What does following a child’s lead look like?
Hello everyone and a welcome back to our returning readers! We hope to share some insight today on the fun topic of what it means to be following someone’s lead and the role of motivation in Applied Behavior Analysis.
Following a child’s or someone’s lead is something that most ABA companies profess that they follow and do within a therapy session. Does this mean just letting the child do whatever they want to do the whole time or just walking behind them as they switch between activities? The kid just gets whatever they want no matter what they do?
It’s a little bit more than that and it doesn’t just mean your child gets all their favorite snacks or videos the whole day. Although if someone were to follow my lead in the day with no strings attached, it may be filled with lots of popcorn eating and naps.
Following your child’s lead is an ABA strategy that uses the motivation of your child to encourage communication and skill development.
Motivation as a term in ABA is the same as motivation in your day to day life. Why do people eat healthy? To have the motivation of a healthier mental and physical life. Why are we motivated to post on Instagram? Because we get a positive response from friends and family.
Motivation is one of the most important aspects of therapy we try to create during ABA sessions because it leads to supporting behavior change. When a person is more motivated by something, they are more likely to change their behavior for this motivation.
When we look at motivation, it often ties to our communication style. If I am motivated to get some water (thirsty), I am going to walk to my cabinet, grab a cup, and fill my water. Now the question is, how does someone get the water if they are motivated by it and the person is not able to use their words or a functional way to communicate? This is where we may see a behavior that is harder to understand or potentially dangerous.
Sometimes motivation may be hard to determine for someone if a person is unable to tell us. That is why in ABA therapy, we follow the child or adult’s lead because that will lead to what someone is motivated by.
Following one’s lead may include playing with a toy the way a child wants to rather than how we may want to. For example, a child may love running from one end of the room to another. This child may take off sprinting the length of the hallway to stop an inch before the wall, turn around, and do it minute after minute and sometimes hour after hour. How many of us wish for that youthful energy!
Here is where a therapist will identify that the child shows motivation to run back and forth. Instead of trying to have the child interact with another toy or game, the therapist will use this style of play to build upon language and social skills. The therapist may race against the child, practice waiting by saying ‘Ready, set, go!”, or bump into the wall to get a laugh going. Because, in this example, the child is motivated by the run back and forth, there are countless opportunities to build upon language skills and we know that if someone is more motivated to do an activity, they will be more motivated to do a skill we ask to get back to the motivating activity. The most beautiful thing that happens in this situation is that the child feels as if they get to keep running and playing the whole time.
This is how ABA creates a structure to enhance language development and social skills. We find what someone is motivated to do and follow someone’s lead to find the quickest (and often most fun) way of learning new behaviors.
Now, can we just give someone junk food all the time and only build language with that? Probably not. But there are countless other ways to follow the lead of a child or adult if we listen, watch, and join in their motivation.
We hope this article provided you with an understanding of the concepts of following one’s lead and as always, our Learning Perch team is here to help you. Our dream is to help families everywhere through compassionate and quality care, without compromise.
If you wish to see more information about this topic, please read below these free resources that explain these concepts in greater detail.
Baker, J. (2012). Motivation to Interact with Others. Autism News, 6(3), 5-10. https://www.verabernard.de/AutismNewsOC/docs/AutismNewsSummer12.pdf#page=5
Schramm, R. (2011). Motivation and Reinforcement, Turning the Tables on Autism. ProAba.
Disclaimer: The information provided on this blog is for educational purposes only and should not be considered as a substitute for professional advice from a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). Always consult with your personal BCBA regarding specific behavioral interventions and treatment plans. The author(s) of this blog are not responsible for any actions taken based on the information presented here.
