ABA in elementary school?

[Anonymous]

OP. Yes, my child can order food at McDonald’s, get dressed (and even help siblings get dressed), shower, get good to eat out of the kitchen, etc. The frustration/tantrums are from having to do non-preferred tasks like homework.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. The psych thinks ABA will help most with friendships/reading other people. It can also help him with tantruming at home, apparently. I agree, he needs something to help him. We are all at a break point, especially with the tantrums. Is ABA the best option or are there other approaches that we could explore. I’m going to follow-up with the psych to get more detail. I guess I’m just a little off put by the companies automatically telling me DC needs huge amounts of ABA each week without even meeting DC. These recommendations were based off of a 3 sentence email request I sent asking for more info. If we do what the ABA companies say, DC would be out of school half a day or in school and in ABA for almost 12 hours a day. Neither is appropriate for an 8 year old who likes school (but admittedly has huge academic struggles that we are also addressing), in my opinion. Again, I’m so new to this-I just want to hear how others have managed and what others have done.

NP here. That is bonkers. ABA helps with distinct tasks. Like learning how to toilet, or brush teeth, or things of that nature. It absolutely will NOT help with anything as nebulous as "friendships/reading other people." I mean unless the psych thinks that reducing maladaptive behaviors could help with friendships. ABA can help w/ that.

OP here again. I took notes during our meeting with the psych. She wants 2 hours/week of ABA to address “coping, frustration, and social concerns.” ABA companies are suggesting a minimum of 10 hours a week. Are you saying ABA may not work for what DC needs? If not, what else do you suggest? Social skills group? Therapy? DC doesn’t have trouble with life skills. Again, I’m going to go back to the psych for clarification. At this point, I’m wary of advice from ABA companies.

Find a new psychologist.

Why? 2 hours/week focused on behavioral issues sounds reasonable. The frustration is not being able to access that kind of care in the real world - but that can be true for all recommendations made by psychologists.

DP I suspect the disconnect is that ABA aims to train the child by rewarding the desirable behavior, which requires a lot of repetition thus the recommendations for 10+ hours.

Alternatives to this might be:
Parent training (e.g. PCIT) which may help you implement strategies that are similar to ABA (e.g. positive attention for good behavior) but since you are using it at home you're reinforcing it without the child being in therapy for hours
Social skills classes that focus on helping the child cognitively understand the why of social skills and how to implement them (e.g. "thinking with your eyes" to help kids understand when a peer is listening to them), also doesn't necessarily require multiple hours per week

[Anonymous]

I have given up on ABA for the most part. I have a 5 y.o. DD with level 2 autism, and after going through 3 ABA technicians in 4 months, with zero, I mean zero changes, and sucking up all our little free time, I stopped looking.

I'd rather spend the few hours in the afternoon between going home from school and her bedtime doing something fun and meaningful together. In addition, as a single parent, it was difficult, sometimes impossible, to make it work logistically. The impression I get from many ABA companies is that all these high minimum-hour requirements is because it's easy money. Of course, more hours is effective, as it would be with any therapy, but seeing the extremely incompetent technicians spending time with my child, it was obvious that as a previous poster stated, so much of it is a cash cow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP. Yes, my child can order food at McDonald’s, get dressed (and even help siblings get dressed), shower, get good to eat out of the kitchen, etc. The frustration/tantrums are from having to do non-preferred tasks like homework.

Op, is it possible that his frustration from things like homework is due to maybe difficulty doing it? Like academic difficulty? That could be very frustrating for him.
What other things is he having tantrums about at home? Like routines or schedules? I'm just trying to get an idea of what is sort of at the root of it. I'm also the parent of a kid with ASD who is considered high functioning, but we sure do have challenges. I'm actually getting my kid back into OT. I had thought about ABA but there's literally not enough hours in the day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP. Yes, my child can order food at McDonald’s, get dressed (and even help siblings get dressed), shower, get good to eat out of the kitchen, etc. The frustration/tantrums are from having to do non-preferred tasks like homework.

