Guest guest Posted June 29, 2010 Report Share Posted June 29, 2010 Every thing that Karac has learned has been through ABA. It is the only treatment I know of that has data to back it up. Pat K ABA or no ABA trying to figure this all out is exhausting... everytime I think I come up with a plan for my son who is 2 1/2 I hear something or read something or go to a conference and then just feel helpless... So I thought I had it figured out again... going to check out Behavioral Intervention Institute of Ohio in Westlake... He could start when he is 3 in November... Finally felt like I had some hope... so I am talking to sons speech therapist today and she said ABA makes kids into little robots who do things for M & M's. Argh! Please... if you have any experience with Behavioral Intervention Institute of Ohio or ABA in general... good or bad... could you please post it? thanks cherylmiller@... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 29, 2010 Report Share Posted June 29, 2010 I have seen a lot of kids who have used ABA and it worked wonderfully for them. For Maddie it just didn't work. It came to the point where we would ask her to do something and she would earn a prize. But she would turn it and say give Maddie prize, Maddie do work. Then of course when she got the prize she would walk away. If we tried to stick to our guns and not give her the prize until the work was done she would still walk away and not care. But I say try it and see what works for your child. Rhonda From: Cheryl <cherylmiller@...>Subject: ABA or no ABAautism Date: Monday, June 28, 2010, 9:36 PM trying to figure this all out is exhausting... everytime I think I come up with a plan for my son who is 2 1/2 I hear something or read something or go to a conference and then just feel helpless... So I thought I had it figured out again... going to check out Behavioral Intervention Institute of Ohio in Westlake... He could start when he is 3 in November... Finally felt like I had some hope...so I am talking to sons speech therapist today and she said ABA makes kids into little robots who do things for M & M's. Argh! Please... if you have any experience with Behavioral Intervention Institute of Ohio or ABA in general... good or bad... could you please post it? thankscherylmiller@... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 29, 2010 Report Share Posted June 29, 2010 There are people "out there" who can evaluate your child and figure out where the major developmental holes are and tell you what the most likely effective treatments would be. I am in Ut., so I have no clue about Ohio. However, I traveled to Ohio to see a doctor for my kids. She sees a lot of ASD kids. Maybe Dr. Cheryl's office can help point you in the right direction. http://www.integrativewellcare.com I, personally, got my son into the first school for ASD kidsI found with an opening. It was DIR, floortime based. My son could barely answer yes or no questions and was pretty much non-verbal at 3 1/2 years. He started speaking 6 weeks after attending. He went to regular Kindergarten 1/2 day and then to the ASD school the 2nd 1/2. We mainstreamed him in 1st grade. There are days (sometimes a week) that goes by and everything is fine. Then I am slapped in the face with the reality that he is still Autistic, but most people cannot tell. I attribute most (almost all) of his progress to Floortime and the DIR model. It is VERY individualized and that is what our kiddos need: a specific plan just for them. Research is emerging for Floortime, but it is not even close to the amount of data on ABA.i wish you well.jaimiUtahParentsForHealthyKidsgooglegroupsFrom: Cheryl <cherylmiller@...>autism Sent: Mon, June 28, 2010 7:36:57 PMSubject: ABA or no ABA trying to figure this all out is exhausting... everytime I think I come up with a plan for my son who is 2 1/2 I hear something or read something or go to a conference and then just feel helpless... So I thought I had it figured out again... going to check out Behavioral Intervention Institute of Ohio in Westlake... He could start when he is 3 in November... Finally felt like I had some hope... so I am talking to sons speech therapist today and she said ABA makes kids into little robots who do things for M & M's. Argh! Please... if you have any experience with Behavioral Intervention Institute of Ohio or ABA in general... good or bad... could you please post it? thanks cherylmiller@... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 9, 2010 Report Share Posted July 9, 2010 my son is 6 and I have the same concerns!!!! Welcoming any and all info. lisa In a message dated 7/9/2010 5:35:35 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, kulrich629@... writes: Cheryl -- I am very interested in the answers you receive. I had a similiar experience where one of his therapists said he is too rigid and if he learns it a certain way in ABA he won't be able to apply the knowledge in the classroom, etc. But, I have heard so many people say it is fantastic and has helped their child immensely. My son is older now. He is 5. I need a behavior plan as that is his main problem now. He gets frustrated and then displays bad behavior. Thanks for posting your question. I hope there are some experienced parents out there sharing their experiences. 