ABA parent training is an essential component of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy, which focuses on using behavioral principles to teach new skills and improve behavior in children with autism.
It involves teaching parents strategies and techniques to effectively manage their child’s behavior and provide ongoing support.
All successful parent interventions start with understanding basic behavioral functions that can be utilized to reinforce positive behaviors and decrease disruptive beahviors.
Here are the four functions of behavior ABA for parents:
- Positive/Negative Attention
When a child with autism’s beahvior is sustained by the desire for attention, either positive or negative, they are typically seeking some form of recognition or acknowledgment. Attention can manifest in different ways and is simply an explanation of the behavioral patterns that often arise in human interactions. Through ABA parent coaching you are taught how to deal with this behavioral function to fuflill your child’s need for acknowledgement without reinforcing disruptive behaviors.
- Avoidance
Just like everyone else, children with ASD may turn to escape or avoidance behaviors to help them navigate undesirable situations, or avoid them all together. With ABA parent coaching caretakers are taught how to manage avoidance and escape behaviors effectively.
- Gaining Access
Access is a behavioral function that can be challenging for children with autism and their families. In a behavioral context, gaining access refers to a person displaying certain behaviors to gain access to certain rewards such as toys, experiences, and other tangible things. The function of access can be used positively in ABA therapy, and parents can learn how to properly leverage access through ABA parent training.
- Automatic Reinforcement
Automatic reinforcement refers to a type of reinforcement that occurs when a behavior is inherently rewarding or pleasurable, and therefore the behavior itself serves as the reinforcer. It is an important concept in behavior analysis, as it can influence the likelihood of certain behaviors occurring and may need to be taken into consideration when designing interventions to change behavior.
At Step Forward ABA we are proud to offer ABA parent coaching to caretakers of children with autism throughout Florida, New Mexico, and North Carolina. Empowering you with education and tools needed to help reinforce your child’s ABA therapy plan, ABA parent coaching is your first line of defence when it comes to tackling challenging behavios.
Let us support you with ABA parent training so you can best support your child with ASD! Contact us today to learn more about ABA parent coaching in Florida and throughout the US.
