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1:1 Fort Myers Parent Effectiveness Training From Child Behavior Experts
Being a parent is tough. When it comes to challenges like tantrums, not listening, aggression, bedtime routine issues, toilet training, sibling fights and other behavior challenges – it’s totally normal to be at a loss about what to do. The good news is our ABA therapists offer Fort Myers parent effectiveness training, more commonly referred to as behavior consulting or parent coaching.
Parent effectiveness training is ideal for families of kids who struggle with certain behaviors, but don’t necessarily need the intensive, daily ABA therapy recommended for kids with autism. It can also be super helpful for parents whose kids are diagnosed with conditions qualifying for ABA, but for now are cooling their heels on Southwest Florida ABA therapy waitlists.
Our ABA therapists are pediatric behavior experts. We know how to get to the root of the behavior, determine why it is happening, and formulate effective, easy-to-implement strategies that will work best for your children and your parenting style.
It does not require a diagnosis or doctor’s referral, and parents can obtain as much or as little support as possible. We’ll even come to your home! After the initial in-person consultation, we can also offer follow-up support and guidance via email, phone calls, and video chats as needed.
Child Behavior Problems We Help Address
As experts in child behavior, our ABA therapists are equipped to help parents more effectively navigate difficulty with:
- Tantrums and meltdowns. Frequent emotional outbursts can be tough to manage. We teach parents how to identify triggers and implement strategies to mitigate these episodes.
- Aggressive behavior. Aggression towards others can include kicking, hitting, biting, pinching, etc. This can be disruptive and embarrassing, but also dangerous. ABA therapists in behavior consulting / parent effectiveness training to develop and implement behavior intervention plans to reduce and replace aggressive behaviors.
- Self-injurious behavior. Sometimes aggressive behavior is directed inward. Head-banging, self-biting, etc. – these can all be very alarming, and parents are right to seek help. Our ABA consulting team can help parents understand the function of these behaviors, and work to teach kids safer alternative ways for the child to effectively communicate their wants and needs.
- Non-compliance. It can be incredibly frustrating when your child is defiant. Our Fort Myers parent effectiveness training helps guide parents to address this with positive reinforcement tactics combined with structured routines and consistency.
- Communication deficits. Trouble communicating can lead to frustration and behavioral issues. ABA therapists (and speech therapists) can train parents in using augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) methods and promote verbal communication skills.
- Social skills deficits. Challenges interacting with peers can impact a child’s social development – and can be either the source or result of behavioral issues. In behavior consulting, our ABA therapists provide parents with strategies to enhance social skills through play and structured activities.
What’s Involved in Fort Myers Parent Effectiveness Training / Parent Coaching / Behavior Consulting
All of the parent effectiveness training strategies we recommend are evidence-based interventions. Many we have actually implemented ourselves – either as ABA therapists or parents.
Our goal is to empower parents to reduce or eliminate behaviors that are unwanted, unexpected, unsafe, or unhealthy, while increasing the behaviors that are expected, desired, safe, and expected.
Part of what we teach parents and caregivers in ABA behavior consulting / parent effectiveness training is that often, in order to change a child’s behavior, parents/caregivers first need to understand the behavior – and then possibly change their own. So often as parents, we unintentionally reinforce problem behaviors. It’s not because we are bad parents. It’s because we aren’t first getting to the root of why the behavior is happening.
We’ll start with the initial assessment and then structured goal setting. We’re very intentional about the strategies we recommend. We’ll be sure to take into account your goals and resources in defining specific, measurable goals and workable strategies.
Then we’ll offer:
- Basic education on ABA principles. We’ll give you a rundown of the basic concepts, such as reinforcement, punishment, and extinction. Understanding these principles is essential for effective child behavior management.
- Modeling and demonstration. ABA therapists will demonstrate specific techniques and strategies that we want parents to implement. Parents will have the chance to directly observe and learn how to most effectively apply these methods.
- Hands-on practice. We’ll provide opportunities to practice these new skills with the guidance of our therapists – either in-person or virtually. We my ask to observe certain interactions via video conferencing (sometimes best when our presence may throw off the natural dynamic) or be there to witness it firsthand.
