ABA in a Thanksgiving Way…

Colleen Smith, MA, BCBA, Director of Behavioral Health

 Dear Providers, who run ABA programs and teach social skills, the holidays are our time to showcase what we do best! It is time to take those skills you have been working on at the session table and teach for generalization to the holiday table.

On Thanksgiving most families gather to share food, play games, and reminisce on old times. Thanks to the hard work you have been putting in, our learners can do this too! The core skills you have been teaching and practicing in the classroom will translate nicely to Thanksgiving festivities. Following pictorial task analysis means helping with recipes, helping to straighten up the house and even cleaning those baseboards that probably no one will see anyway.

It is time for our kiddos take those matching skills and use them to help set the table. A generalized repertoire of imitation means helping with stirring, pouring, and mashing during meal prep. Have you been partnering with OTs to work on hand strength and play skills with Play-doh? Cut out cookie time is your showcase!

Have you been working on greetings? Well, there will be plenty “Hellos” and “Goodbyes” from family on Thanksgiving. Have you been working on Intraverbals? Well, targeting responses to “What are you thankful for?” will pay off now.

Well with a table full of food this may be the highest rate of manding you could wish for or at the very least, many mands for dinner rolls!

 Waiting, turn taking, choral responding, all these skills can be used after dinner when the family gathers with pie to play games, share stories, and sing songs. However, this day is spent the hard work you put into your skill acquisition programs is going to be very evident through your learner’s participation with their families. This is what I am grateful for this year! Thank you to the best behavior teams around!