Therapy

sales@rhinouk.com

For families that

may have been
put off the idea
of running a
full-time ABA
programme,
Risca Solomon
explains how to
run an effective
part-time version

www.rhinouk.com

Learning for Life and Work

Our farm

Our school

Our college

FOR YOUNG PEOPLE WITH COMMUNICATION AND LEARNING DIFFICULTIES

Get with the parttime programme

Risca Solomon is a
Board Certified
Behaviour Analyst at
Skybound Autism

The Royal School for Deaf Children Margate caters for children
who have hearing impairment and additional needs including
emotional, behavioural or medical problems. We can also meet
the needs of children with communication difficulties.

At Westgate College we continue to build upon the

knowledge and skills that young people have gained
through their school education. Students have access
to a range of qualifications and support appropriate
to meet individual needs. We offer vocational and non
vocational programmes from 19 yrs onwards.

Therapies, www.
skyboundtherapies.
co.uk

Our farm offers a range of

programmes, work experience and
apprenticeship placements.

The Royal School for Deaf Children Margate & Westgate College
Victoria Rd, Margate, Kent CT9 1NB. Telephone/Textphone: 01843 227561 SMS: 07797 800015 Fax: 01843 227637 School email: enquiries@royalschoolfordeaf.kent.sch.uk Website: www.johntownsendtrust.org.uk

Part of The John Townsend Trust

Many people believe that using

Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA)
as a therapy in autism must be in
the form of a full-time, 40-hour a
week, table-based, intensive
programme. This is a
misconception and can be offputting to families who want to
focus on key skills and specific
behaviours without implementing a
full-time programme.
ABA is used in a variety of
contexts and in different ways to
improve the quality of life of

individuals with autism and related

conditions. Its used to create
positive behaviour support plans
that decrease challenging
behaviour, all of which is achievable
with a part-time programme.
It may start with a functional
behaviour assessment, a process
that seeks to identify the reason or
reasons why a child has been
displaying a particular behaviour.
From this a comprehensive plan
can be developed and everyone is
trained to deliver this strategy

What is ABA?
Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) is the science of human behaviour and learning. ABA is
used in a variety of contexts, including the justice system, business and developmental
disabilities, including autism. The principles of behaviour analysis are used in the creation of
therapy packages, including Positive Behaviour Support, the Picture Exchange
Communication System (PECS) and Active Support.
www.autismeye.com

We have many
parents who
are successfully
running part-time
programmes and
seeing benefits for
their child and family
during the childs everyday life.
ABA can also be used to teach
functional skills, such as toilet
training, dressing, appropriate
walking, appropriate behaviour in
the community, social skills and
independent living skills such as
cooking and washing. A
programme can be developed
Au t i s m | e y e I s s u e 1 8 2 0 1 5 53

Therapy

Sunfield is an independent
residential special school and
charity in the West Midlands.
We have over 80 years
of experience in offering
Education, Care, Therapies
and Family Services to young
people aged 6 19 years,
with complex learning needs,
including autism.
You wont find a better special
school who will take care of
your child and really try and
give them a sense of purpose
and education. This is a really
great place with great people
who can help your child and
the whole family.
Parent

Mine, all mine:

ABA should
involve items
and activities
that the child
likes in order
to create
motivation

Tel: 01562 881320

www.sunfield.org.uk
Email: referrals@sunfield.org.uk

Clear, Bright, Modern

Photo Flash Cards
The Perfect Teaching Tool
Ideal for teaching children and young adults with
autism and speech & language difficulties

NEW

Programme checklist

ES
IMAG

Before beginning a part-time

programme, parents need
to consider:
l How much should they budget
for running their programme?
Some funding is available, for
example from Caudwell Children,
for eligible families.
l Who will deliver it? Will the
parents hire tutors, train volunteers
or carry out the interventions by
themselves? Volunteers can often
be recruited from local colleges
and universities, as many
psychology or childcare students

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References
Bond (2015): Changing the Perception of ABA in
Practice: Meeting the demand and achieving
meaningful outcomes with limited resources.
Presented at the Experimental Analysis of Behaviour
Group conference, London.
l Caudwell Children: www.caudwellchildren.com
1

www.specialresources.co.uk

email: info@specialresources.co.uk | tel: 01375 891342

SpecialResourcesAdvert_127x186mm.indd 1

and implemented for one

functional skill or a number of
skills, depending on the needs of
the individual and the family.
An alternative to running a fulltime ABA programme is running a
part-time one after school or at
weekends. We have many parents
successfully running part-time
programmes and seeing benefits
for their child and family. Data was
recently presented demonstrating
that children could show
meaningful improvement with 15
hours a week of intervention, either
led by parents or volunteers, with
a qualified behaviour analyst
acting as a consultant on a four-tosix-weekly basis1.

06/05/2015 10:21

www.autismeye.com

want to gain practical experience

with children. Tutors have varying
experience and different levels of
training, as there is presently no
standardised training or
qualification for therapists other
than that of Registered Behaviour
Technician, which is a new
qualification that very few people
in the UK have. The cost of tutors
therefore varies widely. Parents
may choose to carry out the
therapy themselves with direction
from a consultant.
l How many hours of therapy will
they carry out per week? This can
range from just a few hours to
every evening after school and all
day on a Saturday.
l Who should guide the therapy?
Parents should look for a Board
Certified Behaviour Analyst or
Board Certified Assistant
Behaviour Analyst. The Behaviour
Analyst Certification Board has a
list of certified professionals on its

Volunteers can
often be
recruited from local
colleges and
universities, as many
psychology or
childcare students
want to gain practical
experience
website, www.bacb.com
l Which targets would be socially
significant for them and their
child? What would they like to see
worked on first? Which are the
most important targets for
improving the individuals and the
familys quality of life? These
issues need to be discussed with
the consultant.
l How can the childs school be
involved? It can be helpful to keep
the school up to date on the
targets that are being worked on
and the procedures being used.
Inviting the school to meet with the
consultant or to attend team
meetings or workshops can also
be beneficial.
l Should there be a list of house

Parents get
Focused
By Lorna Strong
When a group of Liverpool
parents met with refusal from
their local authority to fund
effective therapy for their
children with autism, they
decided to take matters into
their own hands.
They formed Focus Liverpool,
which runs a Saturday school at
the Alima Centre in Sefton
Street. It provides training for
volunteer therapists who are
interested in behavioural therapy
and developing childrens social
and academic skills. The cost is
175 for 12 weeks.
There are plans to set up
similar Saturday schools in other
locations around the UK. The
organisation is generating
interest among parents in
Yorkshire, South London,
Manchester and Bridgend in
Wales to offer this facility via
their own Focus groups.
To find out more contact the
group via its website:
www.focusliverpool.co.uk

rules if you will be using volunteers

or therapists? These can include,
for example, which rooms they
can use with the child. You do not
need to have a designated
therapy room, since ABA can be
conducted in various rooms and
out in the community, depending
on the target.
l Which activities and items does
the child like? Therapy should
involve items and activities that
are motivating, so having these
readily available will be important.
l If there is one available, parents
may find it helpful to join a local
ABA club such as Focus Liverpool
(see Parents get Focused, above).
Many families may find ABA
easier to implement than they
thought, and to be very rewarding
in the way it can improve their
quality of life. It can be delivered
in everyday environments to teach
a variety of skills and to reduce
behaviours that challenge. It can
also tap into motivating situations
and teach skills in context.
Au t i s m | e y e I s s u e 1 8 2 0 1 5 55