1. Why Implement an Early and Intensive Intervention Program (EIBI)?
2. How many hours of ABA therapy are recommended for children under the age of six?
3. Do your consultants work with school teams, other professionals or therapists?
4. How successful is ABA in teaching adults or people with other developmental disabilities?
5. What type of training do parents need to run an ABA program?
6. As a parent running a therapy program, what is expected of me?
7. Why is it important that I teach my child using ABA?
8. How do I hire a one-to-one (1:1) interventionists or tutors?
9. What professional credentials do your consultants have?
10. Does your agency provide trained Behaviour Interventionists?
11. Is your ABA program affordable?
12. How long is your wait list?
13. What is Autism Spectrum Disorder?
14. What is Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA)?
15. What is Verbal Behaviour?

Why Implement an Early and Intensive Intervention Program (EIBI)?

Evidence suggests that children with a variety of developmental challenges achieve more successful outcomes when therapeutic programs begin during the early stages of development (Guralnick, 1998). Early Intensive Behaviour Intervention (EIBI) services are therefore designed to work with children during the formative ages of 0 – 6 years old.

How many hours of ABA therapy are recommended for children under the age of six?

A major component of a successful home program for children with autism is the intensity of the delivery of instruction across behaviour interventionists, supervisors, teachers, and of course, parents. There has been much debate about how much therapy is required to make a difference in a child’s life. Some research supports ABA programs that give 40 hours of therapy a week, while other research shows 10-20 hours a week can be effective as well. Many times deciding how much therapy is needed can be based on the individual needs of the child, and the amount of direct intervention provided by the family in daily living. There is no perfect formula to this process so your consultant will work with you and your team to determine the best intensity for your child.

Consistency of your program is essential to its success and will help your child acquire more skills at a faster rate and interact more effectively with his or her environment.

Do your consultants work with school teams, other professionals or therapists?

Yes. We welcome the opportunity to work with any person on a therapy team at the family’s request. Building positive professional relationships is helpful in implementing program goals and can significantly improve therapeutic outcomes.

How successful is ABA in teaching adults or people with other developmental disabilities?

There is no age or context limit on the effectiveness of using Applied Behaviour Analysis to teach new skills or behaviours. Although the most intensive period of intervention is for children aged 0-6 years, the principles and teaching strategies continue to apply throughout the lifespan.

What type of training do parents need to run an ABA program?

Parents do not need to have formal management or bookkeeping experience, but they do require a basic knowledge of the science of Applied Behaviour Analysis and how to implement their child’s program.

We offer a theory workshop for parents and interventionists at the beginning of the program, and follow up training opportunities during home therapy sessions as the program progresses. We recommend that parents participate in as many community training opportunities as they can. The information, networking and support can be very helpful.

For more information on upcoming training, please contact us.

As a parent running a therapy program, what is expected of me?

Research has shown that family involvement and commitment to the child’s intervention program is strongly linked to the child’s achievements. Families hold some key responsibilities in program delivery, which include:

• Actively participating in team meetings and implementing the ABA program
• Hiring and scheduling the one-to-one (1:1) interventionists
• Attending a Parent Training Workshop provided by LBSS
• Purchasing or creating ongoing therapy materials as needed
• Contacting your Behaviour Consultant between meetings if you need further training, advice, or instruction
• Generalizing newly learned skills in various natural environments.

Why is it important that I teach my child using ABA?

In addition to employing Behaviour Interventionists, consider your role as a teacher. Studies by Schreibman & Koegel indicate that parents are the best teachers for their child. Some of the advantages of a Parent Teacher include:

• frequent access to the child at different times of day
• ability to generalize newly learned skills in various environments (generalization of the material learned); and
• increased participation in the development of curriculum.

In addition, the studies revealed improved interactions between families and their consultants when families were participating as teachers in their child’s program. (Schreibman, L., & Koegel, R. L. (2005). Training for parents of children with autism: Pivotal responses, generalization, and individualization of interventions. )

How do I hire a one-to-one (1:1) interventionists or tutors?

Hiring and training a Behaviour Interventionist can be challenging. Aside from basic qualifications, we recommend that you seek individuals that connect with your child and integrate well with your family. Many families have found applicants through their family and social networks, online autism bulletin boards, youth leaders in local P arks and Recreation programs, college students who are studying psychology or education, or from referral by other families running a home therapy program. For more information and tips on hiring interventionists, please contact the LBSS Service Coordinator.

