Can Applied Behavior Analysis be used for children without autism?
374017
Of course. ABA is a tool...and it can be used with any behavior. It is often used as a foundation for a Behavior Intervention Plan for students who are anxious, depressed, etc.
777533
it takes some work, but its worth it. I explain to the kids that he was born different, and its hard for him to have a conversation, but he loves to play just like them. I keep my eye on the situation so if he or the other kids are getting frustrated I can step in and smooth things out. I have found that its better to let him play with kids just a little younger than him , they are usually closer to the same level. It helps to have them play with multiple use toys, like blocks, sandboxes, cars etc, rather than toys with specific uses that autistic kids may not want to do. Find a parent who is understanding too, kids pick up their attitudes to those different from themselves from their parents. IF you can find a support group you may find families with sibling without autism, and they will be used to socializing with autistic kids. Good luck.
219863
Since you didn't realize I was being sincere with my answer on David Duke, I want to let you know that I don't joke when it comes to children...so the below is sincere.\n\nEcholalia presents in many types of patients, and for a number of reasons.  However, echolalia in very young children is a natural means of learning speech.  In older children it sometimes presents along with a diagnosis of autism.  Echolalia is at times present with a diagnosis of schizophrenia.\n\nDoes the child simply repeat words or phrases that are spoken to him/her?\n\nDoes he/she present with symptoms of echophraxia? This is imitation of characteristics/movement of another person.  My 4-year-old daughter presents with echophraxia/echolalia, yet as she gets older this is disappearing.  She appears to be a normal child.\n\nI have often thought of autism as being a disorder than can be paliated by therapeutic approaches, however, it appears that in this approach, one treats behaviors as well.  There are several approaches to treating echolalia.  Apparently, therapists believe that echolalia is somehow intrinsically rewarding to the autistic child and don't attempt to mitigate.  However, research has come up with some approaches to treat echolalia.  I provide a link below that looks very interesting.\n\nPallalia is normally a symptom of Parkinson's Disease (PD).  Is there an elderly person staying with you? If so, I'm really sorry.  It can be very hard on your nerves when this symptom is pronounced.  I suppose stutternig could also be part of an autistic's symptoms, but I'm afraid that I can't help with that.  Best Regards.
390414
I don't usually respond to website questions but I read this one and thought I would. My 7yr old daughter has high functioning autism. At first she was diagnosed with aspergers. She is a loner and quite happy to be that way.There are 5 children in the family and she would prefer to be on her own. It saddens me more to see her in the school playground on her own that what it does her.She has an aide at school and is left out by other children because of this - she has only just come to understand that people actually like people.There are a lot of educational things for people with aspergers and autism to help them along on their lives.An example is - social stories (where one learns the correct behaviour in social settings).\nThere is a program called The Dore Program (I think the website is  www.dore.com or could have .au on the end!!!) They take children and adults with learning disabilities - including autism and aspergers - the create exercises for each individual and they are done a couple of timesa day for 12 to 18 months.During this time the client can go from non reading and writing to overtaking their peers. It also helps with behaviour and motor skills. I have read these stories and spoken to a consultant at the institue. \nI know this isnt answering the above question but to all sufferes of any disability there is always hope and tomorow can only be a better day.\nThanks for reading.
1110311
"Autism is classified as a neurodevelopmental disorder which manifests itself in markedly abnormal social interaction, communication ability, patterns of interests, and patterns of behavior."  Wikipedia\n\nAs to age, it used to be mostly very young children who were diagnosed with autism, but now it has become something of a catch-all diagnosis, and kids of all ages get the label.  The way I learned it in college, it meant a child who did not seem to grasp that other people were people, and instead treated them rather like objects.  They are very self-contained, which may be withdrawn or simply uninvolved with others.  Still, it seems there are mental health workers who can bring them out, get them interacting to some extent, and (perhaps more to the point) get their parents to appreciate their personalities and adapt to them.
