There appears to be some very fundamental differences between two leading programs for the treatment of Autism. This account of the differences is from the Son-Rise side.
http://www.autismtreatmentcenter.org/contents/other_sections/aba-son-rise-program.php
ABA vs The Son-Rise Program
Understanding of Autism | |
ABA | The Son-Rise Program |
| Sees Autism as a behavioral disorder, with behaviors to be either extinguished or reinforced | Sees Autism as a social interactivity disorder, where the central deficit is relating to other people |
| The child needs structure and must learn to sit appropriately, follow a schedule, and comply with requests | Helping the child to be flexible and spontaneous enables him/her to handle change and enjoy human interaction |
Area of Focus | |
ABA | The Son-Rise Program |
| Changing the behavior of the child | Creating a relationship with the child |
| Seeks to “extinguish” the child’s repetitive “stimming” behavior | Uses “joining” technique to participate in the child’s repetitivebehavior |
Method of Teaching New Skills | |
ABA | The Son-Rise Program |
| Repetition – Uses discrete trials or similar method to prompt the child to perform a behavior (followed by a reward) over and over again until the child has demonstrated mastery | Motivation – Builds the child’s own interests into every game or activity so that the child is excited, “comes back for more,” generalizes skills, and relates naturally rather than robotically |
Areas of Learning | |
ABA | The Son-Rise Program |
| Often focuses on academic skills | Always teaches socialization first |
| Sees academic areas such as math as an excellent way to help the childcompensate for lack of social skills | Seeks not to help the childcompensate for social skills deficits but rather to overcome them |
The Role of the Parents | |
ABA | The Son-Rise Program |
| Professionals are the major players, with parents having a more observational role | Parents are given the most central role because their love, dedication, and experience with their child is unmatched |
The Role of the Facilitator’s Attitude | |
ABA | The Son-Rise Program |
| Sees attitude as largely irrelevant, with effective application of behavior shaping techniques being what matters | Sees attitude as vitally important, since having a non-judgmental and welcoming attitude determines whether the child feels safe and relaxed enough to interact and learn |
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