When a child has autism, parents have many questions. I am often asked what is the difference between DIR/Floor Time and ABA (Applied Behavioral Analysis). I had the opportunity to address this question at length with Dr. Mitchell Taubman, Ph.D., author of “Teaching Social Skills That Change Lives: Developing Meaningful Relationships in Early Childhood Adolescence.”
Dr. Hess: What do you mean when you discuss teaching social skills for children and adolescents impacted by autism utilizing “contemporary ABA.”
Dr. Taubman: There are many variations to ABA, but “contemporary ABA” speaks to teaching children/adolescents the concept of learning “how to learn.” In contrast to DIR/Floor Time, which has origins in the psychoanalytic theories of attachment and development, ABA looks at autism as having difficulties in learning. ABA approaches teaching social skills by focusing on several elements, including social awareness, social communication, social interaction, social learning and social relatedness. Within these broad categories, elements are explored, such as perspective taking, initiating interactions and responsiveness, social imitation and joint attention.
Dr. Hess: These are actually very similar skill sets that would be addressed using DIR/Floor Time. Specifically, DIR/Floor Time would address these concerns by creating semi-structured problem-solving opportunities that focus on the child’s current developmental capacity, underlying neurological differences that might be interfering with optimum development, and the child’s relational style to know how to pull that child into a shared emotional experience. In regards to social skills, a theme might be addressed, for example, bullying at school, and then the group would examine the emotions of the victim and the bully and create strategies for dealing with the dilemma.
What are the instructional components of ABA’s approach to social skills?
Dr. Taubaman: ABA might take the same theme, bullying, but focus the group on discrimination training, where appropriate vs. inappropriate versions of skill sets are examined. Instructional components might include actual teaching interactions, with discrimination training and generalization training. Critical to the exercise is task analyses, recorded by trained staff, who record and analyze behavioral data that reflect the baseline skill sets against expected learning gains. This allows for elements of challenge to be measured. The ability to quantify and measure a child’s learning deficits and/or excesses has propelled ABA into the forefront of autism research.
Dr. Hess: I agree that one of the most significant contributions to helping children with autism has been the large body of research generated by ABA. In fact, DIR/Floor Time, encouraged by the scientific gains made by behavioral interventions, has recently increased its involvement within the scientific community and is currently inviting study within a variety of developmental concerns, including the impact of sensory processing disorder as a contributing factor to the symptoms most closely associated with autism.
Dr. Taubman: Unlike developmental specialists, sensory processing deficits are dismissed by behaviorist who point to the lack of hard scientific evidence/research to support the premise in the first place. Instead, what contemporary ABA clinicians focus on is measurable elements such as attitude replacement. Attitude replacement is encouraged through the introduction for example, of play dates that work on social skills that include tolerance, general awareness, common interest, and friendships. Within these subsets, complex skills are addressed that include the ability to stay on task, realization that people don’t always mean what they say, requesting help and favors and tolerating the presence and proximity of peers. Feedback is given by adult facilitators with the emphasis, as mentioned, on generalizing these skill sets into a child’s real world.
Dr. Hess: Dr. Taubman, you are aware that critics of behavioral methodology have voiced concerns that treatment can appear too rote and mechanistic. However, what I am taking away from today’s discussion is that although contemporary ABA systematically focuses on a reduction of problems while DIR/Floor Time approaches the challenges of children with autism by trying to understand the underlying neurophysiological/emotional/social motivators for a child’s presentation, ultimately the actual focus and skill building techniques show more to our two approaches similarities than to our differences.
Dr. Taubman: I agree, although we are collecting scientific data as we teach the means of strengthening and reinforcing positive behaviors, ultimately we are aware that we are dealing with children, so we like to think of ourselves as scientists with heart.
Social Skills Groups for Children and Teens with Autism
