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Submitted by: Danica Samsin, QASP

In the ABA world, motivation is a key component to helping our clients succeed. These learners need to stay motivated! Our instructors spend countless hours getting to know our clients in order to decipher what really intrigues them and keeps them interested in what we are teaching them. They do so through observations, and running preference assessments throughout the day, a technique that allows our learners to choose what they are most interested in (i.e. edibles, activities, attention, etc.) prior to instruction. We call these “interests” reinforcers and they help our learners stay focused on the task at hand in order to receive their ultimate reinforcer at the end of their learning activity.

Children with Autism typically struggle with completing specific activities placed for them to complete, however, by clearly providing them with a specific reinforcer to earn at the end of an activity their motivation to complete the activity will increase and make them want to complete the task to earn that reinforcement.

 Through the use of edibles, activities, attention, and more, we find ways to motivate our learners to increase responding and decrease problem behavior. This also helps them learn new skills to communicate more effectively, use appropriate social skills, and overall, become independent successful individuals. You can say that we at Reaching Milestones are motivated to keep our learners motivated!

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Submitted by: Lara Lanza, M.Ed., BCBA

Hi, my name is Lara and I have been working for Reaching Milestones for the past 4 years and I wanted to tell my story about how Reaching Milestones inspired me to “reach my personal milestones!”

In April of 2013 I graduated from an undergraduate program at the University of North Florida. I had such a passion for children but was still unsure of what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I met someone who took a class called Behavior Modification, which is what Applied Behavior Analysis was referred to years ago, and this person let me borrow some of her materials from the class to see if it sparked my interest. Once I read some of it – and saw how much this field impacts the lives of children with special needs – I was sold!

I began my first semester of Graduate School at the University of North Florida in August of 2013 and immediately began taking ABA classes! The first semester was spent learning different types of protocols and strategies to help better the lives of special individuals and it really solidified that this was the path for me.

In February 2014, I applied for my first job within the ABA field. I wasn’t completely sure how the practices I was learning in school would be implemented in the real world. I was lost and did not know where to search for such a facility to implement those amazing protocols. I did some research online and found some reviews for a few clinics and Reaching Milestones was first on my list – and thank goodness it was – because little did I know how much Reaching Milestones would provide so many growth opportunities and possibilities within my career!

Although Graduate School prepared me with tons of knowledge on different facets of the field, nothing prepared me more with such knowledge and growth than Reaching Milestones. Seeing the types of team members that RM had developed aspired me to want to REACH my own MILESTONES!

Through great preparation, I was able to reach many milestones within my career with the help of RM. Beginning as an RBT, RM prepared me for my future as a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) – which was the next milestone on my list! Through intensive training from fellow BCBA members of the RM team I was able to conquer the milestone of being a BCBA within the company. I remember thinking, “I did it! I achieved my goal! I reached my milestone!” I was so excited to finally be a BCBA.

Being a BCBA presented great opportunities to pursue further development within the company, and the next milestone on my list was to become a Supervising Analyst.

RM successfully created a path supplied with prodigious support and direction towards that next milestone I wanted to reach! Being a Supervising Analyst has really helped maintain the skills I learned within this applied field and keeps me on my toes, thinking of different types of strategies that work best for our children, based off the functions of their behavior.

But my path did not stop there. Currently, I am in transition from Clinical Coordinator to Clinical Director at one of the many successful Reaching Milestones centers.

Being a part of a company that does not show limits, but rather offers opportunities to excel, sets team members up for success! Not only does RM help such amazing children achieve milestone after milestone, but the organization really does prepare team members to achieve and reach their personal milestones – just like I did!

Through hard work, dedication, and a supportive company like Reaching Milestones, I can confidently say that I was able to achieve more than I thought would be possible within my career as a 26-year-old woman, and I have and I WILL continue to aspire to REACH MILESTONES!

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It’s Important to Listen!

Children with autism often have a difficult time attending to the words given by other people. They can be distracted by other noises in the room which makes it difficult for them to follow the instructions given by another person. Parents or caregivers who are giving listener instructions may have to compete with the inner thoughts of the child.

Children on the spectrum are taught listening skills in ABA based upon the VB-MAPP created by Mark Sundberg. Children can acquire listening skills based upon their atypical developing peers. We teach basic skills and then can move to more complex skills. Simple task of touching an item or finding an item to more complex of three step directives. When giving a directive to a child always be sure to connect the act with the demand, follow through with prompting the child with the correct response.

Teaching listening skills opens doors for the child with autism, such as being able to attend in school, attend to peers, and engage in conversation as active listeners. Listening skills are important in communication and in relationships. Teaching active listening skills to your child will help to benefit them in the long run and help them to be more successful in social and communication areas.

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Submitted by: Kasey Gerhart, BCBA

Is he the only one who does this? I feel so alone. I don’t know what to do. Do other families go through this? How do I handle this? She just won’t listen to me! Are there other parents who never feel like they know what to do? My sister must be the only one who…. I don’t know anyone else who has a brother that…

Do any of these sound familiar? You are not alone.

When he wakes up again at 2:30 in the morning and refuses to go back to sleep. You are not alone.

When she refuses to let you brush her teeth and throws her 10^th tantrum of the morning, you are not alone.

When your IEP meeting has been rescheduled for the 6^th time, you are not alone.

When you and your spouse are arguing over who is going to help with dinner/pickups/drops off AGAIN, you are not alone.

When your little sister rummages through your drawers and takes your new toys, you are not alone.

When your big brother’s appointments make your Dad miss another soccer game, you are not alone.

So, what is there to do about it? Talk to someone. You do not have to do any of this alone. Join a community group, a support group, talk to other parents during pick up and drop off at the clinic. Exchange phone numbers, emails, Facebooks!

I am going to repeat, you are not alone. But moreover, you are important. Studies have shown that parental stress can significantly affect not only general family dynamics, but treatment outcomes, treatment implementation, and effects on siblings[1]. You are vital to your child’s progress, and therefore your emotional and physical well-being are important. We love our kids, but we love our parents, too!

You can go to http://www.autism-society.org/ for online information and REAL stories written by other families navigating this crazy world called autism. In particular there is a portion dedicated to Families at http://www.autism-society.org/living-with-autism/family-issues/ which some may find informative.

At https://www.autismspeaks.org/resource-guide/by-state/91/Support%20Groups/GA there is a list of community and support groups throughout Georgia.

And the below link is a short list of community and support groups in the Jacksonville, FL area. https://www.autismspeaks.org/resource-guide/by-zip/91/Support%20Groups/GA?distance%5Bpostal_code%5D=32256&distance%5Bsearch_distance%5D=25&distance%5Bsearch_units%5D=mile

[1] Osbore, L., McHugh, L. Saunders, J. and Reed, P. (2007). Parenting stress reduces the effectiveness of early interventions for autistic spectrum disorders. Journal of autism and developmental disorders. DOI 10.1007/21080-007-0497-7

Bendixen, R., et al. (2011). Effects of a father-based in-home intervention on perceived stress and family dynamics in parents of children with autism. American journal of occupational therapy; 65(6): 679-687.

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