Is your child going to day care for the first time this fall? Is he or she prepared to be in a group care setting? Pre-requisite skills for being in a group care setting include following group instructions the first time given, keeping their hands to themselves, independently being able to use the restroom and wash their hands effectively. They also need to be able to wait, and tolerate the shared attention of one caregiver for many children. ABA Therapy can help with all of these skills if your little one is not ready to be in a group care environment. We teach listener skills and following directions and work to generalize those skills to multiple adults. We work on keeping safe hands and feet, and have 1:1 staff able to step in and assist if your child is struggling with keeping hands to self in a group environment. Can your child tell a teacher what he needs in a clear way? Can he tell another student to leave him alone? These are also skills that we work on in our ABA Center. We build in opportunities to communicate and interact with peers in a safe and friendly way.
Intercept's Applied Behavior Analysis Centers may be a solution if your child with special needs has been asked to leave daycare settings, or if they are just not thriving in that setting. Especially if your child has a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder, ABA may be the right fit for you and your family!
Intercept's ABA Centers complete an individualized assessment on your child to identify what areas of need are most important. We look at unsafe behaviors (such as climbing on furniture, self-injury, tantrum behavior, physical aggression, and eloping from the area), communication skills, social skills, and independence with activities of daily living. From there, we create a treatment plan with input and approval from parents, and begin ABA therapy.
If your child is in the toddler to pre-kindergarten age range, independence with daily living skills is super important. When they go on to Kindergarten, we want them to have the skills to be independent and safe in schools. This might look like teaching new communication skills, teaching independence in handwashing and toileting, or helping with self-regulation skills. We also work on tolerating wearing a mask, since some children are still struggling with this and most schools are requiring masks this school year.
Perhaps your child is a little bit older, and doing well during the school day, but once arriving to day care or home, unsafe behaviors increase and skills for self-regulation and de-escalation are needed. At our centers, we have peer groups to work on social skills, communication, and self-regulation. Frequently, we see clients "holding it together" through the school day, but reaching a threshold for self-regulation after school is done for the day. This gives us an excellent opportunity to really work on those self-management skills and de-escalation.
If your child is struggling in a mainstream day care or virtual learning environment, please consider reaching out to ABA to see if it’s a good fit for you and your family.
***ABA Therapy coverage subject to terms of medical insurance policy