Op, is it possible that his frustration from things like homework is due to maybe difficulty doing it? Like academic difficulty? That could be very frustrating for him.
What other things is he having tantrums about at home? Like routines or schedules? I'm just trying to get an idea of what is sort of at the root of it. I'm also the parent of a kid with ASD who is considered high functioning, but we sure do have challenges. I'm actually getting my kid back into OT. I had thought about ABA but there's literally not enough hours in the day.

DC gets extremely angry when things gs don’t go his way…but not always. DC wakes up some mornings and is as Normal as can be but then, something switches, and becomes angry and defiant. Small things set DC off. Socially, DC is at the periphery of social groups, but no true friends (great with siblings though). Wants to join in but it’s clear DC doesn’t know how. School/academics is very hard for DC-ADHD and anxiety were also diagnosed. Normal IQ.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP. Yes, my child can order food at McDonald’s, get dressed (and even help siblings get dressed), shower, get good to eat out of the kitchen, etc. The frustration/tantrums are from having to do non-preferred tasks like homework.

ok thanks for that info! I really think you could benefit a LOT from PCIT. check it out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP. Yes, my child can order food at McDonald’s, get dressed (and even help siblings get dressed), shower, get good to eat out of the kitchen, etc. The frustration/tantrums are from having to do non-preferred tasks like homework.

Op, is it possible that his frustration from things like homework is due to maybe difficulty doing it? Like academic difficulty? That could be very frustrating for him.
What other things is he having tantrums about at home? Like routines or schedules? I'm just trying to get an idea of what is sort of at the root of it. I'm also the parent of a kid with ASD who is considered high functioning, but we sure do have challenges. I'm actually getting my kid back into OT. I had thought about ABA but there's literally not enough hours in the day.

DC gets extremely angry when things gs don’t go his way…but not always. DC wakes up some mornings and is as Normal as can be but then, something switches, and becomes angry and defiant. Small things set DC off. Socially, DC is at the periphery of social groups, but no true friends (great with siblings though). Wants to join in but it’s clear DC doesn’t know how. School/academics is very hard for DC-ADHD and anxiety were also diagnosed. Normal IQ.

serious advice: get him a gaming system. then use gaming as a positive incentive for good behavior. (with guidance from a behavioral psychologist about how to shape the reward system). read Kazdin if you haven’t already. video games will give him a way to make friends.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am dealing with this now and my child is in preschool. We were told DC has 25 treatment hours and given a schedule for after school sessions at home for several hours each day. How is a child supposed to go to school all day and come home and do several hours of ABA??? We’re not doing it and I’m looking for other ways to do ABA.

We did ABA in the daycare for my child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP. Yes, my child can order food at McDonald’s, get dressed (and even help siblings get dressed), shower, get good to eat out of the kitchen, etc. The frustration/tantrums are from having to do non-preferred tasks like homework.

Op, is it possible that his frustration from things like homework is due to maybe difficulty doing it? Like academic difficulty? That could be very frustrating for him.
What other things is he having tantrums about at home? Like routines or schedules? I'm just trying to get an idea of what is sort of at the root of it. I'm also the parent of a kid with ASD who is considered high functioning, but we sure do have challenges. I'm actually getting my kid back into OT. I had thought about ABA but there's literally not enough hours in the day.

DC gets extremely angry when things gs don’t go his way…but not always. DC wakes up some mornings and is as Normal as can be but then, something switches, and becomes angry and defiant. Small things set DC off. Socially, DC is at the periphery of social groups, but no true friends (great with siblings though). Wants to join in but it’s clear DC doesn’t know how. School/academics is very hard for DC-ADHD and anxiety were also diagnosed. Normal IQ.

PP here. I wonder if meds for the ADHD and anxiety might be helpful. I'm not saying hey medicate the kid, but I am saying I wonder if it might help so that he can think a little clearer and not melt down as much.
In my experience with my kid, who I think is the same age as yours, anxiety especially sometimes comes off as sort of like anger. And then add in that your kid is having a hard time at school, I could see where some meltdowns might occur.

I'm not against ABA, op, but I wonder if maybe treating the symptoms might help him get past this difficult time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP. Yes, my child can order food at McDonald’s, get dressed (and even help siblings get dressed), shower, get good to eat out of the kitchen, etc. The frustration/tantrums are from having to do non-preferred tasks like homework.

