For most parents, the idea of teaching a child to learn is ridiculous. Parents who have never had a child with an autism spectrum disorder often assume that all children are born capable of learning from the world around them with ease. The truth is that ABA Therapy is a vital part of the learning process for children with autism, who are born without the ability to imitate and learn from all that they see.
Many of the fundamental parts of child developed are learned innately for most children. As they see their peers and other people doing certain things, they simply learn and adopt these principles and behaviors. Children with autism do not know how to imitate and thus how to infer and learn from the behaviors of others. ABA Therapy uses specialized techniques to teach children to imitate behaviors and actions. By using a system of repetitions and reinforcements, children are literally taught how to learn.
The way ABA Therapy works is by rewiring the parts of the brain responsible for learning. These neural highways are often underdeveloped or developed differently in children with autism spectrum disorders. Due to the remarkable adaptability of the human brain, however, ABA Therapy is able to literally alter these pathways, creating new neurons and pathways that allow these children to learn and infer much like their peers.
Whoever coined the saying that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery certainly captured the feeling of any parents who have an autistic child. While many parents do not even notice when their child picks up a new character trait from the outside world, these parents celebrate it as a milestone. For these parents, imitation is a wonderful feeling, something to truly be cherished.
ABA Therapy is not a cure for autism, and no known cure exists. What ABA does offer, however, is a chance for recovery. Many children with autism spectrum disorders have used ABA Therapy to help them lead completely typical lives, virtually indistinguishable from their peers. Studies show that these skills follow the children well into adulthood and their working lives. ABA Therapy has been the most popular and common treatment for autism for decades and the simple principle of teaching imitation has created thousands of success stories by truly teaching children how to learn. With a track record like that it is easy to see why ABA is still the most commonly recommended treatment by doctors, parents, and school systems alike.
Christy Butch is the Mother of a 6 year old with autism and the founder of Maximum Potential Group. http://www.maximumpotentialkids.com & http://www.abatrainingcourse.com
Tags: ABA Therapy, Applied Behavior Analysis, autism, autistic, developmental disability
