ABA Therapy for Toddlers

If your toddler was recently diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), there’s likely a lot going through your mind. Your primary concern is likely what help and support you can provide your child so that they can succeed in life.

While an autism diagnosis can be daunting, there are great treatment options for those who are diagnosed with the developmental disorder, and some of the best can be implemented at a young age.

One of the leading treatments for autism is applied behavioral analysis, or ABA therapy. While it can be administered to school-aged children and adults, it’s also been proven to do wonders for toddlers.

The science-based approach to learning can help toddlers gain the social and communication skills that they might be struggling with, so that they can be set up for a more successful life.

By participating in ABA therapy, children can grow significantly over time, and have fun doing so.

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What is ABA Therapy for Toddlers?

One of the biggest advantages of ABA therapy is that it’s a highly personalized and customizable treatment plan. Licensed BCBAs and RBTs typically administer the ABA therapy, but not after a thorough observation and analysis of your child and what their specific needs are.

Once it’s determined what areas your child needs the most help in, a detailed ABA therapy plan will be catered specifically to those needs. Then, the ABA therapist will work one-on-one with your toddler to teach them the skills in various ways that have been proven by years of research.

ABA therapy can be administered in a clinical setting or in the comfort of your own home, with each environment providing its advantages and disadvantages.

What Skills Can ABA Therapy Teach Toddlers?

There are a number of different skills that ABA therapy can teach your toddler. As mentioned, the specific plan will be personalized to your child’s individual needs.

Many toddlers face challenges with social and language development skills. This can make it very hard for them to interact with people, which prevents them from being able to express what they’re feeling and what they need.

ABA therapy will work to help them build these skills by breaking down the concept of communication into much smaller steps that can be taught in a systematic way. This can help toddlers understand how better to engage in meaningful conversation, share what they’re feeling and express what they need.

ABA therapy can also teach toddlers some life skills they’ll need before they begin formal schooling. Some of these skills are challenging for any toddler, but can be even more so for children with ASD since they can have a hard time with communication and following instructions.

Some of the life skills ABA therapy can teach include self-care such as brushing their teeth and hair, getting dressed and using the toilet.

In addition, ABA therapy can work to reduce any problem behaviors a child consistently expresses that could be standing in the way of development. Some toddlers with autism express self-injurious, aggressive and tantrum-like behaviors — all of which can impede their learning of new skills.

Through ABA therapy, these behaviors can be reduced, which can help their overall development in time.

What Does ABA Therapy Entail?

In sessions, ABA therapists work one-on-one with your toddler to teach them the skills that they are struggling with. It’s based upon multiple teaching methods, depending on what your child needs and where your child is getting the treatment.

One such method is called Discrete Trial Training, or DTT. It’s a very structured way of learning by breaking down skills into achievable and measurable steps. Through repetition and a rewards system, the ABA therapist can help your toddler build the skills they need through this positive reinforcement.

Another teaching method that ABA therapy uses is called natural environment teaching, or NET. This is more of a play-based teaching method that helps to build general social and communication skills.

What approach your toddler’s ABA therapist will use will depend not only on your child’s specific needs but also how they react to different teaching methods and approaches.

Give Your Toddler the Help They Need with Blue Gems ABA

ABA therapy for toddlers with ASD has proven very effective. The treatment — which can be personalized to your child and also taught to other members of the family to reinforce the principles taught — is great at helping toddlers build the social and communication skills they need.

At Blue Gems ABA, our team of trained and licensed BCBAs work one-on-one with toddlers with ASD every day, and are committed to helping them succeed.

For more information, please contact us today.