My Child is More Than His Behaviors

I was reading a blog the other day and came across a quote from a parent that I really liked. The mother wrote, "ABA is a convenient fiction. It reduces the kids to objects, not humans, but it works...it provides comfort for those adults who use it, because their charts and graphs show 'progress'....and it is MUCH more difficult to teach adults how to be 'in a relationship with' kids." (read more of her comments by clicking here).  In many areas, Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) has become an almost unavoidable method of treating children with Autism.  While behavior training can be a tool, is it really the best answer we can find?  Does it really address the child as a whole person or simply a group of behaviors that need to be controlled and changed?  Recognizing the individual differences of each child, learning to follow their lead, and joining in a relationship with them using the DIRFloortime approach is not always easy and it is not necessarily a quick fix.  You may not always be able to conveniently chart changes in individual behaviors, but you will see lasting change in your child and, often just as importantly, you will see lasting change in how you relate to your child and the relationship that you build with your child.  I encourage everyone reading this page and looking for answers to look at some of the resources listed on our site and explore how DIRFloortime can help every child with Autism flourish.  DIRFloortime is about helping every child positively develop and reach their fullest potential.  To do this, we must see every child as more than just behaviors that need to be controlled, suppressed, and/or changed.  Rather, we engage with the child, work to understand their individual differences, and through relationships we challenge them to engage in the world around them to the fullest manner possible. 

A child with Autism is more than just a group of behaviors that need to change.  A child with Autism is a child with incredible potential.