Learning Life Skills with ABA Therapy

Greetings to all of our followers, friends, and family! This year’s autumn blog covers how ABA therapy can assist in teaching essential life skills that your child will  use throughout their lives. Life skills include important tasks such as brushing teeth, bathing, chores, among many other things that we do daily without a second thought. Those with ASD and similar diagnoses may need to be taught in a way that works for them (as each kiddo is unique) to master these skills. Let’s dive in!


What is ABA Therapy?
Applied Behavior Analysis (more commonly known by its acronym, ABA) uses science to shape behavior and promote learning. ABA intervention is the leading, scientifically proven therapy used to help individuals with autism, or similar diagnoses, live a more independent and fulfilling life. ABA uses 27 clinically proven strategies to promote learning. One of the strategies most commonly used is reinforcement to strengthen positive behavior and improve overall quality of life.


How Do BCBA’s Decide How to Approach Life Skills?
To begin, you and your analyst assess your child’s current abilities: what they can do independently, where they need assistance, and what tasks they cannot yet complete alone. Your BCBA will then conduct in-depth assessments and collaborate with you to identify which skills to prioritize in their program.

How Can ABA Therapy Assist with Teaching Life Skills?
ABA Therapy can be an extremely useful tool in helping your children achieve more independence while also giving you the support needed to assist in mastering important skills. Since every child is unique, each new skill is tailored to fit their needs by your ABA team. ABA is a collaborative process, any issues or concerns can be directly addressed with your team to ensure comfort, progress, and understanding.
Natural Environment Teaching (NET) allows for the opportunity to practice the skills being targeted as they are more likely to show up in everyday (natural) situations. Being hands-on in this approach is an excellent way to continue progress in each skill and work closer to mastery. Prompts and other visual supports will also assist in getting your kiddo closer to mastering the skill.

In our explanation of what ABA is, we talked about reinforcement. One of the ways we use reinforcement in teaching new skills is what we call shaping. Shaping is a systematic approach to modify or change existing behavior or, you guessed it, learning new skills! Positive reinforcement can absolutely be used in teaching new life skills to mastery and maintenance. For example, giving a reinforcement (a treat or some kind of prize suited to them) to your kiddo every time they complete their targeted task up until they can do it on their own all the way through. This will gradually develop confidence to complete the task  independently, without rewards.
 
The goal is to help children live more independently as they grow. Mastering essential life skills boosts confidence and fosters the ability to learn new skills on their own. While ABA strategies can benefit anyone, they are especially helpful for individuals with ASD or similar diagnoses.

Ready to start with Central Coast ABA? Head to our contact page—we’d love to support you and your family on this journey!