Category: asd

Posted in aba, antecedent based intervention, applied behavior analysis, asd, autism, behavior, behavior technician, Evidence Based Practice, pairing with reinforcement, parent training, positive reinforcement, rbt, rbt competency assessment, registered behavior technician, reinforcement, therapy

Parents Know Best

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Parenting…it can be absolute bliss and also extremely overwhelming all at the same time. As a parent, one wears a lot of hats: caregiver, provider, chef, teacher, counselor, marriage partner, information specialist and more. This role grows tenfold with you’re a parent to a child with autism. Parents of children with autism must navigate a world that bombards them with information about what they should do to help their child succeed. You want to advocate for your child to get the best services and school programs available, but it’s hard to know where to start.

Parents know their children best. They know their passions, their strengths, and their stressors. Parents know that there are triggers to their child’s challenging behaviors that impede on the family’s ability to move smoothly through their daily lives. Although, sometimes it’s a struggle to figure out what exactly to do in order to stop the problem behaviors from happening. It’s easy to get stuck in a rut.

We’re quite certain we can help. We know how to empower you to make the right changes and improve the lives of your child and the family unit as a whole. ATCC Parent Training Series.

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), the highly researched ‘gold standard’ for autism treatment is a great place to start!

Becoming educated in ABA, will allow you to acquire knowledge to make desired behavior changes with your child. ABA will help you understand how your child learns, and we can show you how to use positive reinforcement strategies for continued learning and growth.

The World’s BEST ABA Training.

  • Introduction to Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
  • Introduction to Applied Behavior Analysis
  • Teaching New Behavior
  • Teaching Communication
  • Teaching Social Skills
  • Teaching Self-Help Skills
  • Toilet Training
  • Reducing Challenging Behavior
  • Reducing Wandering
  • Reducing Tantrums
  • Reducing Eating Problems
  • Becoming an Adult with ASD 
  • And much more…

ATCC Parent Training Series

Posted in aba, antecedent based intervention, applied behavior analysis, asd, autism, behavior technician, imitation, parent training, rbt, reinforcement

Teaching Eye Contact with Face Painting

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face paint, store bought or homemade. (We’ll show you how.)

One creative way to increase your child’s eye contact is by painting each other’s faces. Imagine the smile on your child’s face when it’s colorfully painted into their favorite character or animal. While you are painting your child’s face, you will naturally be giving each other eye contact. You can offer to paint fancy eye lashes coming out from the corner of your child’s eyes or make a circle of little stars around each eye. This allows for even more opportunity for your child to comfortably look at your face and eyes.

Find out more about teaching children with ASD at ATCConline.com

If you’re extra brave, give your child a chance to paint your face as well. This will create twice the opportunity for your child to practice eye contact and will also be twice as fun! For younger children, you can sit facing each other and play Pat-a-cake type clapping games or Peek-a-boo while making sure to hold your hands in front of your face to increase your child’s naturally occurring eye contact. Some children may not enjoy the feeling of paint on their face and hands and you may want to opt for playing with toy glasses, noses, masks or just making silly faces at each other. Your child will be experiencing silliness and laughter while practicing this crucial skill.

Why This Activity Works
Eye contact is a foundational social skill for all children. It is essential because eye contact is necessary for success with other social skills, learning activities, and for a child to safely interact in the world around them.  Looking at a person’s face gives us many important social clues and is important to communication because it allows us to read facial expressions and lip patterns. These facial clues are often extra important for children who have difficulty learning and using language. Fun games like face painting can be used to help children with ASD feel more comfortable using eye contact.


I recommend using washable paint that can be purchased at any local craft store. DIY – You and your child can easily make face paint together at home by mixing corn starch, face lotion, natural food coloring, and a dab of vegetable oil. Creating the paint yourself allows for even more enjoyable social interaction between you and your child.

Posted in aba, applied behavior analysis, asd, autism, behavior, EBP, education, Evidence Based Practice, parent training

eLearning Intro Video

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Activities-in-Action.com

This awesome e-Learning program is designed for busy caregivers as it allows you to focus on one lesson per month. Each lesson introduces you to one evidence-based practice, including creative activities, video demonstrations, guided practices and tips to help you put your new skills to use right away!

