An example of pro ABA thinking

Post Reply New Topic

In the past several months, we’ve seen some lively discussion in our community around autism education. While I didn’t agree with everything I read, I always appreciate when the topic of autism comes up. I see it as an opportunity for me to listen, learn and engage on an issue near and dear to me as the director of the Sarah Dooley Center for Autism at St. Joseph’s Villa.

We know what autism is; we know how to treat it; and we can celebrate how these proven educational methods have made a difference in the lives of children, adults and their families.

Autism spectrum disorder is a developmental disorder that hinders a person’s ability to communicate and interact. The diagnosis includes the presence of repetitive behaviors that can further isolate the individual. These challenges with communicating can result in behaviors that are confusing and frustrating, but I have never, in all of my years working with students on the spectrum, met an individual who did not yearn to connect with other people.

One of the beauties of autism is that it’s very sensitive to expert intervention, and research-based early education strategies derived from Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) have proved to be effective. ABA and evidence-based systematic instruction are widely recognized as the gold standard for autism education. These standards have been codified for decades, and continue to guide treatments in autism schools across the country.

And these are the methods we are using at the Sarah Dooley Center. We believe that most of the behaviors that bring children to our doors are directly related to their lack of communication and social skills. These are very teachable skills. Last year alone, our students learned 10,000 new words! One of our parents shared a story about how she went shopping with her son and took him to the fresh pineapples. Her anxiety climbed as he shook his head. She didn’t know what to do. He loved pineapples. She said she thought he was going to have a meltdown, and she felt helpless. He took her hand and walked with her to the canned fruit aisle. He took a can of pineapples off the shelf, handed it to her and said, “I want can pineapples.” She cried as relief flooded through her. She didn’t know, until that moment, that he could articulate his wants so clearly. That simple sentence was the result of months of patient work by the staff at the Sarah Dooley Center.

While the Villa campus offers a wide range of resources, from sensory gardens to work training sites, we fully believe in the importance of getting children with autism out into the community. Community-based instruction is key in helping them integrate with society outside of school. Our weekly trips to local restaurants, parks, stores and farms provide an immense amount of therapeutic and educational opportunity for developing life skills, which families can then build on at home. When they’re out in the world, students are able to learn how to communicate what they want and advocate for themselves. The success story above would not have happened without combining intensive classroom instruction with real-world application. How else would he have known where the canned pineapples were?

Isolation can be one of the biggest fears parents face when a child is diagnosed with autism. But when we all come together as a community under proven strategies and open, meaningful dialogue, that isolation doesn’t stand a chance.

How else would he have known where the canned pineapples were?

I agree with you ASPartOfMe. I am glad I got through school and life without services. I agree the goals are to force austists to behave in NT ways. It is disturbing to observe.