Move One Session to a Front Step: A Halloween Idea for ABA Teams

ABA clinics looking for a seasonal community-based session have a ready template. Autism Spectrum News published a Halloween plan from Meaghan Timko, MS, BCBA, advisor on behavior analysis at Special Needs Care Network. Disclosure: this blog belongs to Special Needs Care Network.

Source: Practice Before the Night: A Halloween Plan for Families of Children with Autism and Sensory Differences.

The session idea

Timko recommends moving one therapy or school session onto a real front step during the week before Halloween. The behaviors families worry about, like bolting or shutting down, rarely show up in a clinic room.

Targets a team can run on a doorstep

Target	From the article
Door sequence	Walk up, knock, wait, take one candy, step back, leave
Masked adult	Family member answers wearing a mask or hat
Door that never opens	Count to ten, turn, move on
Stop signal	Word, hand squeeze, or card, taught while calm
Non-vocal participation	Held-out bag, printed card, or speech device

Parent training angle

The article stresses that parents run the practice at home. Timko says results do not generalize without the family on the treatment team, which makes Halloween a natural caregiver-training week.

Read the full plan on Autism Spectrum News. Special Needs Care Network matches families with special needs care providers in the United States at specialneedsusa.com.