For parents
We explain in plain words how speech develops, what ABA is and how to support your child at home. You can watch the video on the right with sound.
Your 1–2 year old isn't saying much: what parents should look for
When a toddler hardly talks, parents usually count words. Our center's specialists suggest looking at the bigger picture: how your child asks for things, refuses, points things out and understands speech. Here is a list of signs from the center's practice, and when it is time to book a consultation.
- Look not only at the number of words, but at how your child communicates: asks, refuses, points things out, understands speech.
- Milestones for 1–2 years: responding to their name, pointing, sound imitations, understanding simple requests.
- Gesture, gaze and words work together. Eye contact is never forced.
- If a child does not use speech to communicate by age 3, it is a reason for a consultation. The earlier, the better.
Myths about ABA therapy: "dog training", "doing it for candy" and other parent fears
There are many concerns around ABA. In this article we look at six popular myths and the question of reinforcement, the way the specialists at the Neuron center explain them.
- ABA teaches skills: speech, play, self-care, communication. Behavior correction is only part of the work.
- It is not "dog training" and not just a table with cards: there is lots of play and learning in everyday life.
- Candy may only be used at the start. Later, rewards become natural: play, praise, attention.
- There is no punishment, the work is built on rewards. There are no quick guarantees either: every child progresses at their own pace.
Why therapy should continue at home
A skill that only works in the therapy room is not yet a real skill. Here is how the center teaches parents to carry skills over into everyday life, and why you don't need to turn your home into a therapy room to do it.
- A skill is consolidated when it is practiced at home, in shops, at kindergarten, not only in the therapy room.
- Practicing at home doesn't mean an hour at the table: tasks are built into everyday life.
- Parents are taught ABA tools so they know what to do, how and why.
- Progress is visible in the child's online account: daily results and progress over time.
Speech therapist or ABA specialist: who can help get speech started
When a child isn't talking, parents' first thought is: we need a speech therapist. That's true, but it's not the whole story. An ABA specialist also works on speech and communication, just from a different angle. Let's look at how their work differs and how to tell what your child needs right now.
- Both a speech therapist and an ABA specialist work on speech
- A speech therapist does much more than work on sounds
- In ABA, children learn to use speech to communicate
- The choice depends on your child's specific difficulties
ABA for little ones from 18 months: how play-based sessions work
Many parents believe ABA is only for older children and looks like work at a table. With the youngest children it's different: learning happens through play, the child's interests and interaction with an adult. Here's how it works at the Neuron center.
- Sessions can start as early as 18 months
- Little ones learn through play
- Cooperation comes first, demands come later
- Toys and materials are chosen to match the child's interests
A comprehensive program or separate specialists: which to choose
The most common question parents ask at the center: why can't we just see different specialists separately? You can. But then the parents have to put together the child's development plan themselves. Here's how the Shared Goals program works.
- You can see separate specialists
- In a comprehensive program, the center builds the system
- ABA, the speech therapist and Adaptive PE work toward shared goals
- Parents get one consistent set of recommendations
Afraid of haircuts, the vacuum cleaner or the hair dryer: how children are helped to cope with fears
Crying at the sound of the vacuum, running away from the hair dryer, tears during a haircut: fears like these make life much harder for the whole family. At the center, they are worked through gradually, step by step, and parents learn how to continue at home. Here's how it happens.
- Fears are addressed with desensitization
- Getting used to things happens in small, safe steps
- The child is not held down or taught to "put up with it"
- Parents continue the work at home with specialist oversight
Meltdowns and protests during sessions: why they happen and what helps
Screaming, walking away from a task, throwing things: this is often put down to "personality." The center's specialists see it differently: behavior has a cause, and often the cause is that the child doesn't understand what's going on. Here's how specialists look for the reasons and what they teach instead.
- Protest is often linked to an unpredictable environment
- Structure and clarity reduce anxiety
- Functional analysis looks for the cause of behavior
- Children learn to ask instead of scream
Group sessions: what children learn in a group
A group isn't just about children being together. Here, step by step, they practice the skills that are hard to do without in kindergarten and school: listening to a group instruction, waiting their turn, raising their hand. Here's how group sessions work at the Neuron center.
- Socialization in a group happens in stages
- Children practice skills for kindergarten and school
- Tasks get harder from session to session
- Regular attendance matters
A child with ASD starting kindergarten or school: how to prepare them and the class
To fit into a group of children, a child needs certain skills, and the people around them need understanding. Here's how the center prepares children for kindergarten and school, what real inclusion means, and how to explain to classmates why their new friend behaves differently.
- Social skills prepare children for kindergarten and school
- Inclusion: the environment adapts to the child
- It's worth talking openly about autism with classmates
- Understanding reduces the risk of teasing and isolation
Assessing a child's skills: VB-MAPP, ABLLS-R and the MOXO test
Before starting a program, specialists assess what the child can already do and what they need to learn. Here we explain which tools the Neuron center uses, how long an assessment takes and what it is not.
- Assessment is needed to build an accurate program
- ABLLS-R: 25 areas and 544 skills
- Skills also show up in free play
- MOXO helps, but it doesn't make a diagnosis
Sensory integration: "worrying or normal?" and when to see a specialist
A child dislikes loud noises or refuses to drink water. Is it a reason to panic or just a variation of normal? The Neuron center's sensory therapist advises against drawing conclusions from a single sign. Here's how to look at the whole child and what happens in sessions.
- One sign is not a diagnosis
- The overall picture of development matters
- Ball exercises develop coordination and attention
- Each child gets an individual approach
Adaptive PE and fine motor skills: why children need movement and creativity
Strength, coordination, buttoning a button or cutting with scissors: these are all skills a child needs every day. Here's who Adaptive Physical Education (Adaptive PE) is for and why creative sessions at the Neuron center are more than just crafts.
- Adaptive PE develops movement, strength and coordination
- The program is tailored to each child
- Scissors and modeling clay prepare the hand for daily life
- Every creative task has a goal
How to choose a center and a specialist for your child: questions worth asking
Promises of quick results sound tempting. But when it comes to helping a child, a mistake costs more than money: you can lose time. The Neuron center advises checking the method, the qualifications and how transparent the work is.
- Check the scientific basis of the method
- Ask about the specialist's qualifications
- A good specialist never stops learning
- Parents should see their child's progress
Simple exercises at home: speech exhalation, phonemic awareness and "brain gymnastics"
Some of the exercises the center's specialists use are easy to repeat at home with everyday items: soap bubbles, a candle, small boxes, shoelaces. We've gathered them in one place and explained why each one matters and when it's still best to see a speech therapist.
- Speech exhalation is trained with bubbles and a candle
- Phonemic awareness is needed for reading and writing
- Cross-lateral exercises: 5–10 minutes a day
- At the first doubts, it's better to see a speech therapist