We are so excited to partner with the neuropsychologists at Kids BRAIN to bring a new parent coaching program to you, Empowering the Spectrum of Parents (ESP)! Join us today, with options for live virtual group sessions, on-demand webinars, and 1:1 individualized coaching! Learn more at https://kids-brain-academy.teachable.com/ or contact Abigail Fletcher (abigail@abilityaba.com / 214-802-4460).
Guest Blog written by Dr. Jennifer Morrison (Kids BRAIN, Dallas, Texas)
Children on the autism spectrum are not usually very flexible. They require consistency and predictability at a far higher level than other children their age. Many of these children will spend hours per week in sessions with speech, occupational, and ABA therapists to develop new skills so that they can more effectively and comfortably interact with people, their environment, and the world as a whole. The downside to this type of model is that it requires a child to develop skills in one setting, like a therapy office or clinic, and to then use them in lots of other places, like at home, school, grandparents’ houses, and the grocery store. The problem is that children with autism spectrum disorders don’t take behaviors learned in one setting and with one person and naturally carry them over to behaviors in another location and with another person. This is called generalization. Most parents of a child on the autism spectrum will experience the frustration of having a speech therapist, occupational therapist, ABA therapist, or teacher rave about a new skill that they never or almost never see or get the pleasure of experiencing themselves. Their child can ask for a drink with a phrase in a speech session, (“More milk please”) but at home continues to gesture vaguely and to have a meltdown when they want milk. They can make eye contact to show interest when playing with a toy in an ABA session, but they continue to stand off to the side and remain separate from the other boys and girls in their preschool class. Generalization requires a person to understand that there is a function for that behavior and that it will allow them to get their needs met with the therapist in session, but also at home with dad, at the store with mom, and with their sister in the living room. This is a hard jump to make.
So, Kids BRAIN and Ability ABA are getting together to help parents build the skills they need to guide their child toward easier and more effective generalization. This means teaching the combination of behaviors, signals, and steps to help children on the spectrum take the behaviors they are learning with their therapy providers and to then begin to use them in other settings and with other people too. We are rolling out a parent training course called Empowering the Spectrum of Parents (ESP) Program that uses as a format for parent training to take isolated behaviors and to link them together so that the ability to engage, play, imitate, and communicate with others grows more quickly and effectively. We can’t wait to share it with you!