AVA-therapy - what is it? Method of ABA-therapy

To date, one of the most effective ways of correcting autism is the method of applied analysis, or ABA-therapy. What it is? Let's look at this article.

Behavioral correction of children's autism is very important. Its main task is to help a child with certain disabilities in development to adapt to the environment and to take the most meaningful part in the life of society.

Autistic children - who are they?

It should be clearly understood that autistic children are not better and not worse than other children, they are just different. A distinctive feature of these babies is the look, "immersed in themselves," they can not find a connection with the outside world.

Attentive parents discover that their child is an autistic when he is very young. At a time when ordinary kids are beginning to gradually recognize the mother (at about 2 months), a child with autism is absolutely indifferent to the outside world. Already a month after the birth of the baby, the mother can cry to determine what he wants: to play, eat, it's cold, wet and so on. With an autistic child this is impossible, his crying is usually inexpressive, monotonous.

In 1-2 years old children with autism can pronounce the first words, but their use is devoid of any meaning. The child prefers to be alone. Remaining for a period without a mother or close relative, he does not show much concern.

Over time, the toddler also does not show a strong attachment to the parents and does not seek to communicate with peers.

The exact reasons for this state have not yet been established. Scientists suggest that such a condition appears due to brain development disorders, chromosomal abnormalities, gene mutations.

Despite the impression that no one needs autistics, such babies need communication very much, they want to be understood, just do not know how to do it. The task of parents is to help such a child to make contact with the outside world. AVA-therapy for autists is most effective today.

What is the essence of the methodology?

What is it interesting and unique? AVA-therapy - what is it? It is based on behavioral technologies and techniques that make it possible to study the influence of environmental factors on the autistic behavior and change it, that is, manipulate these factors. The method of ABA-therapy has another name - a modification of behavior. The idea of the ABA program is that any behavior entails consequences, and when the child likes it, it will repeat these actions, if not, it will not.

What is the modification of behavior?

AVA-therapy for autistics is the basis of most programs that are aimed at treating this deviation in children. The value of behavioral therapy is confirmed by numerous studies conducted for 30 years.

Specialists and parents who used methods such as ABA therapy in their classes with children , leave the following comments:

• Improve communication skills;
• Adaptation behavior is normalized;
• Improves the ability to learn.

In addition, due to this program, manifestations of behavioral deviations significantly decrease. It is also proved that the earlier the courses of ABA-therapy (preferably at preschool age) are started, the more noticeable the results will be.

Scientists have developed various methods of correction of abnormalities, which are used in ABA-therapy. These methods are based on the principles of applied behavioral analysis.

How it works?

With this technique, all complex skills for autists, such as contact, speech, creative play, the ability to look into the eyes, listen and others break into separate small action blocks. Each of them is then learned with the child separately. As a result, the blocks are connected in a single circuit, which forms one complex action. A specialist in the treatment of autism during the process of learning the actions gives a child with autistic spectrum disorders an assignment. If the kid can not cope with it alone, the instructor gives him a hint, and then for the right answers rewards the child, while incorrect answers are ignored. This is the basis of ABA-therapy. Training on this technique consists of several stages.

The first stage: we begin with a simple

One of the exercises of the program is "Language-understanding". The specialist gives the child a specific task or an incentive, for example, asks to raise his hand, immediately gives a hint (lifts up the child's hand), then rewards the baby for the correct answer. After making several joint attempts, the kid tries to perform the action without a clue. The specialist again repeats the same phrase to the child and expects an independent correct answer from him. If the kid answers correctly, without any prompts, he gets a reward (he is praised, given something tasty, let go of playing, etc.). If the child does not give the correct answer, the task is repeated again using a hint. Then the kid again tries to do everything himself. Exercise ends when the child was able to give the correct answer without prompting.

When 90% of the child's independent answers to the task of the specialist are correct, a new stimulus is introduced, for example, they are asked to nod their head. It is important that the tasks are as varied as possible. The new task is worked out in a similar way.

