About the GABA Program
Program Overview
The GABA program is a group ABA (applied behavior analysis) program that combines the effective teaching strategies of ABA and the social opportunities of a group setting. Your child will benefit from a schedule that involves intensive 1:1 teaching in language acquisition, academics, referencing, and joint attention skills. He/she will also have the advantage of participating in group teaching opportunities to help with generalization of skills learned 1:1 including language and social skills, following group instructions, and using eye contact. GABA employs an Early Childhood Educator and a Board Certified Behaviour Analyst to ensure an intensive, quality, therapeutic program is provided to your child during their participation in the GABA program.
GABA Kindergarten
The GABA kindergarten program is run in affiliation with Fawkes Academy. Our kindergarten program is guided by the BC Ministry of Education curriculum and core competencies and is a recognized full kindergarten program. Your child will prepare for or learn the same goals of a typical kindergarten within a more structured environment. Not only will he/she participate in the curriculum goals, but he/she will also work to develop language skills, referencing, joint attention, social skills, and following group-based instructions. Our kindergarten has a classroom teacher who directs the curricula and a Board Certified Behaviour Analyst to guide the quality of the therapeutic portion of the program. The children continue to work with our Early Childhood Educator as well as a small group of skilled Behaviour Interventionists.
What is ABA?
Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) involves breaking skills into small units using procedures such as reinforcement, extinction, shaping, prompting, fading, chaining, discrimination, generalization, etc.to teach skills teaching skills such as referencing, joint attention, receptive and expressive language, motor imitation, social skills, self-help skills, readiness skills and others. ABA teaches intensively using discrete trial techniques and natural environment strategies.
Functional assessment of behaviour and positive behaviour support strategies data is recorded daily on various aspects of the children’s learning and each child has an annual assessment of their skills. Decision making is led by data that demonstrates a particular strategy is being effective.
Parents participate in monthly planning meetings to discuss their child’s progress and the next appropriate goals for the month to respond to both the child’s unique skill level and family values.
Why ABA?
Children with autism do not learn every day skills incidentally. The areas of deficit in autism are attending, language and communication, socialization and play. Children with autism do not learn well from the typical experiences and guidance provided by parents. Even the techniques provided in pre-school settings for typical children are insufficient to reach and teach some children with autism.
The research is clear, autism can be effectively managed, and positive outcomes can be attained, using a combination of behavioral intervention strategies based on the empirically proven principles of applied behavioral analysis.
The GABA (Group Applied Behavior Analysis) Program uses a range of ABA techniques to teach children with ASD, and follows an approach referred to as Verbal Behavior (based on B.F. Skinner’s Analysis of Verbal Behavior) and a range of contemporary applied behavior analysis techniques and strategies proven to be effective in teaching complex children and youth.