1 in 91 Children born in the US will have Autism Auties are Awesome. Autism Awareness -- pass it along. [ ] ABA or no ABA trying to figure this all out is exhausting... everytime I think I come up with a plan for my son who is 2 1/2 I hear something or read something or go to a conference and then just feel helpless... So I thought I had it figured out again... going to check out Behavioral Intervention Institute of Ohio in Westlake... He could start when he is 3 in November... Finally felt like I had some hope...so I am talking to sons speech therapist today and she said ABA makes kids into little robots who do things for M & M's. Argh! Please... if you have any experience with Behavioral Intervention Institute of Ohio or ABA in general... good or bad... could you please post it? thankscherylmillerroadrunner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 9, 2010 Report Share Posted July 9, 2010 Cheryl- I feel for you as we have all been there as parents when our child is newly diagnosed and all the information is out there but left in your lap; it IS overwhelming! I think that we all know our children best and their personalities best...and ABA does have the best track record, when it is done correctly. With that said, you might find that your child may respond to a variety of therapies in addition to ABA. The advice that was given to us at that age was to simply try...and then give it a minimum of three months before adding anything else that is drastic. The important thing at this age is that you get started NOW, and/or quickly. You are on the right track, and we have all been there be assured!Jul 9, 2010 02:07:38 PM, wrote: > trying to figure this all out is exhausting... everytime I think I come up with >a plan for my son who is 2 1/2 I hear something or read something or go to a conference >and then just feel helpless... > > So I thought I had it figured out again... going to check out Behavioral >Intervention Institute of Ohio in Westlake... He could start when he is 3 in November... >Finally felt like I had some hope...> > so I am talking to sons speech therapist today and she said ABA makes kids >into little robots who do things for M & M';s. Argh! > > Please... if you have any experience with Behavioral Intervention Institute >of Ohio or ABA in general... good or bad... could you please post it? > > thanks> cherylmiller@...> > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 9, 2010 Report Share Posted July 9, 2010 Cheryl -- I am very interested in the answers you receive. I had a similiar experience where one of his therapists said he is too rigid and if he learns it a certain way in ABA he won't be able to apply the knowledge in the classroom, etc. But, I have heard so many people say it is fantastic and has helped their child immensely. My son is older now. He is 5. I need a behavior plan as that is his main problem now. He gets frustrated and then displays bad behavior. Thanks for posting your question. I hope there are some experienced parents out there sharing their experiences. 1 in 91 Children born in the US will have Autism Auties are Awesome. Autism Awareness -- pass it along. [ ] ABA or no ABA trying to figure this all out is exhausting... everytime I think I come up with a plan for my son who is 2 1/2 I hear something or read something or go to a conference and then just feel helpless... So I thought I had it figured out again... going to check out Behavioral Intervention Institute of Ohio in Westlake... He could start when he is 3 in November... Finally felt like I had some hope... so I am talking to sons speech therapist today and she said ABA makes kids into little robots who do things for M & M's. Argh! Please... if you have any experience with Behavioral Intervention Institute of Ohio or ABA in general... good or bad... could you please post it? thanks cherylmiller@... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 10, 2010 Report Share Posted July 10, 2010 I think that every child is a child first and then an individual w different needs... most kids will need some aba but also u must acknowledge the sensory needs, needs that are medical, dietary... a good prg will incorparate all that ur child needs... that is why collaboration is so important as well as a multidisciplinary assesment. - [ ] ABA or no ABA trying to figure this all out is exhausting... everytime I think I come up with a plan for my son who is 2 1/2 I hear something or read something or go to a conference and then just feel helpless... So I thought I had it figured out again... going to check out Behavioral Intervention Institute of Ohio in Westlake... He could start when he is 3 in November... Finally felt like I had some hope... so I am talking to sons speech therapist today and she said ABA makes kids into little robots who do things for M & M's. Argh! Please... if you have any experience with Behavioral Intervention Institute of Ohio or ABA in general... good or bad... could you please post it? thanks cherylmiller@... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 10, 2010 Report Share Posted July 10, 2010 Cheryl, I don't usually respond to posts here, but I felt so strongly about your situation, that I really felt I had to. My first reaction to what your speech therapist told you would be to fire your speech therapist. ABA is BY FAR the method by which most of our children make gains...it is the gold standard of care. If you can get ABA for your child, don't let anyone talk you out of it. I feel so strongly about this, that when my daughter was 3, we moved from Ohio to Wisconsin to get an in-home program established for our daughter. (At that time, WI had an autism waiver so Medicaid paid for Audrey to have 35 hours/week of in-home ABA) My daughter spoke about 25 words at that time...by the end of the first month, she looked at me and said " I love you. " My daughter is still very much autistic, but our life, HER LIFE, would be so much harder now had we not invested the time to get her the best treatment in her early years that we possibly could. You need to read " Let Me Hear Your Voice " ...your local library should have it. I don't know where you live, but if you want to get together sometime, we can do that. I have been where you are. > > trying to figure this all out is exhausting... everytime I think I come up with a plan for my son who is 2 1/2 I hear something or read something or go to a conference and then just feel helpless... > > So I thought I had it figured out again... going to check out Behavioral Intervention Institute of Ohio in Westlake... He could start when he is 3 in November... Finally felt like I had some hope... > > so I am talking to sons speech therapist today and she said ABA makes kids into little robots who do things for M & M's. Argh! > > Please... if you have any experience with Behavioral Intervention Institute of Ohio or ABA in general... good or bad... could you please post it? > > > thanks > cherylmiller@... > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 10, 2010 Report Share Posted July 10, 2010 I've been using ABA for years, and my son is certainly no robot. ABA is a methodology that can be used for all children (regardless of their disabilities). The idea is to teach a child a skill using a behavior approach and to generalize that skill to other situations/environments. When using a behavioral approach to teaching, you should use whatever reward system works for your child (not necessarily a food reinforcer). Your speech therapist obviously has never been a part of an ABA team and is passing on misinformation to you. That is very unfortunate. We did try other types of therapies before starting our own ABA program (including biomedical treatments). In fact, we didn't start ABA with our son until he was six because we wanted to try other approaches first (we also had received some misinformation regarding ABA). With only 20 hours per week of one on one discrete trial training, we saw results within a few months. Our son is now 12, and we continue to use the ABA methodology to teach more advanced skills (e.g. cooking, walking to and from school,organizing school work, etc.). I have visited the Behavioral Institute, but do not have any direct experience with them. With that said, I have not heard anything negative about them. I work with many families in the area, and I usually hear the complaints about providers. I would encourage you to use the ABA methodology in your son's treatments notwithstanding your speech therapist's concerns. Thank you. Debbie Z. > > trying to figure this all out is exhausting... everytime I think I come up with a plan for my son who is 2 1/2 I hear something or read something or go to a conference and then just feel helpless... > > So I thought I had it figured out again... going to check out Behavioral Intervention Institute of Ohio in Westlake... He could start when he is 3 in November... Finally felt like I had some hope... > > so I am talking to sons speech therapist today and she said ABA makes kids into little robots who do things for M & M's. Argh! > > Please... if you have any experience with Behavioral Intervention Institute of Ohio or ABA in general... good or bad... could you please post it? > > > thanks > cherylmiller@... > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 10, 2010 Report Share Posted July 10, 2010 Cheryl wrote: so I am talking to sons speech therapist today and she said ABA makes kids into little robots who do things for M & M's. Argh! ABA is the strongest teaching tool for children with autism that is available. Having said that, it can be blended with other therapies very well to get the best for (and from) your child. ABA does teach children using a structured format, and for the most challenged children, they may not be able to move from structured use of skills to natural use of skills, but without ABA, those children likely would not have learned those skills in the first place. For children who are less challenged by their autism, they will learn in the structured format of early ABA, and then as they master skills in that structured setting, they will generalize those skills either on their own or by design (setting up the environment so those skills can be naturally used). Speech therapy and OT can be a very effective settings for generalizing skills in a new setting. (I'm not saying this is the purpose of those therapy -- just