- Feedback and analysis. We’ll give parents constructive feedback on the ways in which they’re applying these techniques.. We might not hit a homerun the very first time because every kid is different. We look at what’s working, what isn’t, and then make adjustments if needed – or encourage parents to consistently stay the course. Consistency is key with behavior therapy. It’s especially effective when strategies are applied across environments and situations.
- Problem-solving pep talks. If there are new or escalating behavior issues that are arising, we’ll work to help you identify your child’s triggers, determine the function of those behaviors, and then implement appropriate, effective interventions to address them.
If you have questions about our behavior consulting / parent coaching / parent effectiveness training in Southwest Florida, let us know! Although our highly skilled child behavior experts are based in Lee County, Florida, through virtual platforms, can actually extend ABA Consulting services to parents across Florida.
FOCUS offers child behavior consulting and ABA therapy in Fort Myers and throughout Southwest Florida. Call (239) 313.5049 or Contact Us online.
Additional Resources:
Understanding Behavior: A Guide for Parents, The University of Pittsburgh
More Blog Entries:
ABA Therapy vs. Behavior Consulting, May 3, 2024, Fort Myers Parent Effectiveness Training / Behavior Consulting Blog
Think Your Child Has a Written Language Disorder? Pediatric Speech Therapists Spell Out The Top Signs
A written language disorder is a type of learning disability that impacts a child’s ability to read, write, and spell. As Estero pediatric speech therapists, we see it manifesting in a number of ways, including:
- Difficulty spelling (dysorthographia)
- Trouble writing legibly and coherently (dysgraphia)
- Problems understanding and producing written text
Written language disorders tend to get less attention that speech-language disorders, but our Estero pediatric speech therapists know they can have a substantial impact on a child’s learning, academic success, and self-esteem. This is especially true when written language disorders are wrongly characterized as the child “just not trying hard enough” or being “sloppy” with their handwriting.
Signs of Written Language Disorder
We mostly tend to notice written language disorder with preschool-age children (ages 3 to 5). But clues are sometimes evident even younger than that.
Some red flags of written language disorder our pediatric speech therapists notice have to do with difficulty in the area of phonological awareness. For those unfamiliar, phonological awareness is the ability to recognize and make sounds in spoken words. The ability to understand and work with sounds in the spoken language is what allows us to start decoding the meaning of words, blend different sounds, and then ultimately learn to read.
Issues related to phonological awareness that are key indicators of a written language disorder include:
- Trouble recognizing patterns in songs, nursery rhymes, and books — even after repeated exposure.
- Inability to demonstrate awareness of syllables and rhymes during verbal play. For example, they have trouble clapping out syllables, generating nonsense rhymes, or just rhyming words in general.
- Difficulty hearing, identifying, and making individual sounds in spoken words.
Then there are emergent reading deficits, which can also tip us off to a written language disorder. These can include:
- Not knowing the names and sounds of letters of the alphabet, even when most of their peers do.
- Not recognizing the letters of the alphabet.
- Not turning the pages of a book when looking through one or having it read to them.
- Limited or poor awareness of the printed word. They don’t seem to get that books have a front and back, they aren’t grasping the direction of words in a book, they aren’t picking up where words start and stop.
- Minimal interest in print materials. They aren’t pointing to pictures in the book, they aren’t excited to listen to a favorite book over and over, they aren’t looking at books with others, etc.
- Not fully getting that words represent ideas, actions, objects, etc.
- Difficulty understanding that different words can be used for the same thing. Ex: “Chair” can be referring to the same thing as “seat.”
- Never pretends to read a book by telling the story from memory.
- Has no recognition of their own name in print.
Finally, our pediatric speech therapists in Estero will analyze spelling/writing issues among young children. These include:
- Limited ability or interest in pretending to write by drawing or scribbling.
- Seeming to have no understanding that writing and drawing are different activities.
- Trouble copying simple shapes and lines.
- Reluctant to attempt writing numbers or letters.
These symptoms can evolve and look a bit different in older children. Pediatric speech therapists at the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA) break down further the later-stage indicators of written language disorder.
How Can Pediatric Speech Therapists Help?
Our Estero pediatric speech therapists are equipped with the expertise needed to diagnose and treat written language disorders. We may also recommend teaming with occupational therapy as well.
