can anyone tell me which is better, ABA or CBT therapy? My 6yr old deals with impulsive behavior and aggression, primarily at school for the aggression. hit peers and teachers, whenever she is upset, didn't get what she wants from school staff, and or during transition time ( does not do well during transitions is a big one). she has been given referrals and suspended many times, during kindergarten. now in first grade, it has gotten better than last year, but still having issues hear an there. I am trying to get her therapy, for me and her so I can understand better on how to deal with her tantrums etc. at home she is not aggressive, but she is very defiant at home and give attitude at home, and likes to tantrum if doesn't get her way. but at school, she tantrums and hits her friends and teachers. which is better therapy aba or cbt, I rather cbt but I don't know?
ABA VS CBT: can anyone tell me which is... - CHADD's ADHD Pare...
ABA VS CBT
hi, I have a 8 year old who has ADHD. he has been doing play therapy for almost a year now. Though he is going through a different situation. He has GI issues which really affected his self esteem and confidence. I feel it helped him so much in that aspect which is great. The impulsive part, we are still working on. I am actually battling with myself and finally decided to try medication. This has been the hardest decision for my LIFEEEE. I am definitely not saying you should or shouldn’t but I do recommend play therapy as a first place to start in my opinion.
thank you!
Hi! I noticed you said you were comparing ABA or CBT. Is your little one also on the spectrum? We personally found a lot of help from learning ABA principles of positive parenting, but did not “do” ABA. It can be controversial. Stepping Stones by Triple P Parenting is offered by a lot of child organizations and has good ABA/positive parenting influenced basics.
Kids do well if they can. Sometimes they can’t because they don’t have the right skills. Have you had a pragmatic language evaluation by a speech therapist? Through the school? A good speech therapist can be very helpful in teaching social skills including understanding other’s perspectives, using a social filter, and being flexible. Does she receive special education services? She shouldn’t be disciple or disability related behaviors, she should be taught more socially appropriate ways of handling anxiety or disagreement. The school should conduct a functional behavioral assessment to determine why she hits and work to teach the skills she is missing. Behavior is communication. Clearly transitions are hard. What are they doing to help ease them? Sorry for the sideways rant!
My 6yo had a lot of similar issues in kindergarten; I couldn't believe they would suspend a 5yo.
With the help of a behaviorist and an extra aide, they put him on a rigorous positive behavior plan, which helped a lot.
At the start of fit grade this year, we finally got him on a 504 plan after getting his ADHD diagnosis, so that he won't be suspended for behaviors stemming from his disability.
What I feel has helped the most, though, is combining those things with guanfacine, which we started him on over the summer. It gives him just enough pause time that he can think about what you are saying to him. The insulting language has stopped completely and the unsafe body is drastically reduced. It's made such a difference that they are considering taking him off the behavior plan this year.
We did have a psychologist who tested him for autism (he doesn't have it) recommend ABA therapy, but the psychology department said it wouldn't work well for him since it's very scripted.
I haven't seen CBT offered near me.
thats exactly what I thought, when I saw my little one get suspended. Like she is only 5. She is doing better than kindergarten though, her behavior team is going above and beyond. Now in first grade, the principal told me she hand selected which class with the teacher my little one will be with. And to be honest it did wonders, she loves her teacher. But during whenever she is not with her teacher like during art, or PE, and music. Those classes has been hands on again. She been suspended once, and written up 3 or 4 times so far. Transitions is hard for my little one. When she was Kindergarten last year my little one was almost every other day was being written up and almost every week suspended (at least once a week). I had to leave work to take her home, cause it was tantrums, screaming, throwing chairs, desk items and hands on. Etc.
this year thank fully so far, has not been that extreme. Hiccups here and there, but I think her school team has been trying to help her so much. Her 504 plan is being put into effect as we speak.
is guafacine a medication? I'm trying to avoid meds at all cost, unless it's desperately needed. I rather have her talk with someone, not knocking meds, I just prefer having her work with someone.
yes my little is not on the autism spectrum as well. ADHD and ruling out ODD. But I highly see her having traits of ODD as well.
can you please elaborate when you say aba is very scripted? Thank you, for your insight. I highly appreciate it.
I'm not an expert on it, but I believe it drills in very scripted responses for specific social situations. Like, "when you walk in your classroom in the morning, look at your teacher and say 'good morning'". Now, is that how my child would start his day? No, he'd go barreling in, jump on someone, and excitedly tell them about whatever was in his hand. But he doesn't need the script; he needs control of his physical impulses.
From my limited understanding, CBT is a lot more like the positive behavior plan he's on at school. List clear goals and check in very frequently to reward him for meeting those goals. But, he still needed an aide to basically be his 1:1 last year to constantly remind him of the goals and expectations because his brain would only think about them AFTER the fact.
We also have him in OT for sensory processing deficits. He seeks a lot of physical input to acquire the dopamine that his body isn't producing on its own.
Guanfacine is a non-stimulant medication that our psychiatrist said worked better at curbing physical impulses. I was hesitant to medicate, but the more I learned, the more I realized it's what he needed. If he were diabetic because his body couldn't produce enough insulin, I wouldn't hesitate to give him insulin. But he has ADHD because his body doesn't produce enough dopamine, and it's keeping him from reaching his potential. He is so much happier now; he's not being treated like an outcast, he can participate in class all day instead of being sent home after every transition, Mommy and Daddy are calmer and happier because we're not walking on eggshells all day, Little Brother is no longer afraid to go near him, he was actually invited to some birthday parties this year, etc. Medication is a personal choice for each family, but I don't regret our decision.
thank you so much for your honesty, your son sounds so much like my little one. I will look into the guafacine, and do my research on it. I have an aba therapy scheduled for her, but I rather CBT, but my little ones insurance doesn't have any in their network, and it's rather expensive to pay for.
Hi
My understanding is that CBT is not recommended for young children to manage ADHD (if she has this diagnosis). Positive parenting such as Triple P also mentioned here may be helpful if you do not have a diagnosis.
Guidelines for ADHD recommend parent training. There are some available online if you can't find in person.
This sort of story is so common and I feel for you and especially your little girl. She is doing the best she can but doesnt have the brain maturity or skills to meet adult expectations. Does the school have any plan to proactively help her?
Good luck. She is lucky to have a mum who is seeking help for her.
Figuring out which medication works
5 Year Old Boy With ADHD
504 vs IEP 
Medication victory ❤️
