1
Addressing knolwdge gap about autism and integration of ABA when working with autistic
children and families
First Name MI. Last Name
School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Capella University
Course Number and Name
Instructor Name
Due Date (Month day, year)
, 2
Addressing knowledge gap about autism and integration of ABA when working with
autistic children and families
Introduction
Autism Spectrum Disorder is one of the many health issues that have consistently
commanded intensive public health attention. Historically, parents due to lack of awareness of
the condition have struggled to understand the complex needs of their autistic children, who
majority mistook for being mentally retarded or disabled. Consequently, these autistic children
lacked adequate attention and links to befitting service programs which could help understand
and meet the complex growth, developmental and learning needs of these children. More so, the
societal stigma hurled against parents and families of these children made most of these children
hid from the rest of the world, making them miss out from normal developmental opportunities.
In fact, traditionally, having an autistic child was synonymous to a life-long sentence to dealing
with stress (financial, emotional, social and sometimes physical), given the wholesome burden of
taking care of the needy child. Not until the introduction of respite care and discovery of
evidence-based interventions that effectively offset challenges of handling children with autism.
My passion to becoming an authoritative BCBA is ignited by being a witness of
experiences of parents with autistic children, and my intrinsic need to see them empowered
(especially with knowledge about autism) to understand their children and how to meet their
complex needs. During my interactions with these parents, I have discovered that lack of
awareness about ASD and beneficial interventions at their disposal is a major barrier to the
wellbeing of these parents and their children. A majority of these parents are therefore, suffering
with distress over their children’s health, which further complicates the problem-load for the
child. My interest in applied behavior analysis has been elevated by knowledge of how it could
be applied to benefit the autistic community in the country. After the scholarship, my vision is to
facilitate deep pursuance of masters in ABA and apply it to the autism world in promoting
lifestyle outcomes for autistic children, their parents and families. In this paper, I will review
perceptions of parents about etiology of autism, how this affects children’s outcomes and
conclude on role of ABA-focused interventions within this scenario. Emerging themes in this
study include parental perception of autism and role of counselors in autism issue.
Addressing knolwdge gap about autism and integration of ABA when working with autistic
children and families
First Name MI. Last Name
School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Capella University
Course Number and Name
Instructor Name
Due Date (Month day, year)
, 2
Addressing knowledge gap about autism and integration of ABA when working with
autistic children and families
Introduction
Autism Spectrum Disorder is one of the many health issues that have consistently
commanded intensive public health attention. Historically, parents due to lack of awareness of
the condition have struggled to understand the complex needs of their autistic children, who
majority mistook for being mentally retarded or disabled. Consequently, these autistic children
lacked adequate attention and links to befitting service programs which could help understand
and meet the complex growth, developmental and learning needs of these children. More so, the
societal stigma hurled against parents and families of these children made most of these children
hid from the rest of the world, making them miss out from normal developmental opportunities.
In fact, traditionally, having an autistic child was synonymous to a life-long sentence to dealing
with stress (financial, emotional, social and sometimes physical), given the wholesome burden of
taking care of the needy child. Not until the introduction of respite care and discovery of
evidence-based interventions that effectively offset challenges of handling children with autism.
My passion to becoming an authoritative BCBA is ignited by being a witness of
experiences of parents with autistic children, and my intrinsic need to see them empowered
(especially with knowledge about autism) to understand their children and how to meet their
complex needs. During my interactions with these parents, I have discovered that lack of
awareness about ASD and beneficial interventions at their disposal is a major barrier to the
wellbeing of these parents and their children. A majority of these parents are therefore, suffering
with distress over their children’s health, which further complicates the problem-load for the
child. My interest in applied behavior analysis has been elevated by knowledge of how it could
be applied to benefit the autistic community in the country. After the scholarship, my vision is to
facilitate deep pursuance of masters in ABA and apply it to the autism world in promoting
lifestyle outcomes for autistic children, their parents and families. In this paper, I will review
perceptions of parents about etiology of autism, how this affects children’s outcomes and
conclude on role of ABA-focused interventions within this scenario. Emerging themes in this
study include parental perception of autism and role of counselors in autism issue.
