When parents get the diagnosis of autism for our children, they panic, despair, and then get to work.  What choice do we have?  The window of opportunity for treatment is only open briefly, and we must work quickly and fill every waking hour.  With what?  With effective treatment, we hear…  With ABA.. 

So what is Applied Behavior Analysis? And just what is behavioral therapy?  From a parent’s perspective- it is full time engagement, active teaching, constant redirection.  It is pulling the child back into the world, out of the world of enchantment and aloneness they have entered.  But how to do it?  Often, it seems that everything we try does not work, and what does work is not intuitive.  Behavior analysts understand how ABA can be used to change things, to achieve these goals.

Who are behavior analysts?  Skilled angels.  Behavior analysts choose this profession, and have a combination of scientific knowledge and practical skills that changes lives.  Suddenly, our children listen, look, and respond.  They teach us how to deliver instructions, to plan activities, to provide cues, and to calm them down.  We learn how to anticipate difficult situations and ensure that they go more smoothly.

I think ABA helps individuals with autism to make sense of their worlds.  It helps them to both understand what is happening and communicate their needs.  It is a lifesaver, but not just for the person with autism.  It is also a lifesaver for parents, helping us navigate these unchartered waters and give our children with what they most need- a way to understand, communicate, and learn.

To learn more about programs at Endicott College that teach people to become professionals in this important field visit Become a BCBA 

Mary Jane Weiss, Ph.D., BCBA-D

Professor of Education and Director of Autism and Applied Behavior Analysis Program 
Endicott College