aba for lo with global delay/ not autism?

luvmybaby28

my 17 month old recently qualified for ei under a global depelopmental delay and they started him on 4 hours of in-home aba therapy a week.  Everything I read says that this is a program for children with autism, even on the company website.

I am confused about why they recommended this therapy for him, they said they also use it for lo's with a global delay.  My lo is on track with motor and starting to repeat words that we say.  I am just questioning if this is the best fit for him.

He points and babbles, but does not wave or consistently respond to his name.  He generally likes to play with a toy for a bit and then take 2 toys with him (one in each hand) and walk off with them.

J&PJax

Thought I'd pop in on your post.  I'm a speech pathologist and behavior analyst and I agree w/ PP.  ABA is simply a behavioral approach to teaching various skills and really is appropriate for instruction for children with various needs.  ABA has applications to teaching of typically developing children, entire classrooms, etc.  It's really one of the best researched, most powerful teaching methodologies.  Some people use ABA in a very rigid way that is not appropriate for all children, but other skilled practicioners know how to use ABA in a more naturalistic way while still yielding significant results.

melokia2007

As the previous posters have said, ABA is an approach that can be used with a variety of individuals. It is the most supported approach for teaching children with autism with the most research to back it, but it can be used even with typically developing children. I work as an ABA tutor at a daycare, and though I mostly work with children on spectrum, the techniques work just as well with the other children. I've even been accused of using ABA techniques on my husband (guilty, but don't tell him that!). Besides, if the therapy helps your lo, who cares if it is considered an autism treatment?