To optimize ABA therapy for a child, it is crucial that the parent’s play a significant role in the experience. Research shows that children who go through ABA therapy and have supportive, involved parents tend to make greater gains than those without. As a parent, there are multiple ways in which you can contribute to your child’s success in therapy sessions.
Continue to implement/reinforce therapy functions within everyday activities
With therapy, only a few times a week it is crucial to have the parents feel comfortable with ABA therapy, understand their role, and implement constant reinforcements throughout the week. For a child to grow and take large strides forward, therapy needs to be applied within daily activities, not just during therapy. This is where you as a parent come into play a pivotal role in how quickly and how much your child will progress through ABA services.
Give the therapist key insight and information that will make therapy activities as productive as possible
At the end of the day, you know your child better than anyone else. Being able to use a parent’s insight and knowledge about their child is extremely beneficial to both the planning and implementation of ABA therapy. By combining your insight on your child and the therapist’s expertise, you will be able to create and implement the most positive and efficient therapy sessions.
Report back to the therapist about progress
Since the therapist is not in your home, experiencing all the same activities and emotions that you and your child are experiencing, you can be a very reliable inside source. This will allow the therapist to take into account progression, regressions, or experiences that might not occur during therapy sessions but still play a significant role in the child’s life.
Makes for a structured environment when everyone is on board
As a child, it may become confusing if you are getting such contrastingly different feedback from a therapist and your parents. Having the parents play, a role in ABA therapy allows for a more structured and adaptable world for the child. This way the child will not learn to act a certain way with their therapist, and completely different once they leave. The child will grow to see a connection between what is learned in therapy and how they act in the real world because they will see that their parents and therapists play a similar role to one another.
