Autism is a complex neurobehavioral condition that affects many children and adult in the United States’ population. A person suffering from Autism condition has a wide range of complications mostly behavioral, communication and repetitive actions. As a result of a wide range of symptoms that come alongside autism condition, it thus, known as Autism Spectrum Disorders (ADS). The challenge most parents and guardians face is how best to manage ADS. From a medical perspective, ADS has no specific treatment. As a result, practitioners manage this through different behavior therapies. For instance, Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) has been proven effective in managing ASD. ABC is a complex behavior therapy based on the science of learning and behavior. The approach helps in understanding how human behavior works, how behaviors interact with the environments, and how learning takes place. The goal of ABA therapy is to increase the behaviors which bring about positive development and reduce the behaviors which cause harmful outcomes. In this article, the interaction between Applied Behavior Analysis and ADS forms the basis of discussion. The aim is to prove the effectiveness of ABA in building Autistic patients' language skills and behavioral management.
Applied Behavior Analysis
Applied Behavior Analysis is a critical tool in managing behavior change. It works on the principle of behavior change and the possibility of learning. ABA applies to human being’s understanding of behaviors to a real situation ( Roane et al., 2016). Also, it works by encouraging behaviors which promotes positive behaviors and shun actions that support adverse developments. ABA therapy programs are critical in a different manner. First, these programs increase language and communication skills. The therapy programs are tuned to help those people with language difficulties. Through repetition of actions, those who have language issues find themselves developing speeches after undergoing through the ABA programs. Other than language developments, ABA therapy programs improve attention, focus, memory, and academics. In this case, the ABA therapy programs help individuals whose attention, concentration and memory are low ( Roane et al., 2016). Such are people who find it difficult to concentrate in class or real life. Through positive reinforcements and repetitive actions, these individuals find their focus and attention after a certain period. Finally, ABA therapy programs are critical in encouraging positive behaviors through decreasing problematic behavior. Due to such evident outcomes, ABA has been used for decades to manage behavior related programs.
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ABA therapy involves different techniques tuned to help individuals with diverse challenges of behavior. First, these programs are flexible and can be adapted to meet the needs of people with unique behavior challenges. Further, the degree of flexibility portrayed by such programs makes it possible to use them in a different setting to meet the needs of a challenged individual. For instance, ABA therapy programs are applicable at home, in the hospital, and schools ( Roane et al., 2016). Other than these, ABA programs teach skills which are paramount in everyday life. As a result, the affected individual is in a position to adapt to the rhythm of daily life. Finally, the ABA programs can involve one-to-one teaching between the patients and the therapist. It can also be useful for group teaching. In all these cases, the number of patients is a determinant factor ( Fennell & Dillenburger, 2018).
ABC for Autism Patients
Autism patients show a wide range of behavior defects. For instance, such patients show the unusual and obsessive level of focus. For example, these people may have a low level of concentration. If he or she looks at something, it can be challenging to shift the attention from that direction to somewhere else ( Fennell & Dillenburger, 2018). Also, such persons show a lot of repetitive actions and behaviors. For instance, they tend to act repetitively. They can carry out specific behavior many times without shifting their attention. Also, such patients lack social skills and interaction capabilities. Besides, they tend to be lonely and have difficulty in understanding things. Furthermore, autism patients have problems with verbal communication. Some of them use figurative languages instead of clear and concise communications. Finally, they show a wide range of anxiety in disruption and interactions ( Roane et al., 2016). As a result, these patients need different programs tuned towards meeting such specific demands to ensure they cooperate well in the community. ABA has several and important programs which help such patients manage their challenges in an effective manner ( Fennell &Dillenburger, 2018).
Managing Communication (Verbal Behavior Therapy)
Managing communication is an essential aspect of managing people diagnose with autism. Mostly, such individuals communicate using symbols and gestures. However, the goal, in this case, is to use ABA to enhance speech among autism patients. Verbal Behaviour treatment is a type of Applied Behavior Analysis, is critical in managing statement among people diagnosed with autism conditions. On the other hand, the Oral Behavior Therapy teaches children, who are non-vocal, how to communicate effectively. The type of ABA explains why words are important and why they are used to communicate better than using figurative language. For instance, it would be insufficient for parents or guidance to point at an item so that a child or a person who has autism recognizes that it is a specific item. In this case, such people only understand objects through labeling. When people utilize verbal behaviors therapy, physicians encourage patients through repetition to use functional skills ( Ingvarsson, 2017). It is is treatment approach that helps kids understand that communication should produce positive outcomes.
