This world is made up of a multitude of incredibly diverse individuals. While humanity in general is still slowly learning a simple and valuable lesson about the beauty of such diversity, some people are starting to understand the human brain, psychology, emotions, and behaviors on new levels. This can be evidenced in the work done in conjunction with applied behavior analysis therapy in autism treatment centers and other centers focused on patients who are working to socially integrate in ways that they have previously been unable to accomplish. Applied behavior analysis therapy is largely used in treatments, education, and training for those with autism spectrum disorders, though the therapy is not limited to those disorders alone. Applied behavior analysis therapy could be helpful for anyone with social or behavioral difficulties.
Understanding the disorders and the therapeutic process
Take a moment and think about the way that you perceive the world around you. It is not usually something that you stop and process through a different lens; you are used to experiencing and interacting with the world around you in the way that you developed to do so. While there are plenty of people these days who claim to be socially awkward, that type of behavior seems to have been adopted into pop culture. Yes, everyone has their awkward moments. But the type of social misunderstanding and miscommunication that warrants the application of ABA therapy is something else entirely. This type of social disconnect is not a joke that finds itself as part of a popular viral meme. It is a way of life for many people, and often a difficult one.
ABA therapists put in a lot of time working with individuals who have a goal of altering their natural behavior in order to better interact with the world around them. There has been quite a bit of research done on applied behavior analysis sessions, and there is some evidence showing that there can be positive results from sessions that add up to at least 20 hours every week. However the case will more often be that an ABA therapy program will consist of as many as 40 hours in one week, lasting all year round and will often go on for at least two years. The sessions are intensive, and the therapist will spend one on one time teaching and working with the student.
The goal of ABA therapy
Ideally, the work that the patient and ABA therapist put in will pay off with the patient learning how to interact in society. The main ideas of the therapy is to provide children, from birth to the age of 18 and sometimes older to correctly learn, understand, and apply daily living skills as well as social, linguistic, and academic concepts. While society should learn to ease up on the standards and expectations that are put on people to be “normal,” ABA does help those with disorders meet society in the middle.