ABA is a common intervention used for children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. However, after a diagnostic evaluation is completed, ABA can be used to help with any behaviors impeding with learning in school, home, or within their community. This includes physical aggression, self-injurious behavior, property destruction, inattention to tasks and temper tantrums. ABA can assist with children having difficulty communicating their wants and needs, have rigidity in routines, have difficulty interacting with peers or lack the skills to independently complete age-appropriate self-help skills. ABA also can assist in acquiring new skills and maintaining current skills.

Services focus on preschool readiness skills, including solitary, parallel, and cooperative play; requesting (manding) and labeling (tacting) objects and people; fine motor skills, including coloring, cutting, and pre-writing skills; conversation and social skills; self-help skills, including feeding, dressing, and grooming; toilet training; and group skills.

Services focus on activities that school-aged children participate in, including conversation, social interactions, and playing with peers; participation in group sports with peers, and other activities in the community; navigating around the community; expanding communication skills, including receptive and expressive communication; self-help skills, including feeding, dressing, grooming, bathing, toileting; vocational and household skills, including chores; academic-related skills, including spelling, math, writing, and reading; and school-based supports.

Services focus on facilitating independence in the child’s life, including expanding communication skills; navigating around the community; participating in community activities; vocational and household tasks, including cooking and cleaning; and accessing resources in the community.

Parent education and training is an important part of programming to facilitate managing challenging behaviors and generalization of skills across all settings for children at any age.

ABA therapy works to increase functional communication, both verbal and non-verbal, and expand communication skills. Additionally, it can decrease challenging behavior impeding with learning or that may be harmful to their self or others. ABA is helpful in teaching new skills to replace challenging behaviors by increasing appropriate behavior and decreasing challenging behavior. An increase in learner readiness skills, social and play skills can be achieved through ABA. The intervention can also increase independence in self-help skills, academic skills, promote generalization of skills and behaviors.

It is the goal of the ABA therapists to increase their client’s abilities to express their wants and needs to others, make friends or maintain social relationships, complete age appropriate activities of daily living (i.e. toileting, hand washing, tooth brushing, dressing, etc.) and learn and maintain new skills.