907130
I am a certified music therapist, and there is a lot of research on the use of music to help autistic children.  There are many music therapists who work in school districts and you can request it for your child.  Check out this website www.musictherapy.org.  It will give you all the info. about music therapy and autism.  Click on frequently asked questions.
262734
Do a search for "ABA" or "Applied Behavior Analysis".   That is the most commonly used and universally accepted therapies for children who are autistic.  The requirements to become an ABA therapist vary from state to state and province to province.  If you have any psychology background that should help.  If you don't, look into doing some psychology courses through an on-line univeristy while you also see if you can get involved in ABA training.  Atahbasca University is one that offers complete degreees on-line. \n\nI hope this helps.
832711
There are a lot of tips/ways to evaluate a child's behavior. Just search google and you'll find tons of ideas. Although you might be lucky if you are able to apply and be successful in some of these, mind you, there is no 100% full proof way to diagnose what are we parents doing wrong, what is making the child behave that way and how to correct the problem.\n\nEven if we apply the way we were brought up by our parents, it is no guarantee that our kids will be like us. Good luck!
404577
Yes, children with autism and Asperger's disorder have trouble in social situations.  They don't relate well to others their own age.  Oppositional Defiance Disorder (ODD) is a term used for children who do not take direction from adults or others in authority.  There are many others.
89258
I don't know, I live in FL and teach children with autism, but if I were you, I would check out the chamber of commerce.  Also, the following websites my be able to help you.  Good Luck
202378
Interactive play and comforting behaviors help enormously to bring this type of child out.\n\nThe use of ASL is a great idea, but should be kept as informal as possible in order to avoid pushing the child to oppositional behaviors (since he's already defiant of society in his refusal to communicate orally).\n\nDoes the child have cognitive differences? Does the child allow other methods of communication? Does the child show an interest in any social activity?\n\nIt has been my experience that most children exhibiting some form of anti-social behavior are in fact in need of 'empathetic parenting'.\n\nA teacher can do this and maintain her professional stance by shoulder touches, meaningful smiles and by creating a more natural learning environment which gives room for alternative behaviors and encourages basic curiosity and fairness.\n\nGood luck. I hope you are able to reach him.
297090
There are many non-verbal methods of assessing iq (or developmental stage):\n\nI've listed a few tests:\nD. Wechsler. Manual for the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (3rd ed.),, Psychological Corp, New York (1991).\n\nD. Wechsler. Manual for the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence, Psychological Corp, New York (1989).\n\nE. Fombonne, Epidemiological investigations of autism and other pervasive developmental disorders. In: C. Lord, Editor, Educating children with autism, National Academy of Sciences Press, Washington DC (2001).\n\n\nMainly, the child is assessed by a psychologist or tester doing specific non-verbal tasks, which corresponds to to a score. Note that this is not exactly equivilent to 'normal i.q.', but it provides a very good comparison.\n\nThese kind of tests have been used for many years- If you would like to have your child assessed, it can be as simple as phoning up their/a child psycholgist.\n\nHope that helps! I've listed a study which uses some of these, though it doesn't go into much detail...
589796
"functionally equivalent"?\n\nAre you talking about Functional Behavioral Assessments and Functional Behavioral Programming?\n\nThe assessments help teachers identify causes, specific behaviors, and the child's perceived rewards, so that they can help the child learn new behaviors. The plan based on these assessments is the behavior intervention program, in which replacement behaviors are encouraged to take the place of undesired behaviors.
584219
Being a foster child myself, I can honestly say that while the psychological transition plays a role- but is strongly outweighed by the need for discipline. Since no one method works for everyone, I would be out of boundaries to suggest any one way to handle this. Since the children are relatively young, the NEW preferred method has been time-outs, in a corner or facing a wall (1 min for each year of age, 3yrs.=3 min.)You would more than likely get a better response if you ask at babycenter.com(excellent place for parents to ask, answer, and vent)good luck! I hope I have been helpful\nIn my class we like to use a (childs name here)-(make sure child is looking at you,by kneeling down to their level)-it makes me feel(emotion here)when you(behavior disapproved of here)method.Also other formats of the same method are perfectly o.k. (disliked behavior here)can lead to (cosequence here) keep in mind,there are natural and preset cosequences for every action. e.g. child refuses to wear shoes while playing in yard, you choose a consequence....and the NATURAL consequence is - they step on a sticker. while the natural consequence is not always this dramatic and I am sure you wouldn't let a 3 or 4 year old out in the yard w/out shoes or flip-flops, its just an example.
