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Abstract
The impact of Applied Behavior Analysis techniques, used by teachers in the classroom, on children with autism has long been discussed and debated, with many proponents viewpoints strongly supported with evidence. The effectiveness of ABA is undeniable but it raises the question of the effectiveness of ABA techniques applied in the home environment by parents. There appears to be a large gap in information on this segment of the autism spectrum population. The objective of this study is to carefully identify what factors have the greatest influence on parents’ consistent use of trained ABA techniques with their autistic children and to establish that there is a clear lack of availability of professional training for ABA techniques for parents to learn and to utilize in their home environment. The goal is to also determine, of the parents who do use ABA techniques at home, what is the subsequent impact on child outcomes over time. The study uses a mixed methods approach to address these issues.
Keywords: autism spectrum disorders, behavior, early intervention, parent training, applied behavior analysis
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PARENTS’ CONSISTENT USE OF …show more content…
In reviewing 2008 records of 8- year- old children, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) determined that autism has far reaching effects of 1 in 88 children, spread across all ethnicities, races, and socioeconomic groups (CDC, 2012). The need for intervention is clear and researchers see parent training in ABA techniques as an alternative or supplement to clinician-directed interventions. Parent involvement can increase teaching opportunities to assist, generalize outcomes, and reduce exorbitant training costs (Brookman-Frazee et al., 2012; Koegal, Koegal, Fredeen, & Gengoux,
Abstract
The impact of Applied Behavior Analysis techniques, used by teachers in the classroom, on children with autism has long been discussed and debated, with many proponents viewpoints strongly supported with evidence. The effectiveness of ABA is undeniable but it raises the question of the effectiveness of ABA techniques applied in the home environment by parents. There appears to be a large gap in information on this segment of the autism spectrum population. The objective of this study is to carefully identify what factors have the greatest influence on parents’ consistent use of trained ABA techniques with their autistic children and to establish that there is a clear lack of availability of professional training for ABA techniques for parents to learn and to utilize in their home environment. The goal is to also determine, of the parents who do use ABA techniques at home, what is the subsequent impact on child outcomes over time. The study uses a mixed methods approach to address these issues.
Keywords: autism spectrum disorders, behavior, early intervention, parent training, applied behavior analysis
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PARENTS’ CONSISTENT USE OF …show more content…
In reviewing 2008 records of 8- year- old children, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) determined that autism has far reaching effects of 1 in 88 children, spread across all ethnicities, races, and socioeconomic groups (CDC, 2012). The need for intervention is clear and researchers see parent training in ABA techniques as an alternative or supplement to clinician-directed interventions. Parent involvement can increase teaching opportunities to assist, generalize outcomes, and reduce exorbitant training costs (Brookman-Frazee et al., 2012; Koegal, Koegal, Fredeen, & Gengoux,