ABA for Older Autistic Children

While Applied Behavioral Analysis is best begun at a very early age, the results of ABA for older autistic children have been promising. Intensive ABA therapy has made a great deal of difference in the behaviors and abilities of many autistic individuals.

ABA is a strong, evidence based approach to helping children with autism learn. While nothing works for everyone on the autism spectrum, ABA has shown positive results in an impressive number of individuals with autism, often able to reduce the instances of inappropriate behaviors or even eliminate them, while encouraging the development of desirable ones. In many cases, IQ scores have been raised and the severity of autism significantly reduced. Some children treated with ABA therapy have been able to leave the special education classroom behind in favor of integration into mainstream classes.

ABA theory uses a basic model of rewards to reinforce positive behaviors and consequences for undesirable ones, expanding this model to encompass a wide range of circumstances. Larger goals are broken down into small, manageable steps, each one rewarded as its own accomplishment. ABA shows its best results when begun before children reach the age of five, and when put into practice on an intensive 20 to 40 hours per week basis with one-on-one support. However, the Applied Behavioral Analysis approach to learning and behavior modification has been successful with older children in many cases as well, correcting self injurious behaviors and enhancing skills.

While an impressive body of research supports the benefits of ABA when applied during the early years, comparatively little evidence is published about its effects on older children. However, anecdotal accounts from parents, caregivers, and autism professionals are many in regards to gains in social skills, learning ability, and behavior in older children.

However, anecdotal evidence is not enough for many health insurers, making it difficult for many parents to find coverage that will provide ABA for older autistic children. While some states mandate coverage of behavioral therapy for children with autism up to the ages of 18 or 21, many others cover ABA for only the younger ones, often only until the age of five.

Autism advocates are lobbying to change that lack of coverage. In Virginia, for instance, a state where most insurance companies do not cover ABA at all, legislation has been proposed to make such coverage mandatory. The proposal being discussed would require that health insurers provide autism treatment, including ABA, to any child up to age 21, with a maximum coverage amount set at $36,000 annually. Similar legislation has already been put into place in seven other states, and the autism community is applying pressure on many more state governments to follow suit. These measures would greatly reduce the financial burden on families of autistic children, many of whom pay thousands a year for ABA, and bring ABA therapy within the grasp of those without the resources to pay out of pocket.

Since the type and degree of symptoms among those on the autism spectrum varies so widely, no treatment works for everyone. However, of the evidence based treatments and therapies available today, ABA is among those showing the best results with a broad range of subjects. Once quite controversial, due to the consequence for poor behaviors segment of the program, ABA has evolved. The emphasis today is on positive reinforcement, rewarding achievements and withholding rewards when expectations are not met. This change places ABA on the list of approaches that do no harm, but may be of significant help to many children with autism.

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