1178413
When we needed to hire ABA therapists for our son, we contacted Monster.com and used a service of theirs (formerly called JobTrak) to solicit student candidates with some ABA training, child development majors, psychology majors, and/or education majors from various colleges and universities near our home.  We hired about 8 ABA therapists over the three years our son was in therapy (at any given time, he had 4-5 therapists working with him per week) and had success using this method.  Also, if you have a weekly PennySaver or similar free publication that is distributed by mail in your area, we had success with that as well.  \n\nI'm happy to say our son has almost totally recovered from autism, and I wish you the best in your search for ABA therapists.   You may also want to check out these websites:  www.centerforautism.com and www.tacanow.com for further ideas.
610346
As autism is not technically a "disease," there is no medicine specifically for autism. \n\nAbout interventions, each person with autism is very different and has different needs, so I cannot recommend a specific program. I would suggest, however, that if the person with autism you are asking about is in school, to be sure to contact his or her teacher(s) and make sure that what he or she is learning at school is being worked on and reinforced at home, to promote generalization of learning. \n\nHere are some recommendations for more information: \n\n"Teaching Tips for Children and Adults with Autism" by Temple Grandin, Ph.D. - http://www.autism.org/temple/tips.html\n\nWebsite of Paula Kluth, Ph.D. - http://www.paulakluth.com/autism.html\n\n"Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew" by Ellen Notbohm - http://www.southflorida.com/sfparenting/sfe-sfp-autism,0,6196233.story\n\nAutism Society of America - http://www.autism-society.org/ \n\n"Work to view my autism as a different ability rather than a disability. Look past what you may see as limitations and see the gifts autism has given me. I may not be good at eye contact or conversation, but have you noticed I don't lie, cheat at games, tattle on my classmates, or pass judgment on other people? ... With your support and guidance, the possibilities are broader than you might think. I promise you I'm worth it." - Quotes from 'Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew'
682276
Here are some places to start:\n\nhttp://www.chaddmi.com/\nhttp://www.bridges4kids.org/PAC.html (scroll down to list of parent advocacy groups)\nhttp://www.bridges4kids.org/HelpForKids.html\nhttp://www.conductdisorders.com/\nhttp://www.wrightslaw.com/\nhttp://www.causeonline.org/\n\n\nFor someone who is ED, learning proper behavior is difficult. For the "normal" person, behavior reflects feelings, and is appropriate for the social context. However, B/ED people have feelings that do not match their environment, and/or their natural behavioral responses are not socially acceptable.  Therefore, their big challenge in learning is to build "unnatural" behavior patterns to meet society's expectations. The world will not change to fit them...they must change to fit the world. Life is not fair...and never has been.\n\nThe purpose of special education is to help children who are different, learn to function effectively in the mainstream society. If your child does not learn to control his own behavior by the time he is an adult, he WILL end up in prison (the prison population is full of people with ADHD, ED, etc.). \n\nYour son is not in special education to be coddled, "allowed to be himself," or enabled in his use of maladaptive behaviors. He is in special education so that he can be guided toward appropriate behaviors.\n\nThe question you should be raising is not "why are they appearing to attack my son?" but rather "Are they providing appropriate instruction in behavior skills so that HE can learn to control himself?" AND "Am I being trained, as a parent, in these techniques so that I can use them at home and provide him with stability across all environments?"  AND "What am I already doing at home to bring about changes in his behavior so that my baby boy won't spend a life behind bars?"