 hours a week either. We did about fifteen plus some nursery.

We have been doing ABA with our DD since last Aug and she has improved massively. All the sessions by the therapist are done through play.

My daughter has had ABA since she was 2.5 and it’s changed our lives. She isn’t very stimmy to be honest but those types of things are never targets. She can do as much or as little of those things as she likes. The focus when we started was following instructions and imitation. Teaching her to stop if she runs off. Everything is through play and she really enjoys it. She actually goes to an ABA school. Can’t speak highly enough of the ABA we’ve had. And we aren’t trying to make her more NT the goal is simply to give her skills she needs to love as independent a life as possible.

Thanks everyone for your advice. It’s definitely important to seek further information on this we feel as the opinion of one person shouldn’t dictate how we go ahead.

Would anyone be able to advise what sort of things the therapist would do with your DC?

we are based in south east so any recommendations for decent therapists would also be must appreciated.

thank you

We’re in the south east too. So it was imitation at first. Things like sit down, stand up, turn around, wave, clap hands. Just so she got to understand imitation as that’s how people learn. Then it because doing an adult directed activity such as completing a puzzle, threading beads etc. something she liked but when asked to do so and to finish the activity. All targets that are important for school for example. Then it was things like stop, come here, arms up. They also worked on communication with her SLT so she started with PECS and now she used the iPad. She’s now at school so has more evolved targets and also things like how to get herself changed, brush her teeth etc. having an ABA program is a huge commitment. From a time and family standpoint but also financial. You can’t dip in and out. But in all honesty I don’t know where we’d be without it. Feel free to PM me if you want x

I support a number of Autistic adults )as well as having ND children myself). I have yet to meet an autistic adult who speaks positively of their experiences of ABA, with most likening it to abuse. There are a couple in particular who have fairly significant mental health issues owing to their experience of ABA techniques. In what way do you hope ABA might help your DC?

ABA is simply a teaching method - the question is WHAT you teach and I suspect that has changed a lot over the years. An good ABA consultant today, who is alive to the critical feedback from autistic adults, can advise on learning targets that are appropriate and serve a purpose that isn't "acting normal".

The climbing example from the earlier comment is a great one - it should be about having the tools and ability to communicate with your child to be able to manage situations like that for the sake of safety, not because the climbing isn't "normal". We've never been advised to change my DS's sensory seeking behaviours unless they were actually unsafe (i.e. we're trying different approaches to encouraging him to walk safely next to me on the street without running off and into traffic - the alternatives of him being allowed to run into traffic, or being picked up and pulled away from the road kicking and screaming in a meltdown, are both infinitely more traumatic than ABA for everyone involved). Safe stimming, on the other hand, is actively supported - including supporting him to tell us when he wants a break from activities to do his sensory seeking activities - so that he's feeling more regulated and happy to learn. "Acting normal" has never crept into the discussion.

The learning targets we do have are mainly games that support cognitive development, fine motor skills, following instructions - matching games, drawing pictures, imitation games. There's tons of praise and no punishment - or dog treats - involved.

I agree scratchybaby. My daughter loved her home sessions and she loves her school. Acting normal or changing them to be more NT is not part of the agenda. It’s simply about teaching them skills they need to communicate their needs! I can’t talk about anyone else’s experience but ours and I cannot speak more highly of the tutors we’ve let into our lives. They are wonderful and my daughter has learnt so much. As for even comparing it to abuse I cannot even relate this word to the experience we have had.

@Scratchybaby @Lolly2803 I am looking for recommendations, could you please help to provide ABA therapy centers you tried, I see you had good experience. I am looking for my daughter 2.9 years awaiting diagnosis.

@JALofty20 Unfortunately the company I used has changed a lot and I don't think they take new ABA clients.

I found our consultant by phoning around a lot of places and speaking to consultants, and going with my gut instinct with the individual, rather than the size or reputation of the consultancy (as it was all new to me anyway). We also did a home learning programme, rather than going to a centre, so I myself was the tutor for quite awhile, and remained involved throughout.

Sorry that's not more helpful, but my main takeaway from our ABA experience is that you need to find the individual who will "get" your DC, and work with the whole person. I'm glad we gleaned what I consider the best bits from the programme we did, and skirted around some of the more intensive stuff, rather than steamrolling DS through a programme that I wasn't heavily involved in. Getting the right individual who was happy to work with me and DS and where our comfort level was at was key.

@Scratchybaby Thanks a lot for your inputs!!

My DS 4years old got diagnosed with Autism (nonverbal) and currently seeing lot of behavioral issues due to self directed behaviours. I heard lot of positives about ABA and VB. Please suggest some consultants details in Birmingham, UK and which one is more effective between ABA and VB. We as a family are struggling a lot, so please help. Thanks ever so much

Please don't be put off ABA because of scare stories from adults who experienced it as children. If they're able to talk about it and articulate their views on ABA, that suggests to me ABA might actually have been effective. And these adults might have received the earlier versions of ABA which used stricter methods, it's much more relaxed now. ABA works best between the ages of 2-6 so now would be the best time. It can be expensive however but some local authorities can help with funding.

Thank you@klayton

Autistic adults are overwhelmingly against it, and not just the bad old versions.

They argue it makes kids vulnerable to abuse and that the evidence it works is very weak. There's lots of superficial evidence generated through ABA charts! graphs! but do they actually measure anything of value?

Autistic adults also argue - and I do find this convincing - that by linking behaviour to rewards so relentlessly they leave kids with no capacity or understanding of why they might want to do something unless someone is offering them a biscuit.

Damian Milton - autistic academic with an autistic son with high support needs - is interesting on this.

It's also a profitable industry with, in the US, a lot of private equity backing. You can qualify as a BCBA with minimal training, and parents plus insurance pay for up to 40 hours a week of therapy. For years.

I think this again comes back to an old debate about whether articulate autistic adults can speak for the whole autistic community. Many of these people have little in common with my severely autistic non verbal ds whose autism, challenging behaviour and learning disabilities have had a very negative impact on his health and happiness.

Fair point - but see above re: Damian Milton. His son falls into the second group. And the if you exclude autistics who can communicate because they can communicate, then how do you get any autistic views on this?

I haven't walked a mile in your shoes though. And I don't know what I'd think if I had.

Thank you SuziePevensie for saying that. I think it is complex. I am sure ABA is not for everyone. I think it can be a good approach with some young children. I did all the standard therapies with ds - early bird, salt, sensory ot. It made not one iota of difference to his skills. Salt gave him pecs and that's it. His life has been very troubled and challenging. I have nearly been broken many times. My dd had a quite low key aba programme from aged 3 to 5. I was part of it. She learnt how to distinguish between words, how to use a toilet, how to copy actions and how to sit at a desk and attend to some basic learning. I remember the moment in the teaching when she learned that objects have names. It really opened up the world to her. She is of course very much autistic. She is lively, happy and is a real busy bee. She loves to colour and spends hours copying out the names of her favourite characters. She uses single words and some short phrases to communicate. She loves swimming and playing on her ipad. She has not been damaged by ABA.