one more benefit of them.) In my experience, speech, OT, and ABA can blend well together in a " scratch your back " way. I've often created ABA programs to work on the speech and OT skills that the therapists have set as their goals, and they've, in turn, worked on generalization of skills mastered in ABA. ABA uses reinforcers to teach children that they've responded correctly. These reinforcers are anything that the child enjoys enough to want to experience again. It can be M & Ms (although I was trained to break M & Ms up into 6 pieces!! for tiny tastes since this was enough to reinforce the behavior), but it can also be making silly faces, shouting funny words, or shaking their hands in the air. My personal favorite is using the sensory reinforcers that the child craves outside of therapy. So if you get a kid who is a heavy rocker (getting propioceptive and vestibular input by throwing themselves back into an easy chair), I'll reinforce in ABA with things like bending them down (like bowing in their chair) and drumming their back, or pushing their chair back an inch, another inch, another inch, then forward again. These are playful things that feed that same need, but achieve it in an interactive, game-like way. And is it reinforcing? If they ask for it again and have a big smile when you've done it, then yes! And if they don't like it, then you don't do it again. NB, when learning a new skill that's very hard, you use the biggest and best reinforcers, always combining them with praise. As skills are easier and the child learns that praise is reinforcing, you can rely on just praise for reinforcement of many tasks, reserving your strongest reinforcements for anything new and difficult. ABA has always and will always have its naysayers, but you can be fairly sure that someone who speaks ill of it either never saw it in action or at least never saw a well-run program in action. If you have any specific questions about ABA, feel free to e-mail me directly and denapage@... -- Dena Page, M.Ed., CBACertified Behavior AnalystCertified Auditory Integration Therapy (DAA) PractitionerCertified Irlen Screenerwww.listenbetterwithait.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 11, 2010 Report Share Posted July 11, 2010 I totally agree with these mothers. ABA is the only thing missing that our 14year old Asperger child didn't get. But he will now. Going through IEE on the way to Due process. He has been through early intervention, reg classes, pull outs, suspensions, PEP program (wrong program - behavioral not autistic - thus the IEE and due process if necessary). Please don't wait !!!!! Do yourself and your family a favor. Do ABA now!!! Behavioral Intervention Institute is wonderful for the little ones, as is Middleburg Hts Early Education Center. Both are on the West side, and are Autism Scholarship Providers. You should qualify for the Autism Scholarship through the Department of Education when your child is three. Both of these places will help you to do the paper work. Kidslink in Twinsburg is great too. Hope this helps Carol B. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 22, 2010 Report Share Posted July 22, 2010 Hi Cheryl, I didn't take the time to read the other comments, so I'm sorry if I'm just repeating everyone. We started an in-home ABA program when my son was 2 years old - over 7 years ago. Back then, nobody on our side of town was doing ABA and the only trained ABA tutors I found had to travel far to our house. That has all changed. ABA is a good teaching method and is becoming more the norm. I'm sorry that your SLP said that to you. One word of advice, get a new speech therapist. Our SLP was already using ABA techniques (not actually calling it ABA) even prior to a diagnosis. People that make comments like that about ABA do not understand ABA and don't know what they are talking about. Seven years ago, I was told that my son would never talk and had severe autism. Today, he is doing grade level work and uses verbal language to communicate. He also has apraxia, so his language is not age appropriate, but he can communicate in short sentences. I don't think he would have made the progress he has made without ABA. The camp director this summer (this is the first summer he has met my son) waited for me this week to tell me that my son was truly amazing. Good luck in your journey. E-mail me with any questions or concerns. Colleen > > trying to figure this all out is exhausting... everytime I think I come up with a plan for my son who is 2 1/2 I hear something or read something or go to a conference and then just feel helpless... > > So I thought I had it figured out again... going to check out Behavioral Intervention Institute of Ohio in Westlake... He could start when he is 3 in November... Finally felt like I had some hope... > > so I am talking to sons speech therapist today and she said ABA makes kids into little robots who do things for M & M's. Argh! > > Please... if you have any experience with Behavioral Intervention Institute of Ohio or ABA in general... good or bad... could you please post it? > > > thanks > cherylmiller@... > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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