Once we’ve conducted a comprehensive evaluation and identified underlying issues, we then formulate our intervention strategies. These include:
- Phonological awareness training. This involves enhancing the child’s ability to recognize and manipulate sounds in words – something that’s foundational for reading and spelling. Activities might include rhyming, segmenting and sound blending.
- Decoding and fluency. We’ll work to teach kids ways to improve their word recognition and reading fluency. This can involve explicit instructions in phonics, repeated practice with reading and use of multisensory techniques.
- Writing instruction. We’ll help the child develop better writing skills with targeted exercises, such as practicing “beginning, middle, and end” of stories, as well as using graphics and visuals to help plan storytelling and writing.
- Handwriting improvement. This is often thought of as more in the realm of occupational therapists, but pediatric speech therapists work on it too. We use tools for copying, tracing, and fine motor exercises to improve legibility and neatness.
On top of all this, we encourage parent and caregiver involvement and support, educating parents about the disorder and providing strategies they can work on at home, such as reading together, games to practice spelling words, and encouraging writing in a variety of contexts.
FOCUS Therapy offers pediatric speech therapy, ABA therapy, physical therapy, and occupational therapy to kids from Estero, Fort Myers, Cape Coral and throughout Southwest Florida. Call (239) 313.5049 or Contact Us online.
Additional Resources:
Written Language Disorders, ASHA
More Blog Entries:
Upcoming Sensory Friendly Activities in Fort Myers, Naples, and SWFL, April 30, 2024, Fort Myers Pediatric Speech Therapists Blog
Fort Myers Speech Therapist on Cochlear Implants and Speech-Language Development
If your child has or is expected to need cochlear implants, they may also need speech therapy. Consultation with a Fort Myers speech therapist can help parents ascertain whether their child will likely need speech-language therapy and if so, how to begin the process to minimize time spent on waitlists.
What are Cochlear Implants?
Cochlear implants are sophisticated medical devices designed to provide a sense of sound to individuals with severe-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss – especially those who do not benefit from conventional hearing aids. While hearing aids work by amplifying sound, cochlear implants bypass the damaged parts of the inner ear and directly stimulate the auditory nerve. As a Fort Myers speech therapist can explain, this in turn allows the brain to perceive sound.
The cochlear implant system has two main components:
- The external part is worn behind the ear. This has a microphone, sound processor, and transmitter.
- The internal part that is surgically placed under the skin and inside the inner ear. This contains a receiver/stimulator and an electrode array.
For children, cochlear implants are typically recommended when doctors diagnose profound hearing loss and both ears. Some conditions that can lead to a cochlear implant recommendation:
- Congenital hearing loss. This is when a child is born with severe-to-profound hearing loss.
- Progressive hearing loss. This is when a child develops significant hearing loss over time.
- Meningitis. This type of infection can result in the hardening of the cochlea in the inner ear. This condition is especially difficult because the implant must be done early, before the cochlea becomes too hard to insert the electrodes.
Kids usually must undergo extensive evaluations with a multidisciplinary team (typically audiologists, otolaryngologists, speech-language pathologists, etc.) to determine if they’re a good candidate for cochlear implants. If they are – and particularly if it’s before they have fully developed speech-language skills – they are likely going to need speech-language therapy to keep pace with their peers.
Cochlear Implants & Speech Development
Cochlear implants can be wonderful for a child with severe hearing loss or deficits. However, they’re still likely to need speech-language therapy. They may have varying degrees of difficulty or delays with articulation, phonological processing, and reduced vocabulary.
Fort Myers ABA Therapists Offer 6 Tips for Better Sleep
Sleep can be a struggle for all of us at some point. It’s known to be especially tough for children with autism, ADHD, sensory processing difficulties, and other conditions common among the pediatric patients we regularly treat as Fort Myers ABA therapists. We know how to help parents through it – whether your child has one of these diagnoses or not.
Better sleep starts with a solid strategy. We suggest starting with these six tips.
If you find this isn’t enough, our BCBAs (board-certified behavior analysists) are experts in child behavior. We offer 1:1 parent coaching in the form of behavior consulting. You don’t need ABA therapy to get help with behavior challenges like sleep training, potty training, tantrums, aggression, and more.
Our team of dedicated Fort Myers ABA therapists provide consultation that includes analyzing the why of the behavior and formulating effective, easy-to-implement solutions that are tailored both to your child and your parenting style.
