The Importance of Early Intervention with ABA Therapy

This month’s edition of Metro Parent features an interview with Leah Trombley, Gateway’s clinical director at the Shelby Township location. In the article Leah explains why early intervention should be considered by parents that are not seeing their child meet developmental milestones. She describes how applied behavior analysis (ABA) can be useful for teaching communication skills, adaptive skills (e.g., getting dressed or using the bathroom), and decreasing behaviors that can either be harmful or inhibit the child’s ability to engage meaningfully with their environment. Leah reminds readers that ABA has shown to be a successful tool for adolescents too, but that the earlier an individual with autism is able to start working with an ABA therapist, the sooner they are able to transition into a less restrictive environment.

ABA therapy can be introduced as early as 18 months of age for our youngsters, which is a great age to begin catching up on developmental milestones before school begins. Leah goes on to explain how Gateway uses a customized approach for each client. This means teaching skills in the most relevant environment, whether that be in the client’s home, in the clinic, or out in the community. Goals are then tailored specifically for the individual child in a collaborative process between the supervising BCBA and family. This individualized approach allows for each child to learn specific skills that benefit them in both the short and long term. Leah completes the interview by explaining that ABA therapy is not meant to go on indefinitely and that the goal is to prepare the child to live life with as much independence as possible.

We are so fortunate to have passionate clinicians like Leah on our Gateway team! If you would like to read the article in full, take a look at this link: MetroParent. As always, if you would like to stay up to date with all things Gateway related follow our social media accounts and stay tuned-in for our weekly blog posts.

Have a great day!