"Aaron was so wonderful and funny. He asked the doctor so many questions that Dr. Pap was laughing. He kept saying how engaged Aaron was. A big difference from two years ago. Dr. Pap also sang the praises of STAR California and said he was so impressed with your program. He was especially impressed with Quy and said she was such a...
STAR California provides Psychological & ABA Services to children and families in home and community settings. Call STAR of CA today at (805) 624-6982.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affects individuals differently. Still, every child with autism can benefit from early intervention therapies. To learn more about autism and treatments for the disorder, read these articles. You’ll read about the benefits of speech therapy and the specifics of the Verbal Behavior (VB) approach:
Autism Speaks discusses the use of the VB approach for children with autism, including its four different word types.
Learn more about communication deficits with this article by WebMD, including how a child with autism can benefit from speech therapy.
Discrete Trial Training (DTT) is an Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) technique that helps children learn basic tasks. Read more about DTT with this link to Educate Autism.
Learn about the typical characteristics of Asperger’s syndrome with this link to the Autism Society.
Techniques like Applied Behavior Analysis can help your child overcome developmental delays. For more information on ABA and other autism treatments, contact the specialists of STAR California at (805) 624-6982.
ACT Today! is a non-profit organization that focuses on providing care and treatment for children with autism. They help by putting much needed resources directly into the hands of families raising children with ASD, a mission that compliments of STAR of CA’s efforts. Learn more about ACT Today! and how you can help by visiting the ACT Today! website. STAR of CA was honored to attend the grassroots initiative in December. This event saw 75 area residents and raised nearly $10,000! These funds will directly help children with autism, including medical care, tuition to special needs schools, social skills programs and more.
STAR of CA provides Psychological & ABA services to children and their families throughout California. We are dedicated to offering an integrated approach to treatment that is customized to meet every child's unique needs. To learn more about our services, call (805) 624-6982.
Children with autism often face challenges regarding communication. Speech therapy techniques like the Verbal Behavior (VB) approach can help reduce frustration for your child as he or she becomes better equipped to interact with others and express his or her needs and wants. This approach is based on the work by behaviorist B.F. Skinner, and its efficacy for helping children with autism is supported by scientific studies. The VB approach is based on the fundamentals of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), which is the application of a set of techniques to encourage desirable behavior.
Objectives
The primary objective of the VB approach is to help children connect words to their meanings. Therapists encourage children with autism to verbalize their needs and express themselves in conversation. When a child responds to a prompt or initiates a request, he or she receives positive reinforcement, which encourages further communication.
Word Types
For the purposes of teaching communication skills to children with autism, language is categorized into four different types, or operants. A “mand” operant is a request; for example, a child might say “bear” when he or she wants his stuffed bear. A “tact” operant is essentially a comment; a child might say “red” when he or she wants to point out a red flower. An “intraverbal” operant is a response to a question or comment spoken by someone else; it might be the answer to a question or an addition to a conversation.
Prompts
Some children with autism are nonverbal or have extremely limited speech capabilities. In these cases, a therapist will encourage nonverbal interactions as precursors to verbalizations. When a therapist begins teaching mands, he or she might hold up juice box. Even if the child cannot yet say “juice,” he or she could point to the juice box instead. Ultimately, the child is rewarded with the juice box.
If you have any questions about how the Verbal Behavior approach could help your child, the dedicated professionals of STAR California are here to help. We are committed to providing caring service and evidence-based practices to children with autism and related disorders. Contact us today at (805) 624-6982 to discuss your child’s needs.
"STAR California has provided the information, education, and skills to help bring our whole family (aunts, uncles, nieces & grandparents too) together. I have often said that EVERYONE needs STAR California , not just families with spectrum challenges. The therapists and supervisors are well trained and think outside the box. They are...
STAR California is a division of Support and Treatment for Autism and Related Disorders. We pride ourselves on providing quality psychological and ABA services to families in the community. Call today at (805) 624-6982.
STAR California, a division of Support and Treatment for Autism and Related Disorders, provides Psychological and ABA Services to children and families in home and community settings. This division does not provide school-based educational services.
