Why is parent/caregiver training offered?
Parent/caregiver involvement during Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy is an essential part of a child’s success. Parent/caregiver training helps to ensure everyone is on the same page, creating consistency between the strategies and procedures used by ABA professionals and parents/caregivers. Parent/caregiver involvement also promotes generalization of a child’s skills by allowing them to practice what they learned during ABA sessions with their families at home and in the community.
Research has shown that when parents collaborate with professionals to develop interventions and implement them, targeted behaviors are reduced, and the child’s engagement during daily routines (where the interventions are used) is increased (Buschbacher et al., 2004). Along with reducing targeted behaviors, parent/caregiver training and consistent parent-led programs have shown an increase in the child’s correct targeted responses and an increase of treatment fidelity, which is a measure of how closely the plan/intervention is being followed as written (Strauss et al.,, 2012).
How are parent/caregiver training opportunities at GentleCare Therapy offered?
There are numerous ways to take advantage of parent/caregiver training opportunities at GentleCare Therapy. Every child participating in the ABA program will have a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) assigned to their team. The BCBA will create programs for the child based on scientific evidence, clinical expertise, and family preferences (Sackett et al., 2000)and provide supervision and guidance to their behavior technician (Behavior Analyst Certification Board, 2014). During one-on-one parent/caregiver training, which will be arranged by the BCBA, this guidance will also be extended to the child’s family to establish consistency. Programs in place during ABA therapy sessions can be introduced and also modified by the BCBA while working with the child’s family. ABA therapy is an individualized practice, and BCBAs will focus on helping each family work toward goals that are impactful and important to them.
In addition to creating and reviewing individualized parent/caregiver trainings, BCBAs will follow GentleCare’s Family Training Program developed by GentleCare’s Dr. Casey Nottingham, BCBA-D and Emily DuCoin, BCBA. This comprehensive curriculum is aimed to increase families’ understanding of autism and Applied Behavior Analysis through lessons, questionnaires, hands-on practice, and conversations with their BCBA.
GentleCare will host Monthly Parent Workshops, GentleCare will host free monthly parent workshops, created and delivered by GentleCare Therapy clinicians who provide ABA, speech, occupational therapy, and other related services, available to all members of the community. These workshops will be presentation style, covering a plethora of topics and were created to provide support to the community.
What does parent/caregiver training with a BCBA look like?
BCBAs take an individualized approach while working with children and their families, and will cater parent/caregiver training sessions to the family’s needs. Parent/caregiver training can be conducted regularly and held in the family’s home, school, and community. Training can also take place in the center and through Telehealth, if approved by your child’s insurance provider. Some topics BCBAs may explore during parent/caregiver training sessions include:
- Having discussions about programs and goals
- Providing updates about progress
- Creating behavior support plans together
- Providing support during IEP meetings
- Collaborating with related service providers, such as school staff
- Reviewing materials (visual supports, token economies, etc.)
- Completing assessments, surveys, and questionnaires
- Modeling programs
- Demonstrating techniques
- Offering feedback and coaching
- Facilitating observations at the center
Supporting families in Cherry Hill, Voorhees, Camden, Mount Laurel, Gloucester, Deptford, Burlington, Marlton and throughout Burlington, Camden and Gloucester Counties. We’re currently enrolling! Contact us to learn more and to get started.
MONTHLY NAVIGATING AUTISM
WORKSHOP SERIES
WORKSHOP SERIES
The Navigating Autism Workshop Series at GentleCare Therapy is an ongoing series of free monthly workshops for families that will focus on various topics related to autism diagnosis and therapy services. Workshops will run from 5:30-6:30 PM.
About the Author
Emily DuCoin, M.S., is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and graduate of Rowan and Capella universities. Emily has practiced within the Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) profession for more than seven years, and has experience as a director, BCBA, and behavior technician working with young people with autism in their homes, schools, communities, and clinics across South Jersey and Pennsylvania. Read more>>
References
- Behavior Analyst Certification Board. (2020). Ethics code for behavior analysts. https://bacb.com/wp-content/ethics-code-for-behavior-analysts/
- Buschbacher, P., Fox, L., & Clarke, S. (2004). Recapturing desired family routines: A parent-professional behavioral collaboration. Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities, 29(1), 25–39. https://doi.org/10.2511/rpsd.29.1.25
- Sackett, D. L., Straus, S. E., Richardson, W. S., Rosenberg, W., & Haynes, R. B. (2000). Evidence-based medicine: How to practice and teach EBM. BMJ Books.
- Strauss, K., Vicari, S., Valeri, G., D’Elia, L., Arima, S., & Fava, L. (2012). Parent inclusion in Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention: The influence of parental stress, parent treatment fidelity and parent-mediated generalization of behavior targets on child outcomes. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 33(2), 688-703. doi: 10.1016/j.ridd.2011.11.008. centers, and community settings in New Jersey.