The primary objective of Verbal behavior therapy is to enhance spoken language. During these lessons, there are a lot of modifications which a therapist carry out to suit the patient based on age, gender and the severity of autism condition. For instance, the best approach used by most therapists is to come up with different speech stimulating factors. According to Ingvarsson (2017), t he therapist must know the patient preferences. The preference varies with age, gender and severity of the conditions. The therapist then comes up with different modeling which is tuned to ensure that there is communication between the therapist and the patients. After some time, the therapists will start decreasing the level of the trainer prompting acts and encourage the action of independence in a patient. It takes some time to cultivate the culture of autonomy for a patient suffering from autism conditions. In a typical situation, this process can take nearly two months for full developments ( Ingvarsson, 2017) . Again, the process depends on factors such as the severity of the conditions, age and the willingness to cooperate and get engaged in such programs.
Verbal Behavior therapy depends on four types of words to help a person who has autism speaks. The first word is the Mand. It is merely a request. For instance, the act of requesting an item such as water is Mand. It helps in enhancing repetition when therapists ask for an object severally. It creates a symbolic image in the mind of the patient thus, enabling them to be in a position to repeat such words. The next word is Tact . It is a comment that is used to share an experience or draw attention. For instance, a therapist can try to pull the patient's care by uttering the word airplane while pointing at the aircraft. Tact is also done repeatedly to enhance speech for such patients ( Ingvarsson, 2017). The next word which is also common for such classes is intraverbal . Intraverbal are words that people commonly use while asking or answering questions. These words are critical as they act as a stepping stone for a patient who has autism to learn how to utter spoken language and use it for comprehensive communication. After some time, a patient who starts using intraverbal shows good progress with regards to speaking skills ( Ingvarsson, 2017). The last word type which is also common in this lesson is Echoic. Echoic are repeated words or echoed words that are used to facilitate spoken communication among patients who have autism. In this case, the therapist's task is happening specific word to create imitation culture among the patients. While imitating the word used by the therapist, such a child finds it easy to use such words repeatedly, thus, enhancing their speaking skills.
Notably, these words work in a process following a specific sequence. For instance, the therapist starts with Mand or request. It is the basic principle which is common for most therapists. After the student understands what application implies, the therapist then begins tutoring them on how to point at an object. In this case, the practitioner teaches the patient how to communicate with the intention of producing a positive result. Further, the therapist will help the patient shape communication by uttering the actual words. It is an implication that the patient shall have grabbed the basic concepts in spoken word, and are in a position to identify an item based on spoken language and not through labeling. At this time, the teacher is in the best place to teach the patients basic concepts of speaking. The teacher starts involving questions that need answers from the patients. During such a lesson, the participants employ a technique called errorless learning. "Errorless teaching means using immediate and frequent prompts to ensure the student provides the correct response each time. Over time, people reduce these prompts. Eventually, the student no longer needs prompting to provide the correct response” ( Ingvarsson, 2017). In many cases where autism is involved, this method has succeeded in many instances and deemed fit to teach autistic children and adults spoken language.
Enhancing Behavior Development (Cognitive Behavior therapy)
There are different types of Applied Behaviors Analysis which are critical when it comes to correcting behavior. Most of these behaviors changes as well as difficulties autism patients face stem from their cognitive abilities. These are patients who change mood as a result of depression and stress. In adults, depression is common leading to aggression and other behavior challenges. In a real sense, managing such behavior mostly for unqualified individuals is a challenge. Cognitive behavior therapy is recommendable to control and reduce the intensity of behaviors among autism patients. Cognitive behavior therapy addresses the mind of an individual. Cognitive behavior therapy has been used for decades to treat and manage brain related depression stress and autism. It also helps by reducing aggression and anxieties. It is a science of mind, and how the brain and the environment react to produce a specific type of behavior in a person. The cognitive behavior therapy takes into account the thoughts (or cognitions ) we have about things, the feelings that result, and the behavior that follows. In relations to the autism patients, the theories are critical as it helps reduce and manage behavior related to stress and anxiety. Many studies show that Cognitive behavior therapy can be useful in decreasing challenging behaviours like obsession over a particular topic or things. For instance, frequent meltdowns, cars, or numbers.
