Functional Communication Training ABA for Language Development

Effective communication plays a crucial role in shaping a child’s development, impacting their social skills, emotional intelligence, and academic success. Without it, children can become frustrated and anxious due to their inability to express their thoughts and feelings. These frustrations can then lead to inappropriate or harmful behaviors. Handprint Therapies’ ABA therapists, in combination with our speech therapy programs give children the tools they need to help them more effectively communicate with others.

What is Functional Communication Training ABA Therapy?

Our ABA therapists use functional communication training to help kids learn meaningful communication naturally. Our patients not only learn vocalization but also practice other nonvocal behaviors to communicate such as gestures, sign language, AAC devices, and picture icons using the picture exchange communication system (PECS).

Improve Your Child’s Language & Communication Skills

ABA Therapy helps children improve their expressive and receptive language skills to better communicate their emotions, as well as their needs and wants. Our ABA therapists view language and communication as behaviors where we can focus on giving your child the tools they need to express the different verbal operants:

• Mands – requesting
• Tacts – commenting on what a person hears, sees, smells, feels, or tastes
• Echoics – verbal imitation
• Interverbals– responding to another speaker (a conversation, answering questions, etc)
• Listening Responding – understanding what the person is saying, following instructions
• Motor Imitation – copying the movements of another individual
• Autoclitic – modifying one of the other forms

Handprint Therapies ABA Language & Communication

At Handprint Therapies, all our RBTs utilize functional communication ABA to teach and expand language in non-verbal and non-vocal individuals. We understand that no two children are the same and our speech intervention and ABA programs for language development should reflect that. By customizing each child’s ABA therapy to their unique challenges, we can maximize their learning and growth.

Initial Language & Communication Assessment

First, our ABA therapists want to identify the milestone development areas for your child. We will conduct behavior assessments, including a functional behavior assessment to determine the reasons behind your child’s challenging behavior. This assessment is then used to create an intervention plan that involves the best approach and techniques to shape and teach communication.

ABA for Language Development & Higher Communication

Following your child’s behavior and communication assessment, our team evaluates which of our functional communication training ABA strategies can be used to help your child. Our goal is to help your child find functional modes of communication so that they can express their wants, needs, and uniqueness. Ultimately, language development leads to social confidence and independence.

Speech Therapy + ABA Therapy

Handprints Therapies actively encourage our learners to participate in co-treatment sessions with speech therapy during their ABA sessions. Our ABA therapists collaborate closely with your child’s speech therapist to provide them with more practice and efficient learning. The ABA team learns the techniques and other teaching tools from the speech therapist to carry this learning into their ABA sessions to accelerate their growth.