BTL Thinking “Outside the Box”

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Hi BTL Fam!

Do you ever get curious as to how BTL keeps programs fresh, interesting, and most importantly, FUN!? Everyone on Team BTL is committed to thinking outside the box. We are constantly thinking of new and exciting ways we can probe targets.

Let’s face it, we ALL would get bored if we were expected to sit at a table and work for long periods of time. Hence, our BTL model goes beyond “table work” by keeping programs interactive and “out of the box” for our patients! We aim to make ABA sessions exciting for everyone, so we asked our BTL consultants what their favorite “out of the box” programs are. It looks like our box of tricks opened up and let some of our favorites out!

 

Scavenger Hunts 

Scavenger Hunts can be a fun way to work on Listener Responding skills. We may ask a kiddo to find something they wear and is yellow (i.e. a yellow shirt), or have them get something that is used for cooking and is small (possibly a can opener or small whisk). Scavenger Hunts make simple questions turn into a fun game!

Hide and Seek 

Kellie, our Patient Intake and Integrity Consultant, likes to work on Visual Perception and Matching skills by hiding things around the house or room and having her kiddos match an item. For example, she may draw something on a sticky note and have the kiddo match it to something around the house!

Cooking Shows

Many of our programs include working with teenagers and young adults. Within these programs, we often work on giving directions, increasing independence, and functional living skills. All of these areas can be targeted with a fun cooking show! Our Treatment Consultant, Emily, likes to use her iPad to record a “cooking show” her patients can watch back or share with their families!  She has her patients walk her through a recipe they picked out and make it for everyone to see. Her patients practice giving directions as well as increasing their own independence in the kitchen. Not to mention, eating a yummy treat afterwards!

Simon Says

What better way is there to work on listener responding skills with a classic game most of us grew up playing!? Incorporating a fun game of Simon Says not only targets listening skills, but also allows our Chief Analyst, Ashley, to target peer imitation, teaching body parts, and conditional discrimination!

Our Team also likes to use the following as “out of the box” program ideas! 

  • Stringing Beads on pipe cleaner/ribbons: Fine motor skills and 1:1 correspondence
  • Obstacle Course: Following directions, fine and gross motor skills, latency, etc.
  • Play-dough: Patterns, 1:1 correspondence, fine motor skills, letter recognition, etc.
  • Guess Who Game: Labeling and receptively identifying pronouns, features, and adjectives
  • Twister Game: Identifying left vs. right, body parts, responding to multiple directions
  • Stamps: Patterns, letter recognition, identifying colors, etc.
  • Magnet Letters: Differentiating lowercase/uppercase letters, reading simple words, answering “Wh” questions, etc.
  • Rainbow Words: Practicing writing skills, patterns, etc.
  • Guess the Letter: Trace a letter with a finger on your back or hand and guess the letter

Team BTL works hard every day to ensure all of the kiddos we serve are having meaningful fun during their time with us! Mixing and varying the way we target different skills not only makes the session more interesting but also allows us to intertwine generalization skills into each program. Be sure to ask your team how they are making things fun for your child and see what new ideas they are coming up with!!

Written By:

Heidi Mann, BCBA, Outreach Consultant