NEWS
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)
ABA should be fun. Plain and simple. There are so many ways to teach, learn, and grow, while having fun. A motto of ours in the workplace is that if you’re not having fun with your clients, your clients probably aren’t having fun with you either. And if there’s not fun, then there’s not a productive learning environment.
There are so many ways we can infuse fun into ABA sessions. When we’re working on an early learner identifying colors, we can finger paint and have a creative, sensory immersion experience while we do it. While we’re learning what different textures mean, we can go outside and sit in the grass. We can feel rough sticks, smooth rocks, and cool water while grounding ourselves in nature.
Potty training? It’s a potty party. We can sing songs, read our favorite books, and learn imitation skills along the way by making silly faces in the mirror. Food tolerance therapy? We’re all dinosaurs, munching on broccoli trees and stomping grape boulders with our big, scary dino-teeth. Learning opportunities are all around us- we’re all learning and growing as humans each and every day.
A trademark of a high-quality teacher is the ability to identify and introduce these learning opportunities in the most naturalistic of ways- always meeting the learner where they are and following their guide and interests. Letters can be learned by writing our name in the sand, or by practicing reading the labels while picking out our favorite donut flavor.
Now, we know life isn’t fun all the time. You might ask, “Shouldn’t kids learn that in therapy, like they would in school?” You’re absolutely correct. Children as young as four or five begin to learn that we can’t always have fun. We are required to work during certain times of the day and play during certain times of the day.
So how does “fun all day” therapy teach these skills? As in any environment, there are still rules; for safety and productivity. ABA focuses on teaching kids to tolerate less preferred activities, as well as self-advocacy and problem-solving skills to make tough situations a little bit easier. These are skills many of us are still learning in adulthood- even though something isn’t fun, we can find creative solutions to make it more enjoyable.
Writing with our favorite pencil, listening to soft music to help us focus, choosing a book based on our interests for free reading time- there are so many resources all around us that we can utilize and contrive to make our days a little more fun. As a child (or adult) begins to recognize this, we develop self-advocacy and coping skills to take with us throughout our lives
Another important element of ABA, is natural-based consequences. These are things that are indicative of the environment around us, not a rule that’s made by an adult. If we are being silly and dump a box of crayons, we have to pick them all back up (and they never quite go back in the same way). If we climb on a wet playground equipment, we might slip and fall.
Natural consequences hold such high value with learners (which is all of us humans) because they are a direct result of behavior on the environment, as opposed to someone else’s requirements. There is a direct correlation between the action and the consequence. When we learn through natural consequences, the lesson is more meaningful.