Video Demonstrations
Free Materials/Resources
Caregiver Community

Posted in aba, antecedent based intervention, applied behavior analysis, asd, autism, behavior, behavior technician, books, career, career college, college, EBP, education, Evidence Based Practice, rbt, rbt training, registered behavior technician, reinforcement

Teaching Early Language – FREE Activity Guide

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BUBBLES, BUBBLES, GLORIOUS BUBBLES (AGES 2 – 6)

ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION

Bubbles are a beloved toy for all, though they are particularly intriguing to young children with autism. What child wouldn’t relish in watching a liquid turn into seemingly magical, iridescent balls of floating air that disappear into the sky? So, you know you’ve got a captive audience when bubbles are around, this is the first crucial factor. 

What’s also great about bubbles is that they are the kind of toy that young children need assistance to play with. Unscrewing the container of bubbles and blowing a sustainable bubble are tasks that undoubtedly are difficult for a young child to do by themselves. This means they will need YOU to help them. Take full advantage of this by eliciting as much verbal and non-verbal language as you possibly can. 

Motivate your child to ask for more bubbles. Blow a few rounds of bubbles, then stop, leaving the wand in the container and see if you can your child to request for you to take the wand out. Then put the wand up to your mouth, but don’t blow. See if you can get your child to request you to blow. If your child is an early learner, you may accept him reaching for the container or wand as a way of communicating his wants, or maybe a simple first letter sound, such as ‘ba’ for ‘blow’ is developmentally appropriate for him.  For a child with more language ability, you can elicit the sentence “Please blow more bubbles”. 

MOTIVATION IS KEY!

Motivate your child to comment about bubble play. Demonstrate commenting during play, then stop and point at a bubble with an excited look on your face and see if your child will make a comment on their own. You can give an early learner a sentence to fill in, such as “That bubble is _____” or for a child with more language ability, help them to communicate longer, more descriptive sentences. 

To perform this activity all you will need is a container of bubbles and a bubble wand. Don’t fret if you don’t have bubbles on hand though, you can easily make your own with household items. All you need to do is mix 1-part dish soap to 3-parts water, add in a few teaspoons of sugar and stir it together. The sugar is a must, as it makes the bubbles last longer in the air. Wands can be made using anything with a hole in it such as pipe cleaners, drinking straws, and even a strainer.

Thriving with Autism: 90 Activities to Encourage Your Child’s Communication, Engagement, and Play

“Our mission is to make ABA strategies, evidence based practices, and therapy for children with autism available to everyone.”

Posted in aba, antecedent based intervention, applied behavior analysis, asd, autism, Uncategorized

Coping with stress, fear, and anxiety.

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In times like these, with our lives completely altered by COVID-19, we need practical, actionable ways of coping with stress, fear, and anxiety. 

The company TEN PERCENT HAPPIER is offering free resources that are sure to bring down the level of stress you are feeling right now. The meditations, podcasts, blog posts, and talks on this page will help you build resilience and find some calm amidst the chaos. We’re adding more resources as they’re created – so keep checking back. 

#autismacceptance

Posted in aba, applied behavior analysis, asd, autism, behavior technician, career college, Uncategorized

BACB® FREE RBT Handbook

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The BACB® has released the first ever RBT Handbook!

The Registered Behavior TechnicianTM (RBT®) is a paraprofessional certification in behavior analysis. RBTs assist in delivering behavior analysis services and practice under the direction and close supervision of an RBT Supervisor and/or an RBT Requirements Coordinator, who are responsible for all work RBTs perform.

The RBT Handbook describes the requirements for obtaining and maintaining RBT certification.

Posted in aba, antecedent based intervention, applied behavior analysis, asd, autism, behavior, behavior technician, career, career college, EBP, Evidence Based Practice, online, online school, pairing, parent training, positive reinforcement, prompt, prompting, rbt, rbt competency assessment, rbt training, reinforcement, task analysis, Uncategorized

Move Into Action with Prompting

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It’s the beginning of the school year and Johnny, a student with autism, is for the first time in an inclusive class setting. So far, he has integrated well into his 2ndgrade class, though there are still some skills that he needs assistance with. Luckily, he has you, his RBT, right there with him to ensure he inches closer and closer to achieving his goals! One of Johnny’s biggest hurdles in his new class is initiating a written task. Each day, the class is given a worksheet to complete independently. While his classmates complete their work, Johnny instead gets distracted by things in his environment and will not get started on his own.

