VBMAPP For parents and other caregivers, the assessment process is often your first step into the world of Applied Behavior Analysis. Your ABA professional will use a variety of assessments, both formal and informal, to help design the program that will be the most successful for your child. One of the formal assessments frequently used…
Navigating the complex world of special needs vocabulary can be challenging and sometimes frustrating, especially when words mean one thing in common usage, and a different thing in therapeutic situations. Your ABA professional may use words in a different way than you do. Two of the most frequently used words that might cause some confusion…
There is currently a great deal of debate in the field of speech-language pathology about the kinds of words that should be taught first to nonverbal (or minimally verbal) individuals with communication impairments. This debate mainly surrounds whether interventionists should first teach a broad range of specific, concrete words or a small set of abstract…
What does my therapist mean when they say, “Verbal Operants”? Many children diagnosed with Autism who are receiving ABA Therapy have programs that focus on the treatment of language delays. Programming developed as part of the treatment is commonly based on the analysis of Verbal Behavior. These programs focus on the development of “verbal” language…
Developing independent toileting skills is an important milestone for children and families to overcome. Graduating from diapers to the use of toilet is seen as a critical step in the development of young children and helps to promote positive social experiences, successful interactions in the home and to boost confidence in the child. Often times,…
An article in a parenting magazine touts a new diet for kids on the spectrum. One of the moms at the bus stop tells you about a new method for controlling tantrums. Your uncle suggests that you “just need to be more firm” with your son. A friend tells you about another friend whose child…
Parents of young children more than likely have experienced various levels of pickiness when it comes to getting their children to eat or experience new or different foods. And if you are wondering: “is it just me?” studies have found that this is a rather common problem. About 25% of typically developing children display some…
Christopher Chapman, 27, walks down a hallway past historic Disney memorabilia encased in glass at Marvel Studios in Burbank, Calif. He looks like any other young talent, in a gray sweater and jeans with a backpack slung over his shoulder. Chapman comes across as a quiet soul, someone colleagues might easily label the “office loner.”…
Theory of Mind is a term that was defined by Premack and Woodruff (1978) as the ability to assign mental states to oneself and to others. That is, the ability to infer what other people believe given a certain situation, allowing one to predict what they will do. Since this study on non-humans, the research…