Lovaas Blog - ABA Treatment for Children with Autism

World Renowned Pioneer Of Autism Treatment Dies At 83

nospam@example.com (The Lovaas Institute) — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 07:18:00 -0400

Los Angeles, CA, August 6, 2010 – O. Ivar Lovaas, a distinguished professor of psychology at UCLA, a pioneer in the research and development of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy to treat children with autism, and the founder of the Lovaas Institute, died on August 2nd at age 83.

The publication of Dr. Lovaas's landmark study in 1987 demonstrated that nearly half of children with autism who received early, intensive behavioral therapy achieved normal-range IQ scores and were able to attend regular education classrooms by the end of first grade without the help of an aide. Many of those children in the study who did not achieve optimal results still demonstrated marked improvement. This study paved the way to the development of practical, effective therapy based on the collection of objective, measurable data, in contrast to earlier treatment which had been based on theories unsupported by scientific research. Since that time, his work has been validated by independent treatment sites which achieved comparable outcomes when they were trained in his methods.

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iPod, iPhone, & iPad ABA Apps GIVEAWAY

nospam@example.com (The Lovaas Institute) — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 01:21:55 -0400

The most recent issue of Meeting Point includes a list of a variety of applications for use with the iPod, iPhone, and iPad. Have you tried one of these apps? What have you used that you like? What have you tried that didn’t work? We will be randomly selecting two contributors to this blog to win a $25 gift card to the iTunes store. Thanks for sharing!

*Note that winners will be announced after July 16, by the name they use in this blog. They will be contacted privately via email to receive the gift card.

Top 10 Pretend Play Materials

nospam@example.com (The Lovaas Institute) — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 01:21:41 -0400

The most recent issue of Meeting Point includes a list of the "Top 10 Pretend Play Materials."

I'm interested in other people's experiences. Any materials you would add to or delete from this list?

Insights from the UCLA Young Autism Project

nospam@example.com (The Lovaas Institute) — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 00:57:47 -0400

I recently came across a picture from 1990 of the UCLA Young Autism Project staff. I immediately shared it with my friends and colleagues from those days. We had a great time reminiscing about how young we were, those funky fashions, and how hard we worked for Dr. Lovaas. It was a wonderful time that I will never forget.

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Training ABA Therapists and School Aides

nospam@example.com (The Lovaas Institute) — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 08:00:00 -0400

Here's a trick question to get things started. True or False: In order to earn a degree in special education, one simply needs to take all of the courses required for a special education degree? The answer is false. In order to earn a degree in special education, one needs to PASS all the courses required for a special education degree. I think of this distinction often when people ask me, "How long does it take to learn ABA?" or "How long will it take to train my child's school aide?"

Learning ABA, or more specifically, implementing ABA therapy correctly is only indirectly related to time. Implementing ABA therapy correctly is directly related to performance. In an earlier blog, I mentioned that at the Lovaas Institute, we train instructors in such a way that emphasis is placed on the evaluation of performance-based objectives, relevant to the implementation of behavioral treatment for children with autism. Our internal certification process requires a demonstration of the skills you have learned. Certification indicates to parents and other professionals that you not only know what to do, but can actually do it.

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Massed Trials vs. Task Interspersal - Evidence-based Decisions

nospam@example.com (The Lovaas Institute) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 08:28:00 -0500

Let's move away from the topic of branding for a moment to again focus on the importance of 1) using appropriate terminology, 2) describing procedures fairly and accurately, and 3) assessing research in light of a specific child's characteristics and the skill to teach. I spent a previous blog discussing requesting vs. labeling (mands vs. tacts) in this light. Let's now debate the question, "Which is better: conducting massed trials or task interspersal during discrete trial teaching?"

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