The theme of today is a news that to speak about a
teaching method for autism “ABA” or “Applied Behavioural Analysis”, the Jack's
experience, the it work with autistic child, and Treetops, a school with this
method.
Jack is a child of 4 years old
with autism. He had regularly refused to eat anything except baby food and
custard, and it had to be a particular brown colour. If his mother (Julie Barber) tried anything
else he would be sick.
The last year, Jack started at
Treetops, one of a handful of state special schools in the UK
offering a programme of applied behavioural analysis, or ABA. Today Jack can to
go to restaurant or a party and to eat of all.
First developed in California (US) in the
1960s, ABA uses a system of rewards to change children's behaviour and teach
them new skills. The work on children with autism is controversial
because the program is compared with the approach to "dog training" or the method is overly demanding.
ABA can be used for anything from
improving behaviour to teaching curriculum subjects. The key tactic is to
engage the child using individual rewards or "reinforcers".
Treetops used a type of ABA known as verbal behaviour
or VB, the child is “paired” with an assistant who carries a bag of
"rewards" (toys or props the child enjoys using). If the child
perform a task correctly, or behave as they are being taught to, they get a few
minutes with their reward.
For to work with child the flexibility is the key because each child is different, in special for
Interesting. I think that the title question can be easily expanded to other psychiatric patologies.
ReplyDeleteI think that the controversy caused by these behavioral techniques is born from ignorance, they just don't know that other animals learn in a very similar way than us :)
ReplyDeleteall person is difference, the autism is a disorder but I dont know if do this treatment is respect the person and your difference :(
ReplyDeleteit's horrible that some people compare that techinique with a "dos training" :O
ReplyDelete