Behavioural Services
At SPARK, all behavioural services are provided under the umbrella of Applied Behaviour Analysis and trauma-informed care. Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) is an evidence-based practice. This means that there is a lot of scientific research that has shown that ABA services are the most effective way to manage problem behaviour. Decreasing challenging or undesirable behaviour; however, is only a small part of the equation…
The ultimate goal of ABA services is to teach the child skills that are simple, useful, and practical across every environment they participate in. We also want to teach the child when it’s important to draw on those skills. We do this by taking what we know about how behaviour works, and putting it into practice with real-life situations your child faces every day. Using assessment and observation, we can pin down your child’s areas of strength, the things they love, and what motivates them. We can also determine where skills might break down, be difficult to remember, or need a little extra support.
When we put all of these pieces together, we can build up appropriate and desirable behaviour while also decreasing challenging behaviour and changing the conditions that cause your child distress. Upholding the approaches and principles within applied behaviour analysis and trauma-informed care, we can support clients and families in several different areas that can improve their quality of life.
Here are some of the areas where SPARK’s ABA services can be beneficial:
Emotional Regulation Skills and Strategies
Does your child ever go from 0-100 with what seems like no warning? Helping your child to recognize and acknowledge feelings and emotions is often the first step in teaching emotional regulation skills. At SPARK, we can help to teach your child strategies to help them to quiet their minds – and their bodies – when they may feel angry, anxious, or overwhelmed! Having a solid repertoire of emotional regulation skills to choose from can help to improve your child’s everyday interactions and overall quality of life!
Cooperation
“My child… Just. Doesn’t. Listen.”
We hear this phrase all the time! Sometimes, kids “don’t listen” because they have their own agenda or would prefer to do their own thing. Other times, it’s because the instruction has too many words, or too many steps to remember. In some cases, it may even be true that they don’t listen simply because you asked them to do that thing. Cooperation is a very complex skill with loads of little components. It is possible that your child may truly want to do what is asked of them, but simply lack the skills! At SPARK, we can help to determine which factors are influencing your child’s ability to listen, and then assist in teaching the skills they need in order to successfully cooperate.
Attending/Attention Span
A child’s ability to learn can be influenced by their ability to focus and pay attention. Attending skills are developed over time, and some littles need more help and experience to learn them. Your child’s ability to attend is linked to their body, brain, environment, learning style, and interests. When these areas are impacted, your child may appear to lose interest quickly in an activity, move quickly from one activity to another, fidget, wiggle, daydream, miss an instruction or social exchange, or even become extra-focused on one activity they especially love. This becomes problematic when it impacts a child’s ability to learn other things or participate in their everyday activities and interactions. Using small, manageable steps that are determined by careful consideration and assessment, our team can help your child to build these skills across multiple domains, activities, and environments!
Toleration
Your child may experience frequent and/or intense behavioural outbursts, which can both be an indication they are experiencing feelings of distress. This may be observed in situations where they are nervous, angry, or are faced with other big feelings or emotions. One thing you may often see in your child is a decrease in their acceptance of small changes or situations, such as ending an activity, moving to a new location, hearing the word “no”, losing a game, taking turns… the list goes on and on! In these situations, a child’s response may range from tears and verbal protest to throwing items and injury to self or others. This is where teaching tolerance becomes an essential step in your child’s programming and overall success. We can assist by breaking the expectation down into smaller, more manageable steps for your child while also supporting them in learning many skills, including patience, waiting, trust, communication, cooperation, and more. Our goal is to meet your child where they are in their ability to cope and process, and to teach skills that will allow them to become more accepting of changes and, in turn, improve their quality of life!
Social Behaviour
There are many skills involved in how humans interact with each other. These social behaviours include, but are not limited to, communication, comprehension, being able to take another’s perspective, cooperation, sympathy, and more. A child’s ability to create meaningful relationships with others is greatly influenced by their ability to develop these social behaviours and skills. Our team can help to support and develop these skills so that children are more prepared to participate in desired activities within their home and community.
