Home Therapy For School Readiness

A child diagnosed with autism can possibly attend a mainstream school rather than be placed in a special school or be home schooled. But one of the biggest challenges is getting them ready for it. The best approach for this challenge is to begin early with Applied Behavioral Analysis or ABA exercises. A majority of the time this approach will enable a child to acquire learning and social skills that will be needed for him to interact well with his peers. Applying ABA therapy at home will also allow your child to adjust well to a new environment. Remember, children with autism spectrum disorder do not take kindly to change, either in location or routine. By being prepared, you are sparing yourself and your child from a lot of additional stress.

The best way to apply ABA therapy for your child’s school readiness is to do it at home. This way, the whole family may be able to participate in preparing your diagnosed child for the start of classes. Besides continuing with what is being taught by your child’s therapist, if you have one, you and the rest of the family members can incorporate exercises or activities that will make your diagnosed child more familiar with his new school.

You may prepare pictures of his new school, the classrooms, the surroundings. Show it to him and make him identify the parts of the school. True to the principles of ABA, reward your child every time he can point out the right pictures of what you asked. By doing so, you will be developing his comprehension skills. At the same time you will make him familiar with the look of the school. If you can, prepare a video tour covering all the areas your child will likely be exposed to. Encourage your child to watch the video over and over again.

Incorporate most the materials or things that will be seen in a school setting in all his ABA therapy sessions prior to the opening of classes. Play with school supplies like rulers, erasers, crayons and construction paper. Another great activity is to make a big calendar and let your diagnosed child cross out the days before the “big day”, all the while encouraging your child with praises and excitement. This activity will help your child look forward to the start of school.

ABA therapy sessions with your child will have to be more aggressive as the start of his schooling in a mainstream institution begins to help him or her develop proper behavior and social skills. Also remember that ABA sessions do not stop at the beginning of classes. A diagnosed child needs continuous intervention which will incorporate what he is learning in school. This combination will give your child the best opportunity to learn and to grow as a person.