While therapy by an expert remains the most effective form of learning and growth for children with autism or other development delays, know that you can successfully do therapeutic exercises at home too. This guide by experts of ABA therapy Dubai provides helpful methods for parents and caregivers to enhance the child’s development. Know that it is important you apply these ABA therapy techniques with professional guidance only. You can consult your child’s therapist or watch videos online to go about skill-building and overall development methods with care.
A Helpful Guide to Top ABA Therapy Techniques for Parents and Caregivers
While every child with developmental delays perceives and learns from ABA therapy in different ways, they still have much to gain from each ABA therapy technique listed here. With time and consistency, you will see considerable impact on your child’s skills and intellectual abilities. Here are the therapeutic habits and activities you can engage your child in at home.
1. Offering Prompts
If you’re unsure how to approach ABA therapy at home, the simplest technique is providing prompts. While most parents do prompt their child in different ways every day, children with autism or other developmental delays need more nudging as a way to learn—hence the use of prompts as one of the common applied behavior analysis methods.
You can provide physical prompts, like guiding your child to use a new game. Verbal prompts are spoken directions, which you can aid with gesture prompts (e.g. pointing and nodding) and visual prompts (e.g. flashcards).
2. Role-Play Learning
Another popular ABA therapy technique that therapists employ to enhance social and communication skills is role-playing everyday scenarios. You can also use role-play at home to help autistic kids make friends and become more comfortable with social interactions with others.
Tailor role-play according to your child’s interests and developmental stage. For example, you can use props and pretend with your child that you are in a grocery store. Use pre-arranged cues to help your child communicate. Moreover, involve family members in these scenarios to enhance understanding.
3. Positive Reinforcement
Children thrive more when rewarded than when they are criticized or punished. That is why ABA strategies for behavior change include positive reinforcement.
The practice enables a child—particularly a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD)—to develop in a nurturing environment. While positive reinforcement makes up a huge part of professional therapy, it’s crucial to incorporate it in daily life as well.
Employ verbal praise such as ‘Great Job!’ or physical praise such as a hug when your child displays a desired behavior. You can also offer your child tangible rewards like a sticker or an extra piece of snack.
4. Model-Based Actions
Children’s behaviors are a reflection of their parents—even for children on the spectrum. Modeling is a well-known ABA therapy technique that relies on children’s habit of imitation.
Use the ABA therapy technique of Discrete Trial Training (DTT) to approach modeling. DTT is most common in ABA therapy for toddlers, involving breaking down skills into smaller sections. Some examples include:
- Brushing Teeth: Show your child how to brush the front. Let them master this before they learn how to do sides and so on.
- Making Meals: Demonstrate how to do the simplest task (adding ingredients), and guide your child on other tasks as they grow.
5. Eye Contact Practice
One of the top signs of autism in children is difficulty maintaining eye contact. ABA therapy for autism involves helping a child with consistent, confident eye contact—as it is one of the essential social skills for autistic skills to master.
The key is to make eye contact exercises fun. Hold an object near your face to encourage your child to make eye contact. A bottle of bubbles is a common therapy tool: hold it near your face, ask your child to look at you, and immediately blow bubbles as soon as you make eye contact!
6. Daily Chores Assistance
The best way to adopt various ABA therapy techniques at home is to include your child in daily chores. Allowing your child to assist you in home duties while correcting their behaviors is ideal if you are a busy parent.
Moreover, letting a child learn with chores is a classic form of Natural Environment Teaching (NET). This ABA method enables a child to thrive in diverse situations besides the controlled setting they encounter at their autism therapy center in Dubai. And with time, your child will move from assisting to doing chores independently as well while developing social and communication skills.
7. Understanding Emotions
Generally, children with autism disorder struggle to comprehend and express feelings—their own as well as others. You can help your child understand emotions as a certified ABA therapist does.
Start with a simple ABA therapy technique such as making flashcards with characters expressing emotions. An effective method is to take pictures of yourself showing different emotions, and teaching your child how to identify feelings.
Additionally, leverage daily situations as learning opportunities for your child. Let them know when they or you feel happy, sad, angry, frustrated, or bored—while helping them deal with those emotions in healthy ways.
8. Recognition & Matching
Get different items from around the house, such as toys, clothing, or even fruits and other food items. Let your child name these and then help them with matching types, colors, etc.
As you see, recognition and matching skills are significant ABA methods with the aim of enhancing focus and problem-solving abilities, as well as improving memory and speech. By identifying and matching things on paper or using real-life objects, your child will become better at organizing, storing, and retrieving things, and recalling information in conversations.
9. Sensory Play
Sensory play is a vital ABA therapy technique that addresses various developmental skills such as hand-eye coordination, all while enhancing their overall focus and creativity.
Some easy sensory activities you can do at home include:
- Finger Painting: You can assign a topic for your child to paint with their hands, as well as leave room for creativity and imagination!
- Pouring Station: Fill a large container with water, and add food colors to other varied smaller containers. Let your child pour from one container to another to mix colors.
You can also take your child to the park or the beach, and let them safely engage with nature-gifted textures!
10. Boundary Setting Exercises
Eliminating negative behaviors can be quite challenging if you have a child who struggles with hyperactivity or an attention disorder. Setting boundaries is a part of ABA therapy, specifically addressing behavioral development, as it ultimately helps your child navigate social interactions.
Some examples of practicing boundary setting at home are supervising your child’s playtime with siblings and teaching them positive social habits such as not touching others or avoiding interruption when it is the other child’s turn in an activity. Do praise your child when they show a positive change.
Balancing At-Home and Expert ABA Therapy to Promote Progress
Know that consistency is the key to successful ABA therapy techniques at home! As your child grows and learns, you can make these activities more challenging. Of course, while these child-parent (or caregiver) interactions are helpful and necessary, do sign up your child for professional applied behavior analysis therapy with a board-certified expert for desired positive change and development.
Reach out to Small Steps today and we will connect you with a qualified and experienced ABA therapist for guidance. Call us at +971556106471 or leave us a message on the website for a consultation.