Amazing Options For Treating Asperger's Syndrome

Applied Behavioral Analysis

Applied behavioral analysis is a group of techniques and approaches meant to help children with autism. However, there is a considerable amount of controversy surrounding the practice. The biggest problem is that applied behavioral analysis focuses on teaching children with autism how to act like neurotypical children, rather than teaching the individuals around them how to communicate with them. This can often lead to children with autism and patients with Asperger's syndrome swallowing their discomfort and allowing themselves to experience pain because it makes others happy. Another criticism is that some applied behavioral analysis practices don't use positive reinforcement exclusively, instead employing a combination of positive reinforcement for desired behaviors and punishment for self-harming ones. Negative reinforcement is not generally considered acceptable in today's treatment practices, but it was once a common component of the practice. Many of today's forms of applied behavioral analysis are based in play rather than forcing children to sit at tables. If applied behavioral analysis is used for treatment, it should be a positive program based on building skills rather than simply eliminating unwanted behaviors.