Our job is to assist Johnny in achieving the skill of independently initiating a written task. How can we help him?

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We can use prompting, to help Johnny move into action!

In ABA, prompts are an essential part of teaching new skills. Prompts are specific and strategic types of assistance (help) given to a client in order to increase the likelihood of a correct response. For new skills, we want to start with the most intrusive prompts, and then reduce to less intrusive prompts as our learner achieves success.

Here’s how this may look for Johnny. All learners are different and therefore may start with a different level of prompts.

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Physical Prompt – Using physical contact to make sure a skill is demonstrated correctly. This may involve softly guiding Johnny hand-over-hand or simply moving his elbow forward prompting him to pick up his pencil and begin writing his name on the worksheet.

Verbal Prompt – Using only verbal instructions to bring about an accurate response. This may sound like “Johnny, get your pencil and begin your work” or simply “Get started”.

Gestural Prompt – Using a motion to cue the correct response. This may look like pointing to the pencil in order to get Johnny to pick it up and get started with his task.

Positional Prompt – Placing the necessary items in a location that elicits a correct response. This may involve placing his pencil and worksheet in view of Johnny’s eye level.

Visual Prompt – Using text or images to produce the correct response. You may make a visual image of the steps or write them in words for Johnny to reference depending on our learners reading level.

Don’t forget to positively reinforce Johnny’s successes; even when a prompt is used!

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The ultimate goal is for you to be able to fade the visual prompt out completely in the future, so there is no prompts needed for Johnny to independently initiate written tasks. In the chance that this doesn’t happen though, you can always return to a previous prompt or try to delay giving the visual prompt to see if Johnny moves closer to independence.

When implemented correctly, prompts are a very valuable tool to development independence for children with autism. In addition, prompting meets the evidence-based practice criteria with five single-subject design studies, demonstrating its effectiveness in the domains of academic and language/communication in all three age groups (i.e., preschool, elementary, middle/high school). See All.

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Posted in aba, antecedent based intervention, applied behavior analysis, asd, autism, behavior technician, career, career college, college, competency assessment, diagnosis, discrete trial teaching, pairing, pairing with reinforcement, parent training, positive reinforcement, rbt competency assessment, rbt training, registered behavior technician, reinforcement, token economy

The Beloved Token Economy

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The beloved Token Economy is a tried & true behavior management technique!

A Token Economy is an implementation technique for Positive Reinforcement, the backbone of ABA Therapy. Give a child something they love for behaving the way you want them to and you will see that desired behavior skyrocket!

You don’t have to have a degree in economics to understand it, it’s simple! Learners earn tokens (stars, stickers, tickets, etc.) for displaying a desired behavior. They then exchange the tokens for a larger prize (candy, iPad, fun activity time, etc.).

token-economy-example

THE PROCESS:
1. Decide on the specific amount of tokens your learner will need to earn in order to obtain their reinforcer. (Beginner learners should have very few, while advanced learners can work for more tokens over an extended period of time).

2. Give your learner a choice of larger reinforcers and let them decide which one they want to work for that day. (This is a crucial step. If your learner is not motivated to work for the reinforcer, little behavior change will occur).

3. If possible, explain to your learner the expected behavior required to earn tokens. For some learners, it will help to know what desired behavior you will be watching for them to display. This is not a requirement for a Token Economy to be successful. Some learners will begin to understand the Token Economy after it has gone into effect and the Differential Reinforcement taking place will positively affect your child’s behavior with no explanation ever needing to take place.

4. Give your learner a token immediately after you see them engage in the desired behavior. Tell your learner why they have received the token. For example “Wow Johnny! You just earned another token for staying in your seat during the movie!”

5. Once your learner has obtained all of the required tokens, give your learner their big prize with a whole lot of positive praise for a job well done.

