Is ABA Robotic?
Many people are skeptical of ABA therapy, they believe it is robotic
or cruel to children. These beliefs come from decades ago, the same
time frame when I would be known as a refridgerator mom who didn’t
love her child enough. Both of these beliefs are a “load of poopoo”
as we would say in our house. ABA is the only proven way to increase
skill levels for children with autism and help them reach their
potential. Keep in mind, this is a slow process...there is no “quick
fix” for autism...and results differ for every child.
We are 7 months into Brady’s ABA program. He currently does ABA
therapy 20 hours a week (two 2-hour sessions 5 days/week), and we are
looking to gradually increase that over the summer, getting closer to
30 hours by his 3rd birthday in September. At 2-1/2 years old, Brady
has a schedule like no toddler I’ve ever seen...ABA 20 hours, speech
therapy 1-2 times a week, occupational therapy once a week, specialty
play groups, swim lessons, meetings to plan for the weeks to
come...the list goes on. Doing ABA is a lifestyle change for families
that can be scary. I think we were fortunate to start in October,
when the weather was getting cold and we didn’t want to be outside
playing as much. The coming months are the hard ones, when you have
to pass up a day at the park or the pool. But when you look at the
research that has been done, ABA is well worth your time and money.
And again...lots of money. Ohio is fortunate enough to have the
Autism Scholarship, which we plan to take advantage of at Brady’s 3rd
birthday, but even then, it won’t cover everything. I think families
of autism must be the poorest people by the end of all this!
Brady has a lot going for him in his ABA program. First, he has a
great therapy room. Daddy was nice enough to donate his “man room”,
completely done in Marshall Thundering Herd colors and decor. Second,
we are working with Children’s Hospital, who have so much experience
and great resources. His consultant from Children’s is very caring,
great with Brady, and understanding to our needs as a family too. And
most importantly, he has two of the most amazing therapists that work
with him every day. We could not have dreamed we would find 2 gals
that are so caring and good with Brady. They truely treat him as if
he was their own. I had rarely (never since his diagnosis) left Brady
with a babysitter other than his grandparents until these ladies.
They even stayed with him all day when I was in labor with Ty so that
all our family could be at the hospital! We are truely blessed to
have found them...they are a part of our family...I see them more than
my husband many days!
To address the concerns that ABA is robotic, I would say our program
sure isn’t. One of Brady’s biggest problems is his inability to pay
attention. When he doesn’t show interest in a program, they make it
more attractive by adding in his favorite characters. So, when he is
learning labels for things (shoe, cup, book, etc.) you will find Elmo
and Grover thrown in the mix! They play with toys, and reward him
when he does a good job by bringing out his favorite toys or snacks.
Most days, Brady has fun during his therapy. We call his therapy time
worktime, but I think he often considers it playtime. Just like
anything else, there are rough patches. But, it is so awesome to have
this team that will help us teach Brady anythying we want him to
learn. We have worked on so many things already...sitting his sippy
cup down instead of throwing it...giving high five...coloring...using
his toys...colors and shapes, the list goes on. Soon we are having a
“potty party” for Brady, a whole new world for us...the world of potty
training!
I just want to make sure people recognize that ABA has come a long way
and it is still the only scientifically proven method to treat autism.
Our hope for our Brady is that by combining ABA and some biomedical
options, he will have the best possible chance to recover. We must
keep a positive attitude and a bright outlook for his future...Brady
IS on his way to recovery from autism.
