What is an ABA Assessment?
ABA has its own set of assessments that evaluate skills and behaviors that are in each client’s repertoire. Completing these normed assessments allows the Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) to effectively determine what skills and deficits the client has and establish goals to enhance these skills and increase socially significant skills. These assessments also guide the BCBA to make medically necessary recommendations for the number of hours of ABA Therapy needed to be most effective.
At Gemstones ABA Center, we utilize the following assessments:
The VB MAPP Milestones Assessment: The VB MAPP (Verbal Behavior Milestones Assessment and Placement Program) is an assessment, skills-tracking system, and curriculum guide to assess language, learning, and social skills of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders or other developmental disabilities. Unlike other similar tools, the VB MAPP looks at skills according to skill type and expected skills by age.
The Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills-Revised (ABLLS-R) contains 25 skill areas (e.g., language, social interaction, self-help) that many children acquire before entering kindergarten. “The focus of the ABLLS-R is early language acquisition, verbal behavior, and very early learning concepts and readiness skills. (ABLLS-R, 2006).
Socially Savvy Assessment: The Socially Savvy Checklist evaluates social skills. It provides a picture of a child’s social skills in a variety of areas, specifically Joint Attending, Social Play, Self-Regulation, Social/Emotional, Social Language, Classroom/Group Behavior, and Nonverbal Social Language.
Social Rating Scale-2: Identifies the presence and severity of social impairment within the autism spectrum and differentiates it from that which occurs in other disorders
CAREGIVER TRAINING
ABA Therapy requires caregiver participation. The outcome of ABA Therapy is to provide the knowledge and tools used by each client to their caregivers so that clients can generalize and maintain their skills in the natural environment. When caregivers and the BCBA work together, as partners, the client benefits and will make more progress.
It is an imperative part of an effective ABA program to have family involvement and carry-over of goals when staff are not present. Caregivers are required to participate in parent meetings each month to receive program updates which will outline the progress of the client, review new or changing, and address the caregivers concerns, updates, and needs to best assist their child.
COLLABORATION
Another integral part of ABA is to work with other professionals that support the client such as Speech Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Physical Therapists, and School-based Teams. When all who are on the client’s team collaborate and work together toward shared outcomes, the client benefits!
MEASURE OF SUCCESS
GRADUATION!
This is Gemstones ABA Center’s best measure of client success. When our clients have achieved the skills and tools needed to be successful and independent in whatever that looks like for each individual and can fade hours toward discharge, then our clinicians have done their job!