Introduction

For children and families who require support for a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), or other developmental challenges, ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) therapy is one of the leading therapies to support those with ASD or children with developmental delays. Children with these needs, or on the spectrum, can benefit from ABA therapy in various ways including encouraging positive behaviours, life skills, communication, and social skills.

Durham District School Board (DDSB), York Region District School Board (YRDSB), Toronto District School Board (TDSB), and many other school boards are providing inclusive programs, placements, and services for students on the spectrum. As there is increasing recognition of ABA therapy within Ontario’s education system, schools in Ontario are implementing ABA practices for children within their Individual Education Plans (IEP).

It is important to explore new approaches and partnerships for integrating ABA therapy into schools. Finding how ABA can support students with these individualized needs, needs to be recognized.

Understanding ABA Therapy

ABA therapy is a scientifically evidence-based approach that looks at principles of reinforcement, shaping, prompting, fading, and data collection, using the ABC model to understand behaviours, behaviour modification, and generalization of skills for students to integrate into their daily lives. These principles reinforce positive behaviours through reinforcement strategies, by teaching new skills and improving behavior. The goal is to increase positive behaviors, such as communication and social interaction, and to reduce challenging behaviors, such as aggression and self-injury.

Shaping helps teach behaviours by breaking them down into smaller steps, to progress to a desired outcome. Fading looks at helping learn a skill independently, by minimizing assistance to complete a task. The ABC model looks at looking at antecedents (things that happen before a behaviour), the behaviour, and then the consequences (what happens after the behaviour). Data is collected to look at the patterns of behaviour to tailor the treatment plan and modify the behaviour through behaviour modification. These skills are then generalized in different settings such as the community, at home, and in school.

In order to understand expectations regarding ABA teaching methods, educators follow Ontario’s Policy Program Memorandum 140 (PPM 140) laid out in 2007. The use of ABA methods can increase positive behavior, teach new skills, maintain behavior, and generalize or transfer behaviour.

The Current Landscape of ABA Therapy in Ontario Schools

As part of their support for students with autism or other developmental disabilities, Ontario schools provide ABA services as a part of the curriculum. With regards to the Policy and Memorandum PPM 140 looks at integrating ABA practices within schools for children with ASD, as well as providing best practices for students with autism, such as transitions between activities.

Educators should follow or use the following principles of the PPM 140 in ABA programming for students with autism or developmental delays or challenges:

• An individualized program
• Positive reinforcement
• Data collection and analysis
• Generalization of skills in differing settings

Provincial policies guide the integration of these ABA services into special education programs, individual education plans, and early intervention initiatives. The IEP should focus on the student’s needs and strengths, in which the data being collected can be taken to tailor these interventions within the plan.

Within the school, an interdisciplinary team is used to support the student’s goals and work on the student’s IEP. This interdisciplinary team includes administrators, school staff, practitioners and parents to collaborate and work together for the common goals for the student’s development.

New Approaches to Integrating ABA Therapy

A tiered approach allows for students to engage on a whole level. Tier 1 is good for all, Tier 2 is good for some, and Tier 3 is individualized.

There are new approaches to integrating ABA therapy into the classrooms, which include a holistic approach such as Acceptance and commitment therapy and mindfulness as a practice in the classroom. This has been shown to reduce stress, help regulate emotions, and provide classrooms with a reduced time for negative behaviours.

The core concept of Tier 1 is a Universal Design of Learning is that UDL consists of instructional and assessment strategies, materials, and tools that respond to the needs of a specific student or group of students and create learning environments that are inclusive, flexible, and accessible for all students. The learning principles of UDL are Universality and Equity, Appropriately Designed Spaces, Flexibility and Inclusion, Simplicity, Safety, and Different Modes of Perception. Programming also looks at Differentiated Instructions (DI) that focus on a student’s strengths and areas for growth.

Tier 2 focuses on short-term interventions for individuals or small groups. Tier 3 is focused on the individual students who require in-school team meetings and support from outside the classroom.

Classroom approaches include Check-in-Check-out where an educational assistant or staff with good rapport with your child, reminds the child of expectations before each transition throughout the day and at the end of instruction to ensure needs or behavioural expectations are met. Differential reinforcement is a strategy used to reinforce independent skills, rather than prompted skills. Functional communication training can help students learn to communicate in various ways to decrease problem behaviours due to communication. This develops language skills through many means including PECs and PICs (various communications through pictures).

Data collection, individualized learning, remote access, and communication tools have greatly enhanced the delivery of ABA therapy in Ontario schools. Collecting data and analyzing data is easier. Data is collected in real-time and can be shared with parents effectively through technology. This includes mobile apps, to collect the data, and the app shows the analysis to make it easier to see the patterns of behaviors or skills that the student is working on.

