Compassionate ABA

Compassionate ABA

Everything you need to know

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What is it?

Pairing

Prompting

Client Dignity

Practice

Takeaways

What does it mean to be compassionate?

Compassionate ABA

- Empathizing with our clients - Being able to feel others emotions and take action - Everyone deserves to be treated with kindness, dignity, and respect

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How to Implement Compassion-Focused ABA

• Offer noncontingent compassion

• Emphasize use of Positive Reinforcement

• Acquire Assent

• Maintain Dignity through Least Restrictive Interventions

Conditioning ourselves as a positive reinforcer

• Following a client's lead
• Using items and doing activities that they find reinforcing

Pairing

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Prompting

• Autonomy - ability to make own decisions
• Least Restrictive Interventions
• Emotional Validation - offering empathetic statements, offering a hug
• Noncontingent support - "I'm here for you"
• Offering assistance - "I can help you"
• Wait patiently

Client dignity

HIPAA

It is important that our clients information is protected. This means making sure to not discuss any identifying factors (name, address, etc.)

Confidentiality

Our clients have the right for their information to be kept confidential. This includes challenging behaviors

Respect

To respect our client's dignity, it is important to speak about our clients in a positive way, especially around them. It is also important to speak to our client's in a positive tone of voice

Let's practice!

Question

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QUestion

Role PLay

Takeaways

• While some interventions are designed to reduce challenging behaviors, we can still implement them compassionately
• The goal of ABA is to increase independence and create socially significant changes for our clients. We want to do this in a compassionate way and not by control or force
• Pairing is a great way to build trust with a client
• If your client is engaging in challenging behavior, you can offer empathetic statements or choices. It's also okay to wait!
• Keep side conversations limited and talk positively around clients

THANK YOU!

Reasons to be Compassionate

• Alleviates suffering
• Helps build rapport
• Builds trust
• Supportive atmosphere

Ways to Pair

• Have motivating items and provide them for free continously (NO DEMANDS)

• Engage in play with the client (i.e., imaginary play, sit near the client, comment on what they are doing)
• Narrate play (i.e., "wow look at you building that tall tower")
• Be FUN!!

Example of Using Compassionate ABA

You have a client who is really upset over denied access of taking a toy from a sibling. You can be compassionate by commenting or saying something like "I know how frustrating this is. Let's make a different choice between getting cars from the playroom or taking a ride in the wagon.