Children with autism have trouble with social interaction. This limits their ability to understand others, pick up on nonverbal cues, and make friends. Meanwhile, their parents struggle to get them to follow commands and are often dismayed that their kids don’t notice things like “dirty looks” when they’re doing something they shouldn’t be doing.
Training geared towards children with autism helps reduce or eliminate these problems. It doesn’t just involve the children; parents are also involved. Parents learn how to effectively communicate with their autistic children and reduce friction in their interactions with them.
How Training Programs Help Autistic Children
One way these programs help autistic kids is by teaching them good ways to communicate. Often, methods like applied behavioral analysis (ABA) are used to teach them these skills. This is done by presenting structured activities and giving the kids positive reinforcement when they get something right. In this way, they learn essential language techniques that let them interact with parents, teachers, and other caregivers in a more confident way. Interactions with other kids are also improved.
Autistic children are also taught about common social behaviors expected of children, such as how to take turns and sharing, as well as picking up on nonverbal cues. This makes things easier for them and others not only while they are children, but after they get older, as well. Autism Speaks emphasizes how this training will allow autistic kids to gain friendships and improve their well-being.
Importantly, ABA methods are tailored to each child and his or her needs. The Autism Science Foundation notes that ABA methods are also adjusted when research shows that specific details of the method need to be changed, so a good practitioner can deliver the best possible results.
How Parents are Empowered
Parents are empowered by ABA training because it gives them the tools and strategies they need to address challenging behaviors, better communicate with their kids, and create a home environment that is both supportive and structured. The American Academy of Pediatrics says that parental engagement improves the parent-child relationship as well as enhancing the effectiveness of training.
The role of training in nurturing children with autism is a crucial one. It saves the child from years of frustration trying to understand their fellow humans and saves those fellow humans from having to deal with untrained behaviors. It improves communication skills, teaches age-appropriate social skills, and enhances kids’ general life quality. Parents are also empowered with strategies for raising a child on the autism spectrum.
Why Choose Opal Autism Centers for ABA Training?
Here at Opal, your child will be seen. We tailor our program to each child’s needs, and every interaction is carefully designed to meet them.
Our goal is to turn what could be an overwhelming time into a journey of joyful milestones. We have spent years working with families and listening closely to their feedback.
Areas Where You Can Expect to See Improvement
We do more than just teach language skills. Our program also addresses dangerous behaviors such as tantrums and aggression. We also help with picky eating, provide potty training support, managing unsafe behaviors, and provide social, peer, and transition skills.
All of this is done through a natural learning environment that brings out the best in your child without undue stress. In this nurturing atmosphere, your child, depending on his or her age, can improve academic performance or get prepared to enter preschool or elementary school.
Parents will find it easy to enroll their children into Opal Autism Centers. There is no wait time, and you don’t even need a diagnosis prior to enrollment. Our experts will provide a diagnosis if it is needed.
About Opal Autism Centers
Our organization was founded by clinical and operational experts that love the science of behavioral change and how it changes the lives of children and their families for the better. For us, seeing transformative changes at early ages is inspiring. We have ambition, compassion, and a quest for learning that keeps us at the forefront of autism training.
We understand that in the past, ABA had a controversial reputation. However, we not only use modern methods, but also work towards improving the standards of the entire industry. We also work to make this life-changing method available to all, including in military communities and underserved areas.
Our ABA training isn’t rigid or clinical. Instead, we use play-based training that is naturalistic and engaging. This is known as Natural Environment Teaching. We blend training with normal routines of daily living such as bath time, meal time, and playtime as well as other parts of a child’s natural day. Finally, we offer families plenty of choices. We let the families direct and help make decisions about their treatment plans.
To enroll your child at one of Opal’s autism centers, just contact us. We look forward to helping your child grow and making your lives easier.
