ABA vs reg spec Ed teacher

My 2 year old daughter had her spec Ed services discontinued because her scores were too high. Her speech therapist feels she would benefit from ABA. Leaving off with her spec Ed teacher, she said in not so many words she doesn't need ABA.
How exactly are regular spec Ed therapy sessions different from ABA?

ABA vs reg spec Ed teacher

We never had a spec ed teacher--but, after DD got ASD diagnosis, we got ABA. During ABA, the therapist works with her on specific behaviors and will do this through imaginative play or direct instruction. For example, my daughter yells, "NO!" when somebody says "hi" to her- So, the therapist has been working with coming in through the door and saying, "Hi" until my daughter says it back to her w/o yelling--- That was once a whole session! To me, the most useful part of it is the parent training, I have learned so many new strategies to manage her behavior that it has really made our day to day interactions so much better things like leaving the park, supermarket, etc... without a tantrum. It also helped my husband and I end up on the same page about how we respond to her behavior.

ABA vs reg spec Ed teacher

I think this gives a good general description of ABA.

http://www.appliedbehavioralstrategies.com/what-is-aba.html

Basically, it's been used with my DS to either increase or decrease certain behaviors or achieve certain goals. ABA often breaks goals down into more manageable steps so that the child can be successful and increase his/her skill level. I think it's most often used with people on the spectrum, but it's a behavior therapy that many others can benefit from.

In my own opinion, not all special ed teachers are well versed in ABA. If your child has an ASD diagnosis, legislation was approved recently that allows you to get ABA through your health insurance.

ABA vs reg spec Ed teacher

ABA is teaching targeted skills, breaking down those skills and building upon them. It is very intensive and repetitive and each skills is worked on until it is mastered. Such as, What is my phone number? 555-1212. The child would be asked that question and prompted to give the answer until the child can recite it without hesitation. It is also used for daily skills such as putting on socks. They would break it down into phases. First following the direction - get you socks, then taking socks out of the drawer, then putting on one, then putting on the other. It is very intensive.

My personal feeling on ABA : ). While it definitely works you really need to understand the personality and level of disability you child has. DD had ABA for almost 4 years and while she learned a ton we are now relearning everything because ABA is very rigid and real life is not. She learned so many rote phrases, she looks out of place with other typical kids. Her manners are impeccable because that is what she was taught ABA style. Real life people sometimes don't say thank you and please and that is not a cause to throw a tantrum because they didn't follow "social rules". It is very hard for her to generalize new skills now because everything was so black and white with ABA.

If your DD did not qualify for special ed services, then I would absolutely not be perusing ABA. It is 1000% more intensive than special ed services. You can request parent training without ABA if you believe that would be beneficial.

Re: ABA vs reg spec Ed teacher

This is just from my experience- my DS was given 1 session of "special instruction" a week at 18 months with a special ed therapist, a month later he got an ASD diagnosis so that special ed therapist then became one of his ABA therapists. TBH I didn't find that much of a difference on what she did with him during therapy, still played with same toys, etc. but she just followed a book with goals, etc that the ABA team leader set up, and the ABA session was longer, at 90 min vs 45 min. He was also entitled to more sessions a week of ABA w/ the diagnosis.

Re: ABA vs reg spec Ed teacher

I am so unsure what to do. she doesn't always make eye contact with her speech teacher and doesn't always respond to her name. Her spec Ed teacher told me when it was disqualified that she feels she is just a stubborn 2 year old that will look at you when she wants and is sometimes so into what she is playing with (but never In her own world) that she may not answer to her name right away. Her spec Ed teacher was shocked she even got diagnosed, no less that ABA is being recommended. I am all for more services. I'd love to have her spec Ed services reinstated. I just don't want to out her through something as intensive as ABA, if it's not really something she needs.

Re: ABA vs reg spec Ed teacher

I wanted my son to get as much help as possible early on so if having the diagnosis meant getting more therapy then I didn't care.. but that was JMO. Maybe see how the ABA goes at first. You can also request less sessions per week if you wanted to (I am sure the county would be willing to do this to save money!)

Re: ABA vs reg spec Ed teacher