FOCUS offers child behavior consulting and ABA therapy in Fort Myers and throughout Southwest Florida. Call (239) 313.5049 or Contact Us online.
Additional Resources:
Sleep Strategies for Kids, Nov. 8, 2024, By Danielle Pacheco and Dr. Ealena Callender, National Sleep Foundation
More Blog Entries:
ABA Therapy vs. Behavior Consulting, May 3, 2024, Fort Myers Child Behavior Therapy Blog
Types of AAC Our Fort Myers Speech Therapists Utilize
When people hear, “augmentative and alternative communication” (better known as “AAC”), they tend to assume we’re talking about sophisticated communication devices that may be used for children with substantial speech and language difficulties. It does include that sort of intervention, but there are many types of AAC devices – including some that are unaided and don’t require any tech at all.
Our Fort Myers speech therapists work directly with your child to determine the best type of AAC device for their particular needs.
FOCUS offers pediatric speech therapy in Fort Myers and throughout Southwest Florida. Call (239) 313.5049 or Contact Us online.
Additional Resources:
Augmentative and Alternative Communication, ASHA
AAC Fort Myers Augmentative & Alternative Communication, FOCUS Therapy
More Blog Entries:
Unlocking Communication: How Fort Myers Speech Therapists Use AAC for Kids, April 12, 2024, FOCUS Fort Myers Speech Therapy AAC Blog
“Heavy Work” Recommended by Fort Myers Occupational Therapists
“Heavy work” can go a long way toward helping kids self-regulate – which also minimizes tantrums and emotional outbursts. Check out some of the “heavy work” activities recommended by our Fort Myers occupational therapists.
Fort Myers Swimming Lessons Can Reduce Drowning Risk for Kids With Disabilities
Children with disabilities are often at higher risk of drowning, particularly in Florida. Fort Myers swimming lessons can go a long way toward reducing that risk.
A few local Fort Myers swimming lessons providers that may be helpful resources for our FOCUS families:
ISR Fort Myers. This is a survival swim course that teaches babies as young as 6 months how to survive for those crucial few minutes if they fall into a pool unsupervised.
Swimtastic Fort Myers. Hosted at a local gym, these Fort Myers swimming lessons include an Adapted Aquatics program that takes into account each child’s physical developmental abilities. Instructors have experience with children with a broad range of conditions, including autism, down syndrome, ADHD, cerebral palsy, sensory integration difficulty, and other physical challenges. They also have a Therapeutic Aquatic Program to help children who have muscular or limb challenges or those who struggle with head control.
Sunsational Swim School. Private swim instructions that can take place at your own pool. Some instructors are specifically trained to provide swim instruction for kids with special needs.
YMCA of South Florida. The YMCA has a year-round Swim Buddies program for children with disabilities ages 4 and older. Swimmers get matched with a qualified “swim buddy” volunteer, who works with them on basic swim safety skills – including getting used to being in the water, drowning prevention, and fundamental swimming techniques.
InstaSwim. This is another at-home, private swimming lesson instruction, which can be tailored specifically to assist the varying needs of children with special needs. Instructors have worked with children who have autism, cerebral palsy, down syndrome, sensory integration disorder, and physical difficulties.
Florida Swim Company. This provider has swim instructors in both Naples and Fort Myers, who will come to your home or community pool to teach a customized swim class.
Note: This list may not be exhaustive! We hope it gives our FOCUS Families somewhere to start on their search for Fort Myers swimming lessons for their children.
Our ultimate goal as therapists is to ensure nothing is holding these kids back in life. Learning to swim is part of that! So even though we don’t provide swimming lessons directly, we’re happy to give parents helpful information to get them started as they look for the services needed to ensure their child learns the skills necessary to stay safe and thrive.
FOCUS Therapy offers ABA therapy, ADOS testing, speech therapy, and occupational therapy to children in Lee County, Florida.
Additional Resources:
Association Between Swimming Lessons and Drowning in Childhood, 2009, Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine
Swim and Water Safety, September 2018, Autism Speaks
More Blog Entries:
Water Safety Tips for Florida Kids With Special Needs, June 15, 2024, Fort Myers Occupational Therapy Blog