What professional credentials do your consultants have?

Consultant credentials range from the Baccalaureate through to Doctorate levels. All consultants are supervised by Clinical Director William Kent, who is classified as Category A on the Registry of Autism Service Providers (RASP) list. Several consultants are also on the RASP list maintained by Autism Community Training BC.

All consultants are trained in the principles of Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA); positive behaviour support (PBS) and have experience working in the field. The team continues to participate in professional development activities on a regular basis, and some consultants are also pursuing graduate work and Board Certification as Behaviour Analysts.

Does your agency provide trained Behaviour Interventionists?

At this time, we do not provide trained interventionists. However, we are currently exploring the feasibility of expanding our service in this area and will update our site lin summer 2009 when our review is complete.

Is your ABA program affordable?

Yes. Laurel is part of a large non-profit agency which helps us offer quality, affordable behaviour support services to families. In addition, by training families to do intervention and supporting them in program implementation and monitoring, we can help them further stretch their valuable therapy dollars.

How long is your wait list?

Please contact our Service Coordinator for up to date information. We receive referrals from Community Living BC in step with our ability to serve them and do not maintain our own lists.

For private services, we are able to accommodate contracts dependent upon consultant availability in the specific region requested.

Additional Frequently Asked Questions:
(based on the Glossary of Terms from ACT BC.)

What is Autism Spectrum Disorder?

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a complex condition that impacts typical brain development and affects a person’s social relationships, communication, interests and behaviour. ASD is a general term that includes the following three disorders, in which social interaction is the most commonly affected: Autistic Disorder (AD), Asperger Syndrome, (AS), and Pervasive Developmental Disorder – Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS). In practice, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder and Retts Disorder are not usually considered part of the Autistic Spectrum, although they are grouped with them in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association (DSM-IV.)

While there is currently no known cause or cure for autism, effective early intensive behaviour intervention can increase a child’s independence in home and school settings, while helping to close developmental gaps.

What is Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA)?

ABA is a well-researched, intensive method of treatment which has been shown to result in great improvement for many people with ASD symptoms. It is a scientific and professional discipline that is concerned with applying scientific principles of learning and behaviour to socially important problems. It emphasizes careful measurement of observed behaviour, and analysis of behaviour in terms of what is happening in the environment immediately before and after the behaviour .

An Applied Behaviour Analysis program establishes behavioural objectives or goals, breaks complex behaviours down into their functional parts, sets objective ways of measuring the relevant behaviours, implements teaching or behaviour change procedures based on behavioural principles, and then evaluates the results through careful experimentation. ABA teaching methods are very systematic and precise.

Applied Behaviour Analysis is a very broad field, and ABA principles and methods have been used for everything from developing language skills in children to teaching leadership skills to executives, and from eliminating self-injurious behaviour to reducing littering. Applied Behaviour Analysis methods are known to be effective in treating autism, and are used to promote the child’s optimal development in all domains including motor skills, self-care, language and communication, play and social skills, pre-academic and academic skills, and vocational and independence skills. Communication and social skills are given special emphasis. ABA techniques are also used to reduce challenging behaviours.

Some methods used in autism treatment which are based on ABA principles include: Discrete Trial Teaching, Precision Teaching, Programmed Instruction, Pivotal Response Training, Verbal Behaviour approaches, Fluency Training, Incidental Teaching, and Positive Behavioural Support. (Batstone, David, Queen Alexandra Centre, Vancouver Island Health Authority) (***This definition is excerpted from the Glossary of Terms, Autism Community Training, BC, February 2009.)

What is Verbal Behaviour?

Verbal Behaviour (VB) is an educational approach that can be used with individuals that are both verbal and non-verbal. VB can be defined as follows: “a subfield within basic and applied behaviour analysis that is devoted to identifying and researching sources and instructional procedures that produce functional verbal repertoires when they are missing.” (Greer 2008) The source of Analysis of Verbal Behaviour is Skinner’s (1957) work in analyzing the functions of language. For example, Skinner studied requesting (manding) and labeling things that are relevant in the environment. His approach was a departure from the developmentally based language approach. The functional analysis of language is recognized as a major approach for teaching communication skills to children with autism. (John T. Neisworth & Pamela S. Wolfe”, The Autism Encyclopedia, Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co. Inc. 2005.)