Wow, it’s certainly been a while since I’ve updated you and there’s a good reason, I promise. The Adams Family is pooped.
Since the last update Finn started ABA therapy with in-home sessions adding up to 20 hours a week. While 20 hours in the grand scheme of things fails to compare to rigorous work weeks full of late nights and overtime, it’s still TWENTY hours a week. Finley has to work hard, Paul and I have to work hard, shoot, the dogs have to endure up to five hours locked in bedrooms five days a week. It’s hard.
This is not a complaint. Every minute that’s dedicated to our sweet boy is worth it. I’m merely writing this to give you a little insight on our day-to-day and the extraordinarily helpful, albeit invasive, world of ABA therapy.
Applied behavior analysis (ABA) is the process of systematically applying interventions based upon the principles of learning theory to improve socially significant behaviors to a meaningful degree, and to demonstrate that the interventions employed are responsible for the improvement in behavior (Baer, Wolf & Risley, 1968; Sulzer-Azaroff & Mayer, 1991).
In simpler terms, ABA therapy works to increase behaviors that are helpful and decrease behaviors that are harmful or affect learning. Finley is only three, so his current targets are saying certain letter sounds like “B”, using utensils properly, trying new foods, other forms of communication like pointing to objects, etc.
So what does a week at our house look like?
Sunday
Sunday is our favorite day. It’s the stay in our jammies, watch movies, take family naps, order pizza kind of day.
It’s Sunday night as I (started to) write this and we’re knee deep in laundry watching Finley joyfully burn what seems like endless amounts of energy running across the basement. This is why Sunday is our favorite day. It feels like the only day that Finley gets a break from having to perform for the world.
Monday
Monday is our longest day. Paul and I typically rise earlier than Finn so we can brew some coffee, tidy up the house, and get dressed and ready for the day. Finn’s first session starts at 9 a.m. so we make sure he’s up by 8:15 to eat breakfast and give him enough time to wipe the ‘groggs.’ Monday is his longest day because his first session is 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. immediately followed by a second session with a different therapist from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. That’s five straight hours of work for a three-year-old.
Monday is the only day without a break between sessions, so working lunch into his schedule becomes a form of therapy also, instead of the 30 minutes to an hour of ‘Finn time’ with a plate of chicken nuggets and a cartoon. What a tough way to start the week, right?
Tuesday
Tuesdays look very similar to Mondays, aside from the fact that his sessions are 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and another 12 p.m. to 2 p.m., so he gets a break between. The hardest part about Tuesdays is starting that extra half hour early. Thirty minutes might not seem like a lot to some, but for a boy that struggles to get to sleep before midnight sometimes, it’s crucial. As the weeks progress, however, Finley is adjusting to his schedule like a champ and the 30 minutes feels more important to me than him.
Wednesday
Hump day is a nice break in the middle of the week sort of day. He only has one session from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., which almost always ends with lunch, Finley’s favorite part of the day.
Thursday
Thursdays have been the last big hurdle of five straight hours before an easier Friday and the weekend.
Friday
The last day of the week is just one three hour session with his program coordinator before finally getting a little freedom from routine. Fridays have become our messy day – no need to wash the dishes, the laundry can pile up, and Finn is free to roam the house without pants for a couple days of just being a little boy.
I lied. Fridays are actually the best days.
What does a therapy session look like?
Finley’s program is constantly changing. To begin the program, he was given a set of targets to reach, like independently stacking blocks, trying new foods, developing both verbal and non-verbal communication skills, etc. As he reaches targets, they are slightly adjusted, so he can progress into learning next steps. For example, independently stacking blocks started with the therapist helping him stack a block hand-over-hand and has progressed to him independently stacking without any prompts. Needless to say, he crushed that goal.
ABA is very focused on repetition and for good reason as kids with autism can quickly regress in areas that are not practiced. It’s like trying to learn another language – if you don’t practice it regularly and in real-life situations, you’ll lose it (seriously, who remembers anything from high school French class?) The repetitive nature of ABA is what makes the work so hard for Finn. All of his targets, for example, are supposed to be met 5 to 10 times in a session, so for him to complete a food target for the session, he has to take 10 independent bites of something using a spoon. It can get messy, Finn can get really frustrated, and sometimes it’s difficult to keep him motivated, but overall he’s a total rockstar.
Ultimately, therapy is never really over for him. It’s just as important for us to continue practicing his targets throughout his normal routine. Consistency really is the key to success for ABA.
The tweet below includes a short video of Paul incorporating some of Finn’s therapy process into an ordinary night at home. It’s really fun to find new motivators!
A lot of Finley’s therapies revolve around him doing a simple task like a high five, clapping, or touching his nose to get what he wants. Turns out this vibration bowl is an awesome motivator for our future little yogi 😉 #thisisautism pic.twitter.com/as71JhEs5j
— Lindsay Adams (@LAtweets22) February 2, 2019
So there you have it – a week in the life of the Adams Family (snap snap). I started this post a few weeks ago and finally got around to finishing it after another major milestone has been hit. Next up?
Preschool!
Our Finnspired Life 
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