Technology can impact social skills and communication through apps such as tablet-based activities. As well as games that can promote shaping tools and video-based learning such as looking at videos that show appropriate skills.

Technology is on the rise to provide effective and personalized learning, but challenges such as funding, access to technology, and adequate training are things that affect the use of these methods.

Partnerships Between ABA Providers and Ontario’s Education System

It is important to know the integration between services in schools and the ABA providers. Within certain school boards, there are provided ABA professionals who help teachers implement ABA strategies within the curriculum, as well as PT/OT who help provide resources depending on the funding of the school. It is important to advocate for your child to get access to all resources within the school board. It is important to ensure that families are incorporated in tailoring the treatment as generalization at home and community can be purposeful for a student’s behavior, social, and communication goals.

Professional Development is given to teachers to help teachers understand the unique and diverse needs of the children they work with. Some school boards provide teachers and support staff training for ABA with Sonderly which provides on-demand training such as “Supporting Students with Autism: An Introduction.” or “Autism and Teaching Strategies: A Comprehensive Overview.” Other training for teachers includes workshops provided by the Board and ABA facilitators within the board that help teachers learn different strategies.Future development can help ABA facilitators to work and collaborate with the school board to provide alignment with ABA therapy goals along with IEP goals.

Funding and policy support for the expansion of ABA programs in schools.

Funding of ABA programs in schools is directed by the Ontario government. The special education grant looks to be around 3.41 million dollars. Different school boards are allocated at differing amounts. The province allocates funding through special education grants to support the implementation of ABA-based programs in schools.

Students with Autism starting school , have an entry-to-school program in which, the principal, teachers, other educators, and relevant community personnel such as entry-to-school program providers should work with you and your family to plan for your child’s successful transition into school. Different school boards have different resources and programs to help transition your child from community-based programs into school called “Connections for Students.” as well as the “Entry to school” programs.

Overcoming Challenges in Implementation

The challenges of ABA in the school system include the inconsistency between school boards, the lack of Board Certified Behaviour Analysts within the school board, and the amount of training teachers get to provide support of these services to the child, as well as not getting the individualized support within the classroom.

While challenges persist, such as a lack of qualified professionals and variability in service delivery, ongoing investment in training and resources is needed to further enhance the effectiveness of ABA in Ontario’s public schools.

Managing the complexity of individualized education plans (IEPs) and integrating ABA therapy into these plans are at the core of developing better strategies for the school board and the system of ABA practices. Consistency and continuity of ABA services across different school environments and boards are also required to be on the same page across different regions.
The Future of ABA Therapy in Ontario Schools

According to Ontario Regulation 181/98 they require school boards to consider placing students with exceptionalities into regular classes with appropriate special education services before considering placement in special education classes. This follows the role of inclusion to allow your child to feel accepted and integrated into regular classrooms.

The anticipated trends in the integration of ABA therapy within the education system look at developing a supportive environment in a regular classroom for students on the spectrum instead of isolating students with autism or behavioral disorders in one classroom.

Conclusion

Many school boards are providing inclusive programs, placements, and services for students on the spectrum. As there is now increasing recognition of ABA therapy within Ontario’s education system it is important to recognize that. Schools in Ontario are implementing ABA practices for children in their Individual Education Plans (IEP) to help children generalize their skills in a school setting.

There are challenges to developing ABA practices in Schools such as The challenges of ABA in the school system include the inconsistency between school boards, the lack of Board Certified Behaviour Analysts within the school board, and the amount of training teachers get to provide support for these services to the child, as well as not getting the individualized support within the classroom. The Future of ABA therapy in schools shows long-term benefits to providing children with ASD treatment and tailored plans to work in generalized settings such as the school and community.

Call to action

With the growing presence of ASD, and with education being a privilege, The Insight Clinic has many therapists who can help you through both in-person and virtual services. At The Insight Clinic, we can help you manage burnout, depression, anxiety, and financial burdens as well as provide resources for Autism & ABA therapy. If you are a parent struggling with managing the behaviours of a child with autism, are anxious, or are struggling with finding options, The Insight Clinic can provide you with a therapist to cope with the anxieties and struggles with using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy as well Mindful Based Practices .

You can reach out today to book an appointment with our skilled and trained therapists to help you gain understanding and develop healthier coping strategies when you are feeling anxious, or developing these maladaptive thought patterns.

In collaboration with The Insight Clinic, ABA Academy leads with a focus on excellence and focuses on providing individual ABA Interventions for your child’s growth in social, cognitive, emotional, and physical developmental growth and milestones. ABA Academy provides high-quality, individualized, and effective services to help your child grow and learn from a fully licensed and qualified BCBA. Reach out today to see if ABA Academy is the right fit for your child’s ABA services and allow better transitions in schools.