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School

May 25
1

How Is Naturalistic Teaching Used in ABA?

By | Social Skills, School, Daily Living Skills | No Comments

ABA therapy is an intensive therapy that typically has weekly dosages of 10-40 hours per week. When recommending hours and different types of treatment plans many factors will impact that number. Primarily, the research has shown that more hours of therapy is directly related to positive outcomes. So how can we accomplish 30-40 hours of therapy for a young child without it feeling like they are working a full time job? By utilizing naturalistic teaching.

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Feb 22
2

How Extracurricular Activities Boost Social Skills

By | Summer, Social Skills, Activities, School | No Comments

Faira Carlson, M.Ed., BCBA

When beginning therapy, addressing your child’s social skills is often a perfect place to start. As we teach early social skills and more complex social skills as your child grows, practicing at home can be the perfect environment to learn the basics. As your child’s social skills improve at home, it is important to provide them with opportunities to practice those skills with other kids their age and in different environments. BCI offers telehealth social skill groups weekly and participation in these groups can be very meaningful. If you are interested in participating, speak with your BCI clinician about days and times. If the telehealth groups don’t work for your schedule, or if your child is ready for something more complex, then enrolling them in an extracurricular activity is a great option! 

The Benefits of Extracurricular Activities

Extracurricular activities provide your child with the opportunity to practice the skills they have learned in session in a very natural setting. The skills that they have practiced in therapy or in BCI’s virtual social skills group can be used to facilitate independence in the community. Follow your child’s interests and enroll them in an activity that they will enjoy. Ask the organization if you can attend a few sessions before signing up to ensure that your child will like that activity. Beginning something new may be a challenge, but the benefits of extracurricular activities really are abundant! Your child will be exposed to an increased number of social experiences that are hard to replicate in the home setting. These opportunities not only allow for practice but for opportunities to succeed. 

Don’t forget to include your ABA team! We can help prepare your child for participation and even attend some sessions with them.

Social Skills Supported by Extracurricular Activities

  • Making and keeping friends
  • Conversation skills
  • Flexibility with routine
  • Tolerance of differing opinions
  • Nonverbal communication
  • Coping skills

Looking for Extracurricular Activity Ideas?

Sports and Athletics
Baseball
Soccer
Football
Gymnastics
Karate
Bowling
Golf
Tennis

Music
Choir
Band
Orchestra
Group lessons

STEM Groups
Math & Science clubs
Computer clubs

The Arts 
Community Theater
Art classes
Tap
Ballet
Jazz
Hip Hop

Summer Camps
Regular Play Dates

After School Programs
Boys & Girls Club
YMCA
Youth Camps

Jan 24
0

Build a Morning Routine

By | School, Daily Living Skills | No Comments

Faira Carlson, M.Ed., BCBA

It’s no secret that the morning can be a stressful time for families! Developing independent living skills and skills to follow a schedule can be meaningful to reducing stress in the morning. Daily living routines should be an important part of your therapy treatment plan. Children as young as 2 should be able to help with dressing and undressing themselves and completing simple chores. While children with special needs may need extra time to master these skills they should still be introduced early. Discuss with your BCI clinician which daily living skills would be most meaningful for your family. Your clinician can support you with teaching these skills or introduce them during sessions. Mastering these routines in session is a great first step even if sessions happen later in the day. Once the skills are mastered we can work on generalizing them to the correct time of day. School breaks are great times to adjust session schedule to target different times of the day as well!

