The Collaboration Between SLPs and ABA Professionals are needed HERE.

I dropped my son off at school and it was confirmed for me.  When entering a group, the social sequence is

1. Physically Enter the Group
2. Motor actions similar to those in the group and regulated physical movement.
3. Talk Behavior

For as long as I can remember and even now, there is still the sit down at the table to teach conversation skills.  While there is a place for the seated conversation, there exists a whole world of running, playing, jumping, walking, standing, exercising and conversation at the same time especially for children.

Children with autism have challenges with motor imitation, complex movements, and nonverbal gestures.  With this information, we know treatment from ABA or Speech Therapy can often result in verbal behavior with static gestures, but lacking conversation fluency, increased pauses in response time, and more.  Is it possible to actually teach conversation fluency, fluidity of nonverbal gestures,  use of sarcasm/jokes, tone of voice, and verbal and nonverbal comprehension.  Absolutely!!  Here are three things that therapist’s in the field of ABA and Speech Pathology can do improve the social client.

1. Breakdown the goals in the following categories: Social Skills, Social Behavior, Social Cognition, Conversation Fluency, and Social Motor Movement-Integration.
2. Observe typical developers that are your clients’ neurotypical age range of your client. Write down the various skills that fit into each area mentioned above.
3. Outline the deficits based upon #1 and #2 as a YES (they possess this skill) or NO (this is something we should work on).
4. Design your treatment plan based upon the YES and the NO’s that are related to one another  by creating by writing down the how the YES will be achieved.
5. Take Data and Monitor

It’s important to note that each area can benefit from and should seek the advice of the other professional.  For example, if there are more NO’s in social behavior as it relates to functions of behavior…seek the collaborative ABA professional.  In another example, if we looking at conversation fluency, sarcasm, nonliteral language comprehension…seek the collaborative SLP.

And no this is not quicky and easy…but well worth it!

~The SLP GURU

Landria Seals Green, M.A., CCC-SLP, BCBA