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The Initial Assessment for ABA
The purpose of the initial assessment is to determine your child's baseline skill level in the areas of receptive and expressive language, social skills, play skills and adaptive functioning. The assessment is also designed to identify any challenging behaviours which interfere with your child's learning. Of utmost importance is the identification of effective reinforcers given to your child that will motivate your child while working with the ABA programming. ABA programs must also include the skilful art of differential reinforcement.
Once this information has been collected and analyzed an Individual Behavioural Plan is developed which outlines your child's baseline skills and immediate goals in programming.
Following the approval of the child's Individual Behavioural Plan, I will provide the family with a program binder that details the child's programs to be initially worked upon. Once the Instructor has been hired by the family, I will schedule an initial home-visit at which time the program goals will be reviewed. At the first in-home appointment a regular schedule for program supervision will be set with the family and which is in keeping with the contract requirements.
What Can Families Expect
Behaviour analysis is a set of principles and practices. There is a wide range of variation across programs regarding the application of those principles. I work together with the family to develop an individualized program to meet their child's needs. Applied Behavioural Analysis is empirical in nature. All goals and strategies developed are based in assessment. The child's progress towards those goals is carefully monitored through the ongoing collection of data.
All children have the right to effective intervention. Some of the strategies used to insure effective intervention include, but are not limited to
- Providing choice when and where possible.
- Providing a happy / upbeat, calm and predictable environment in which to learn.
- Providing the opportunity to interact with other children.
- Providing individually determined incentives for task completion.
- Providing routine and structure while aiming towards helping the child accept changes and transitions.
- Providing individually pre-determined contingencies for both appropriate and inappropriate behaviours.
- Developing goals and programs based on individualized assessment.
- Providing consistent and close monitoring of the behavioural data in order to make timely and meaningful changes to the child's program as needed.
- Using teaching strategies based on the most current behaviour analytic research.
- Parents are actively involved in all aspects of their child's programming and OAP Behaviour Plan.
I have known and worked with Mary Mac Naull for the last ten years, both at the former BCTS. Centre and as a private Instructional Therapist. Mary has been my Program Supervisor for many of my clients over the last ten years. Mary has always shown professionalism, consideration for her clients, and the spirit of a team player. Mary has worked hard for her clients and has proved herself to be a tireless advocate for the autistic children in our community. Mary has furthered her education in the field of Applied Behavioural Analysis to keep up to date with the latest strategies and methods to help her clients. Mary has shown her experience in being able to match the proper programs with her widely diverse clientele and have her clients show success on all levels. Mary has worked with children ranging in ages from 2-17. These children have a wide range of issues, from mild to severe autism. The continued success of Mary's clients are a testament to how hard she works for her clients and how much she enjoys her field of work.