When done correctly, a Token Economy can be successful with just about anyone. It has been proven to be very effective for students with special needs. It is also an Evidence Based Practice (EBP) for children with autism.

One reason that a Token Economy is so effective is due to the fact that the learner can visually see the progress they are making. This Visual Support (EBP) can be calming because the learner knows what is going to happen next. Token Economy is also a great way to teach delayed gratification, because the student must wait for all tokens to be obtained before the big prize is received.

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Token Economy boards are easy to make. All you need is a piece of paper and a pen. Even a post-it note will work to create a discreet token board for an older learner. If you’d like to make a reusable version, you can get creative with laminated paper, a white board pen, Velcro and stickers of your learner’s favorite cartoon characters.

Give it a try! Learn more by visiting Autism Therapy Career College.

ATCC All-Online Full RBT Certification Program
Posted in aba, antecedent based intervention, applied behavior analysis, asd, autism, behavior, behavior technician, career, career college, college, competency assessment, diagnosis, discrete trial teaching, EBP, education, Evidence Based Practice, job search, jobs, online, online school, positive reinforcement, rbt, rbt competency assessment, rbt training, registered behavior technician, therapy, verbal behavior

Why we love Dr. Temple Grandin

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Dr. Temple Grandin is one of the most influential people in the world of Autism and if you’ve never heard of Dr. Temple Grandin, let me introduce you to her…

Dr. Temple Grandin is one of the most influential people in the world of Autism. Being that she has the diagnosis, she is able to speak easily about how her experiences living with Autism have affected her, explaining in detail why individuals with Autism behave the way they do and how to help them. Not only has she contributed tremendously in the field of Autism research and treatment, but she’s a professor of animal science. Dr. Temple Grandin has fought tirelessly to improve the treatment of livestock on cattle ranches, including inventing animal handling systems intended to ease the fear and pain of animals in meat packing plants.

For all the incredible work that she does, Dr. Temple Grandin has received numerous rewards and honors over the years.

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In September 2017 she earned another well deserved notch on her cowgirl belt and it’s a big one! Dr. Temple Grandin was one of September 2017’s inductees into the National Women’s Hall of Fame, an honor given to other remarkable women such as Eleanor Roosevelt and Rosa Parks.

Dr. Temple Grandin has helped the world see the potential children with Autism have to be productive citizens and do great things with their lives, and she believes a well-structured ABA therapy program can help in making these achievements possible. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be a part of the Autism Therapy field which contributes so greatly to changing the lives of children with Autism?

Autism Therapy Career College can make it happen!

Posted in aba, antecedent based intervention, applied behavior analysis, asd, autism, behavior, behavior technician, career, career college, Christopher Duffley, college, competency assessment, cover letter, diagnosis, discrete trial teaching, EBP, education, Evidence Based Practice, job search, jobs, online, online school, pairing, rbt, rbt competency assessment, rbt training, registered behavior technician, Uncategorized

$29 RBT Training

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“If you believe in yourself and have dedication and pride – and never quit, you’ll be a winner. The price of victory is high but so are the rewards.” Paul Bryant

We understand the incredible need for Registered Behavior Technicians (RBTs) in the field of ABA therapy for children with autism. In fact, there are children on waiting lists to receive therapy at almost every ABA agency.

We urge you to begin working towards your RBT credential and start your career in this amazing field.  ATCC now offers multiple programs to meet the needs of each and every learner.

Do you already have experience in the field of ABA and just need the 40-Hour Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) curriculum? Awesome, you can enroll for just $29! Enroll in the ATCC RBT course and get your 40-hour curriculum done easily and quickly. 

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Are you joining the field for the very first time and need help through the entire RBT credentialing process? Enroll in one of our comprehensive Autism Therapy Programs. These are offered both On-Campus and Online.

Take the 40-hour RBT Curriculum  for $29 and build your skills to educate, enrich and inspire the lives of children diagnosed with autism. Or let Autism Therapy Career College lead your though each step of the entire RBT credential in one of our comprehensive Autism Therapy Programs. Either way your are on the path to your rewarding future career!

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