Op, is it possible that his frustration from things like homework is due to maybe difficulty doing it? Like academic difficulty? That could be very frustrating for him.
What other things is he having tantrums about at home? Like routines or schedules? I'm just trying to get an idea of what is sort of at the root of it. I'm also the parent of a kid with ASD who is considered high functioning, but we sure do have challenges. I'm actually getting my kid back into OT. I had thought about ABA but there's literally not enough hours in the day.

DC gets extremely angry when things gs don’t go his way…but not always. DC wakes up some mornings and is as Normal as can be but then, something switches, and becomes angry and defiant. Small things set DC off. Socially, DC is at the periphery of social groups, but no true friends (great with siblings though). Wants to join in but it’s clear DC doesn’t know how. School/academics is very hard for DC-ADHD and anxiety were also diagnosed. Normal IQ.

PP here. I wonder if meds for the ADHD and anxiety might be helpful. I'm not saying hey medicate the kid, but I am saying I wonder if it might help so that he can think a little clearer and not melt down as much.
In my experience with my kid, who I think is the same age as yours, anxiety especially sometimes comes off as sort of like anger. And then add in that your kid is having a hard time at school, I could see where some meltdowns might occur.

I'm not against ABA, op, but I wonder if maybe treating the symptoms might help him get past this difficult time.

Thank you! Yes, we are going to treat the adhd and anxiety first. We have appointments lined up for that. I think, based on everyone’s input, we are going to hold off just a bit on ABA and see how the meds work. We know DC will need some therapy, but, I think waiting to see how meds help first will then inform our future decisions.

Just want to say thank you all for the helpful advice and thoughtful responses. I value the feedback from the professionals and take it seriously, but hearing parents who are/have been dealing with similar issues is also so so helpful. Thank you!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am dealing with this now and my child is in preschool. We were told DC has 25 treatment hours and given a schedule for after school sessions at home for several hours each day. How is a child supposed to go to school all day and come home and do several hours of ABA??? We’re not doing it and I’m looking for other ways to do ABA.

We did ABA in the daycare for my child.

Same here, our BCBA came to the daycare and was 1-on-1 with DC for about 25 hrs/week. We did about 18 months of it and saw a lot of progress with classroom behaviors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am dealing with this now and my child is in preschool. We were told DC has 25 treatment hours and given a schedule for after school sessions at home for several hours each day. How is a child supposed to go to school all day and come home and do several hours of ABA??? We’re not doing it and I’m looking for other ways to do ABA.

What other ways did you have in mind?

I’m looking for someone who will provide ABA for 1-2 hours at a time. I’m also considering enrolling my child in an ABA center. I visited some last year but opted for a special education program. Would like to do some form of ABA b/c I believe it will help with some of the life skills my DC needs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am dealing with this now and my child is in preschool. We were told DC has 25 treatment hours and given a schedule for after school sessions at home for several hours each day. How is a child supposed to go to school all day and come home and do several hours of ABA??? We’re not doing it and I’m looking for other ways to do ABA.

What other ways did you have in mind?

I’m looking for someone who will provide ABA for 1-2 hours at a time. I’m also considering enrolling my child in an ABA center. I visited some last year but opted for a special education program. Would like to do some form of ABA b/c I believe it will help with some of the life skills my DC needs.

I don't think any provider will do it for that little time. Not worth the money for them.

I agree with others you should consider the parent training.

[Anonymous]

Sure try the other parent trainings but check out Capital ABA LLC. They have BCBAs and only BCBAs who will work with your child at the hours that make sense for you, at home or at school (private center obviously since public’s won’t allow outside providers). Our child has a similar profile and was DX at 3. We called a bunch of places and yes most want minimum of 10-20 hours which is nuts and a money scheme IMO, especially for level 1 ASD.
We’ve really lucked out with the BCBA we’ve been working with. It’s possible - don’t give up!

[Anonymous]

For level 1? I would just skip it, seems inappropriate. My kid was in ABA 4x/week. It was intense, totally useless and they missed a lot of school because of that and their other private therapies. In fact, if I could go back we'd just skip everything except for ST.