In a study documented by Hopkinson et al. (2018), the researchers conducted a survey which includes twenty-five studies documented in many electronic research webpages. The study was a literature review study involving twenty-five documents review — the research aimed at relating cognitive behavior therapy with depression and anxiety for patients suffering from different diseases. From the results, the researcher concludes that when well programmed and managed, Cognitive Behavior Therapy is effective in controlling anxiety and depression and its related issues such as mood change in people suffering from different forms of these diseases such as autism problems. Sizoo & Kuiper, (2017 ) conducted a similar study to come up with a research-based conclusion on whether cognitive Behavior therapy and mindfulness-based stress reduction are the best to manage mood change, depression and stress among the patient diagnosed with autism conditions. From the result, the authors noticed different aspect of this type of relationship. First, the participants that underwent cognitive behavior therapy and mindfulness-based stress reduction could be able to control their emotions and impulse than those who were going through alternative means. Further, the study results revealed that with Cognitive Behavior Therapy in place, the patients were in a position to manage and control their attention effectively. From such findings, the study concluded that with Cognitive Behavior and mindfulness-based stress reduction therapies in place, autism patients are in a better position to control their behavior, which stems from cognitive mindsets such as depression and anxiety.
The aim of the study by Weiss et al. (2018) was finding the level of emotional and attention control among children diagnosed with autism. Further, the research study also aimed at finding out whether Cognitive Behavior Therapy could succeed in managing emotions children with autism conditions. From the study, “Children in the treatment immediate condition demonstrated significant improvements on measures of emotion regulation (i.e., emotionality, emotion regulation abilities with social skills) and aspects of psychopathology (i.e., a composite measure of internalizing and externalizing symptoms, adaptive behaviors) compared to those in the waitlist control condition” Weiss et al., (2018). Further, the study established that with Cognitive behavior therapy in place, the students also showed different linguistic skills.
Positive Reinforcements
Positive reinforcement is also the best way to control behavior challenges that come with autism condition. Positive reinforcements help the children to learn new types of behaviors and skills. According to Mills (2015), p ositive reinforcement is an incentive given to a child who complies with some request for behavior change. The aim is to increase the chances the child will respond with the changed behavior. Positive reinforcement is given immediately after the desired action has occurred so that it will shape the child's future behavior. A study conducted by Mills (2015) aimed at finding the relationship between autism behavior and positive reinforcement. Using a total of fifty participants, the authors concluded that through rewards, that are targeting specific actions, a therapist could succeed in enticing and introducing a specific beneficial behavior in a child diagnosed with autism conditions.
From the discussion, it is evident that Applied Behavior Analysis is critical in enhancing language skills and regulating behavior challenges related to autism conditions. The use of Verbal Behavior Therapy is essential in strengthening the different skills necessary for communications for a patient diagnosed with autism conditions. Further, Cognitive Behavior therapy and positive reinforcement are proven by many research studies to be effective in controlling the behavior changes and moods in patients diagnosed with autism conditions.
References
Roane, H. S., Fisher, W. W., &Carr, J. E. (2016).Applied behavior analysis as treatment for autism spectrum disorder. The Journal of pediatrics , 175 , 27-32. Retrieved from: https://sci-hub.se/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpeds.2016.04.023
Hopkinson, M. D., Reavell, J., Lane, D. A., &Mallikarjun, P. (2018). Cognitive behavioral therapy for depression, anxiety, and stress in caregivers of dementia patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis. The Gerontologist . Retrieved from: https://academic.oup.com/gerontologist/advancearticle/doi/10.1093/geront/gnx217/4908661
Mills, J. R. (2015). The Impact of Self-Monitoring Paired With Positive Reinforcement on Increasing Task Completion With A Student Diagnosed With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Case Study. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research , 13 (2). Retrieved From: http://www.ijlter.org/index.php/ijlter/article/view/433/197
Fennell, B., &Dillenburger, K. (2018). Applied behaviour analysis: What do teachers of students with autism spectrum disorder know. International Journal of Educational Research , 87 , 110-118. Retrieved from: https://sci-hub.se/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2016.06.012
Ingvarsson, E. T. (2017). Tutorial: Teaching verbal behavior to children with ASD. International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education , 9 (2), 433-450.
Retrieved From: https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1126669.pdf
Weiss, J. A., Thomson, K., Burnham Riosa, P., Albaum, C., Chan, V., Maughan, A., ...& Black, K. (2018). A randomized waitlist ‐ controlled trial of cognitive behavior therapy to improve emotion regulation in children with autism. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry , 59 (11), 1180-1191. Retrieve from: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jcpp.12915
Sizoo, B. B., & Kuiper, E. (2017). Cognitive behavioural therapy and mindfulness based stress reduction may be equally effective in reducing anxiety and depression in adults with autism spectrum disorders. Research in developmental disabilities , 64 , 47-55. Retrieve From: https://sci-hub.se/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2017.03.004