Morning Routine Supports

  1. Visual or Written Schedules
  2. Reinforcement Schedule for Progress Toward Independence
  3. Practicing routine in session


Morning Routine Quick Fixes

  1. Get into a schedule, wake up around the same time throughout the week
  2. Set expectations that are consistent everyday
  3. Prepare the night before (set out clothes, pack their lunch)
  4. Plan for extra time 

Daily Living Skills by Age

18-months

  • Undressing: pulls off hats, pulls off socks, takes off coat, pulls down pants
  • Grooming: helps with brushing teeth, helps with wiping nose and face, helps with washing hands
  • Feeding: eats fingers foods, uses a straw, uses a spoon
  • Chores: puts toys in a toy box

24-30 months

  • Dressing: pulls up pants, matches socks, matches shoes, removes shirt, unfastens velcro.
  • Grooming; brushes hair with help, wipes face.
  • Feeding: uses a fork, carries plate, uses a napkin.
  • Chores: puts dirty clothes in a hamper, take clothes from washer and put into the dryer (front loading), help feeding pets.

4-years 

    • Dressing should be mostly independent.
    • Grooming: hand washing and combing hair should be mostly independent, brushing teeth may need some monitoring.
    • Chores: makes their bed, sets the table, waters plants.
Jul 22
0

Back to School Transition Planning

By | Social Skills, School | No Comments

Faira Carlson, M.Ed., BCBA

We hope your summer vacation has been restful and full of sunshine and warm weather. While we are still enjoying summer vacation it is a good time to begin thinking about going back to school. Transitioning from the relaxed summer schedule to a more structured school schedule can be particularly difficult. Here are BCI’s recommendations for a successful transition back to school.

Meet the Teacher and Visit the Class Before the First Day

If this is your child’s first year in school an actual visit to the school can be very beneficial to help them prepare for starting school. Your BCI clinician can develop programming to target teaching your child his/her teacher’s name, identifying different parts of the school, and help build motivation to attend school. When planning your trip to the classroom ask your child’s teacher if they mind you taking photos of them and the environment. We can use these photos in our sessions to learn names and talk about what we do in these different locations. If you’d like we can plan for your RBT to join the school visit so they can meet the teacher and help your child and them build rapport. 

If your child has already started school and is familiar with the process, meeting the teacher beforehand can be helpful in establishing rapport and ensuring everyone starts off on the right foot. 

Get into the School Routine and Schedule

1-2 weeks prior to starting back to school begin practicing the routine and schedule you will follow once school resumes. Following the bedtime schedule you will have once school starts and waking up at the time needed to make the bus or bell schedule, will be helpful in making the transition back less abrupt. Your BCI clinician can help you develop a plan to fade in a new bed time and can help establish a clear morning routine. In sessions, we can practice daily living skills that will help build independence in the morning and evening. Complex skills like dressing and brushing teeth can be targeted all summer long and less complex skills like putting a lunchbox or homework folders in a backpack can be started closer to the start of school.

It may also be helpful to begin planning meals and snacks around the same times your child will be eating at school. Avoiding hungry bellies during instructional time can decrease the likelihood of challenging behavior or inattentiveness. Your RBT and BCI clinician can adjust their session schedule to match snack and lunch times to help your child’s body adjust. When deciding on which new skills may be needed be sure to consult your BCI clinician on developing programming to help your child pack a school lunch, open or access their packed lunch, engage in appropriate cafeteria behaviors (e.g., carrying a tray, clearing a tray, etc.), or how to ask for help. 

There may be other skills that your child may benefit from practicing before the school year starts. You may consult with your BCI clinician to develop the best plan for your child. 

We look forward to supporting you throughout back to school!

Tips for Older Students

  • Pack your backpack before the first day of school
  • Use a Checklist for needed supplies (ask your clinician for ideas)
  • Review your class schedule and map out the path to take to each class
  • Review your lunch schedule and pack a snack and drink if needed
  • Call/Text a friend to meet up before school starts

Things to Remember for Fall Schedule Changes

  • If your summer schedule is different from your fall schedule, remember to plan coordinating schedule changes at least 1-month in advance
  • RBT’s sometimes work with multiple families and may be unable to change their schedule to accommodate your new schedule
  • A reduction in hours may mean a reduction in treatment goals targeted, BCI is flexible with session days and times. Don’t forget a Saturday session is a great way to increase hours.
May 24
0

Why You Should Hire a Professional Writing Service Instead of Yourself?

By | School | No Comments

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