Guest guest Posted August 25, 2005 Report Share Posted August 25, 2005 Hi, I'm new to the list. I'm just starting to get involved in biomedical interventions for my 4 year old son. Unfortunately I've wasted a lot of time, but hopefully it won't be too late for him to benefit from various protocols. In response to some recent talk about ABA ... just my 2 cents but Lovaas began his work a long time ago. 30 Years now? The science of behavior analaysis has evolved very much so those early years ... new techniques, better prompting methods, more focus on the child's individual motivation - there are many bodies of literature to back current practices. The problem is that not everyone " doing ABA " has kept up with these advances in the science or knows how to apply them. I think ABA has become so popular that everything " does it " or at least they think they do it. They can perhaps follow a recipe or cookbook but generally have little understanding of behavior analysis. (Let alone how to apply it) If anyone has ever seen Dr. Carbone's workshops or conferences you know what I mean. Behavior analsysis is a science backed by much literature and research. How this science is used is the Application of it. Not everyone can apply it unfortunately. I think generally it gets a bad rap because of the earlier Lovaas stuff and people's inability or unwillingness to look beyond a cookie cutter approach. Sorry .. probably not a good way to introduce myself - I just hate hearing about the crapping stuff that is being called " ABA " . LIke another listmate, my son's program has never relied on reinforcers that involve food items. It is the job of the therapist to condition items as reinforcer, say ... toys for instance or activities, songs, motions. It is really all about manipulating the environment and following the child's moment to moment motivations (some motivations at any time may indeed include food) but food should not be the ONLY reinforcer used. ALso a child should never feel he is " Working " for anything. Therapy should be fun and he should WANT to be with the therapist - not work to get away or stop the demands. Sorry to rant .... ann Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 25, 2005 Report Share Posted August 25, 2005 Hi ann, Never mind the ranting, heck you will fit right in! What you said makes a lot of sense. I know from culinary school that you can give 10 people the exact same recipe, tell them to follow it and you will get 10 dishes that taste different. Each person will inevitably do something to it that will make it different, their own. The essence will be the same but in some way, it will be different. My son really enjoyed his therapy for the most part. He is a kid so there were times he wasn't thrilled, like when we added new programs and he didn't understand them yet, but I would still say he enjoyed his time with his therapists. One would always do the sensory play with him. Whenever he would get a little too sensitive and not want to touch things for instance she would grab a can of shaving cream, strip him down to a pull-up and he would end up covered in the stuff laughing the whole time. I think it would be smart to at least try a program and see how the child did. For us it was the only way to really teach our son anything. It is good to even apply some aspects to typical children as well! I would just make sure that you and everyone are all on the same page. And don't be afraid to stand up for your child. We are all pretty gutsy people here, we should all be able to do that. With what an ABA program costs, I would hope we would be calling the shots!! As far as getting started with biomedical at age 4, there is still a million things you can do to help your child!!!! I can't believe the changes in our son these past three years. We have done the ABA, supplements of all sorts, diet, enzymes, and are in the beginnings of chelation. I have a completely different child from when he was first diagnosed. You are in a fantastic place to get help for your child. I am amazed at the knowledge of people on this group and their willingness to help you. This was the answer to my prayers, really. Wishing you the best! and ann <kevmac1994@...> wrote: Hi, I'm new to the list. I'm just starting to get involved in biomedical interventions for my 4 year old son. Unfortunately I've wasted a lot of time, but hopefully it won't be too late for him to benefit from various protocols. In response to some recent talk about ABA ... just my 2 cents but Lovaas began his work a long time ago. 30 Years now? The science of behavior analaysis has evolved very much so those early years ... new techniques, better prompting methods, more focus on the child's individual motivation - there are many bodies of literature to back current practices. The problem is that not everyone " doing ABA " has kept up with these advances in the science or knows how to apply them. I think ABA has become so popular that everything " does it " or at least they think they do it. They can perhaps follow a recipe or cookbook but generally have little understanding of behavior analysis. (Let alone how to apply it) If anyone has ever seen Dr. Carbone's workshops or conferences you know what I mean. Behavior analsysis is a science backed by much literature and research. How this science is used is the Application of it. Not everyone can apply it unfortunately. I think generally it gets a bad rap because of the earlier Lovaas stuff and people's inability or unwillingness to look beyond a cookie cutter approach. Sorry .. probably not a good way to introduce myself - I just hate hearing about the crapping stuff that is being called " ABA " . LIke another listmate, my son's program has never relied on reinforcers that involve food items. It is the job of the therapist to condition items as reinforcer, say ... toys for instance or activities, songs, motions. It is really all about manipulating the environment and following the child's moment to moment motivations (some motivations at any time may indeed include food) but food should not be the ONLY reinforcer used. ALso a child should never feel he is " Working " for anything. Therapy should be fun and he should WANT to be with the therapist - not work to get away or stop the demands. Sorry to rant .... ann ======================================================= Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 25, 2005 Report Share Posted August 25, 2005 I agree! This is the best place to learn and make well informed decisions! Glad you joined! Jackie--- > As far as getting started with biomedical at age 4, there is still a million things you can do to help your child!!!! I can't believe the changes in our son these past three years. We have done the ABA, supplements of all sorts, diet, enzymes, and are in the beginnings of chelation. I have a completely different child from when he was first diagnosed. You are in a fantastic place to get help for your child. I am amazed at the knowledge of people on this group and their willingness to help you. This was the answer to my prayers, really. > > Wishing you the best! > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.