ABA… Speech Therapy… What’s the difference?
There are many different types of therapies available for children with communication needs. Two of the most common therapies are Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and speech therapy. ABA and speech therapy are two unique approaches to treating speech, language, and communication issues. While these strategies have their differences, they can also complement each other. ABA and speech therapy can both be used to treat people with speech and language difficulties. ABA therapists and speech-language pathologists (SLPs) can work together in many ways to deliver comprehensive care.
ABA therapy has been shown to be effective in improving communication, social skills, and behavior in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). ABA therapists use three steps to better understand the meaning behind behaviors and to help patients to engage in positive behaviors. These steps are
the antecedent (the event or sequence which prompts a behavior, such as being told a comment, “time to clean up”),
the behavior (the resulting behavior after the antecedent, such as the child yelling, “no!”), and
the consequence (the response to the behavior, such as if the parent rewards or ignores the child’s behavior).
Over time, the goal is to teach clients that engaging in positive behaviors is rewarding. This hopefully leads to positive behavioral changes that will carry over into a variety of settings.
ABA therapy uses a structured three step approach to examining behaviors. This helps determine how they can improve positive, and expected behaviors, including the person’s communication skills. They support the individual’s ability to communicate their wants and needs, rather than using non-preferred replacement behavior.
Speech therapy, on the other hand, is used by Speech Language Pathologists (SLPs) to help people develop better language and communication skills. Speech therapists work with children to improve their communication skills and to develop age-appropriate speech and language skills. Speech therapy can also help children with ASD to develop better social skills. SLPs evaluate an individual’s communication needs and develop a comprehensive treatment plan. They provide therapy through both one-on-one and group sessions, based on the individual’s needs. The therapist may work on a variety of goals that might include strengthening oral motor skills, increasing vocabulary and sentence structure, improving social language skills, and learning to use a communication device. Speech therapists commonly use creative tools, such as sensory bins, songs and finger play, picture boards, and games to develop and strengthen communication skills. Their goal is to help people become autonomous and successful communicators outside of therapy.
Speech therapy uses a variety of different approaches to help model, develop, and strength the person’s communication skills. Their ultimate goal is for the student to become an autonomous and independently communicator.
So how are they different? ABA uses strict behavioral techniques to enhance a specific behavior. They support any behavioral, motor, communication, or other learning skills. Speech therapy may involve a more eclectic approach that is more naturalistic, such as play-based therapy. Speech therapists specifically target language and communication skills.
ABA therapists and speech therapists often work together to build comprehensive therapeutic strategies that target the improvement of an individual’s verbal communication capabilities. SLPs, for example, can help ABA therapists use various forms of communication, such as augmentative communication and sign language, to help develop a certain behavior. ABA therapists can help build strategies for treating behavioral challenges that affect speech and language or help interpret the data related to certain behaviors to support building receptive and expressive language skills.
There is no one-size-fits-all treatment approach. The type of therapy that is right for your child will depend on their individual needs. If you are unsure which type of therapy is right for your child, we can help you! Contact us today!