The second stage: we fix the material

After the child is well mastered the second task - "nod head", the exercise is complicated. The learned actions alternate in an arbitrary order: "nod your head" - "raise your hand", "raise your hand" - "raise your hand" - "nod your head" and so on. Assignments are considered mastered when in 90% of cases the child gives the correct answer when alternating exercises learned. By the same scheme, the third stimulus is injected and processed, and so on.

The third stage: we generalize and consolidate

At this stage, the acquired skills are generalized. When a child has accumulated a sufficient number of mastered important incentives ("take", "give", "go here", etc.), pay attention to generalization. Exercises begin to take place in unusual and unexpected places (on the street, in the store, in the bathroom). After the alternate people who give the child tasks (specialist, mother, father, grandfather, grandmother).

Fourth stage

This is the final stage. At some point the child not only learns the stimuli worked out with it, but also begins to understand new tasks independently, additional work-out is no longer required. For example, he is given a task "close the door", show 1-2 times and this is already quite enough. If this is obtained, then the program is mastered, and the ABA therapy is no longer needed. The child begins to learn further information from the environment, as do these and usually developing kids who do not have autism.

What determines the effectiveness of autism correction in a child?

For element-wise learning and honing dozens of actions and objects, it takes a lot of effort and time. It is believed that for children diagnosed with "autism", AVA therapy will be most effective if it is given at least 30-40 hours a week to practice this technique. Beginning to engage in such a program is desirable before the child turns 6 years old. AVA-tariya is effective for older children. But the sooner everything starts, the better the final result will be.

Advantages of this technique

For children with autism, AVA therapy is extremely effective. Training is not just a repetition of the desired behavior, a professional therapist helps to transfer the correct model from one situation to another for the child. The most important component in achieving success is the direct involvement of parents in the ABA program.

Positive results appear quickly enough. According to the researcher of the founder of this method, Ivar Lovaas, about half of the children who received correction according to the ABA program can be trained in a regular school. The state and behavior improved in more than 90% of children from the total number of those who received a correction in this technique.

AVA-therapy provides an opportunity to consistently develop the child, socialize and introduce into society. In children with autism, stereotypes almost completely disappear. The ABA method allows children who have recently turned to correction (5-6 years) to master the speech.

The program covers all areas of knowledge: from the development of the conceptual apparatus to the formation and improvement of domestic self-service skills.

Disadvantages of the methodology

Unfortunately, AVA therapy can not be applied at the initial stage if a child with autism is afraid of strangers. The program is quite tough, you should use it carefully. Parents are both morally and physically ready for full pay, work is carried out constantly, the system of rewards and punishments is not violated. Breaks or loosening of work is not desirable, as this may affect the outcome. It is important to understand that the child is not trained, but trained - they are trained in skills through repeated repetition. To work on this technique requires complete obedience to the child, and to achieve it can sometimes be quite difficult. It is very important to monitor the training for such a program, but at home it should also try to organize a development system that would correspond to the correctional plan.

Possible difficulties

Motivation of children diagnosed with "autism" is somewhat different from that of ordinary kids. It is important to find out what the child may be interested in, will motivate him. Approval or censure for autistic children is ineffective, at the initial stage, praise can be combined with a real reward. Such babies can not focus attention on anything for a long time and are often distracted, so it is important to conduct classes in silence, assigning tasks to small segments. Repetition compensates for slowness in learning, abstract concepts are explained in the most simple phrases. After the child learns to communicate freely with the teacher one by one, you can offer him to communicate with two people and so gradually increase the number of others. Such children have ineffective observation skills, so imitation is used. Proper training is hampered by self-stimulation-rocking, clapping. Autistic children do not distinguish between a significant and an insignificant stimulus, their reaction can sometimes be overly pronounced or, conversely, very weak. To get information, they most often rely on the eyesight, not by ear. Children who well perceive information by ear, most successfully develop under the ABA program.

AVA-therapy, perhaps, is the only method of corrective work with autistic children, which causes so many disputes and discussions. Various dissatisfaction is generated either by outdated information, or by unqualified ABA-specialists, which are quite numerous today, as this program is becoming more popular. Efficiency of work most directly depends on the qualification of a specialist, so it must be chosen very carefully.