Medically Reviewed By Sonam Kothari, Written By Tejasvi Parekh
One of the most important tools for supporting behavioural changes, especially in children, is Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) treatment, which is based on scientific principles.
It uses behavioural techniques to improve particular behaviours and is well known for its ability to promote behavioural improvements.
Conversely, Children with other developmental delays can benefit from floor time therapy, a relationship-based intervention that aims to foster social and emotional development.
Floortime strives to support children in achieving their full potential and forming deep relationships with others by participating in their play, taking their lead, and progressively introducing more sophisticated interactions.
Both therapies are advanced and helpful in navigating children and adults. Though both therapies are based on different principles and philosophies, they have much in common too.
This article helps in understanding ABA therapy and Floortime therapy, highlights the key similarities between them and navigates through the differences.
Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) is a systematic and evidence-based approach to understanding and improving human behaviour.
With its rigorous scientific methods, ABA has proven to be highly effective in modifying behaviours across all age ranges, from infants to adults.
The principles of ABA are grounded in empirical research and have been consistently validated through numerous experimental studies
Understanding the function of the behaviour is a crucial aspect of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). It involves determining whether a specific behaviour serves to escape or obtain something.
To effectively design intervention strategies, it is essential to have an understanding of the underlying purpose behind the behaviour. With this knowledge, educators can implement targeted treatments to modify or eliminate the behaviour, leading to positive outcomes for individuals.
Thus, behaviour function plays a role in achieving successful results in ABA practices.
The rigorous and individualised approach to ABA treatment is what sets it apart. To change behaviour, educators and other professionals can create comprehensive plans that link antecedents (events that precede the behaviour), consequences (events that follow the behaviour), and behaviour itself.
Every kid is valued as an individual with particular learning preferences, difficulties, and talents.
In addition to its main objective of changing behaviour, ABA treatment improves children's and families' general quality of life.
ABA treatment promotes more independence, deeper relationships, and a higher feeling of well-being in children by teaching them critical social, communication, and self-regulation skills.
A relationship-based solution for kids with developmental impairments is called floor time therapy.
The idea of interacting with the kid on the floor and meeting them where they are in their developmental stage is where the treatment gets its name.
Floor time differs from Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) in that it emphasises social and emotional development over the focus on certain skills or behaviours.
The fundamental tenet of Floortime is that parents and therapists may assist children in expanding their "circles of communication" by playing alongside them and following their lead.
Promote deeper interactions and relationships, this entails fostering the child's interests and building on their abilities.
Six major developmental stages are targeted by floor time: self-regulation and interest, closeness or interpersonal involvement, two-way communication, complex communication, emotional concepts, and emotional reasoning.
The practice of "opening and closing circles of communication" is how therapists collaborate with parents to help their kids engage in more complicated conversations.
Floortime blends verbal and cognitive skills with an emphasis on emotional development, as opposed to isolating them as in some other therapies.
Playing back and forth and solving puzzles helps kids stay focused, improve their social skills, and cultivate their capacity for abstract thought.
For instance, when a youngster is playing with a toy truck, a parent or therapist can join them in enjoying floor time.
The therapist encourages the kid to respond and participate in increasingly complicated interactions by mirroring the child's behaviours and introducing additional aspects, such as introducing new toys or language into the game.
Two popular strategies for autism therapies include floor time therapy and Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA). While they both seek to assist people with autism, their approaches, areas of concentration, and real-world applications differ greatly.
This article explores the salient distinctions between these two therapy modalities, emphasising each one's special advantages and disadvantages.
Their main areas of difference between floor time treatment and ABA are fundamental. Applied behaviour analysis, or ABA, treatment is essentially behaviour-focused.
It focuses on certain behaviours, trying to eliminate distracting or harmful behaviours while increasing beneficial ones.
The highly organised, therapist-led method uses strategies like positive reinforcement to mould behaviour and promote the development of new skills.
The American Psychological Association supports ABA treatment as an evidence-based technique, and a large body of research has demonstrated its efficacy, especially when given early and often.
Dr. Stanley Greenspan created floor time therapy in 1979, which, in contrast, places a strong emphasis on emotional growth and connection.
This method, sometimes referred DIR/floor time (Developmental, Individual-difference, Relationship-based), sees social and relational impairments as the main problems preventing a child from displaying desired behaviours.
Floor time is guided by the kid, utilising their interests to stimulate conversation and emotional connection.
Therapy frequently occurs on the floor, where the kid leads and the therapist or parent follows suit, encouraging emotional awareness, control, and the growth of social and communication skills.
A significant distinction between floor time and ABA is the level of engagement directed by the kid rather than the therapist.
ABA treatment is usually organised into daily sessions that are focused on a particular skill and are conducted by a therapist.
An ABA session may, for instance, focus on teaching everyday life skills and breaking them down into smaller, more manageable steps.
The accomplishment of precisely specified behavioural goals and accurate tracking of progress is made possible by this methodical approach.
Conversely, floor time is more adaptable and kid-led by design. The therapist or parent does not focus just on verbal, motor, or cognitive abilities during a floor time session.
Instead, an emphasis on relationship connection and emotional development is used in these areas.
By playing games that the kid starts, the therapist creates a more relaxed and pleasurable learning atmosphere.
With this method, a child will have more opportunities to use social skills in an engaging and supportive environment while developing a stronger emotional bond.
Although both floor time and ABA might seem like play-based therapy to a child, play plays a very different role in both programs.
In ABA, the therapist frequently directs play activities to impart particular abilities. The acquisition of desired behaviours is the ultimate aim, and play is a tool to get there.
The main therapeutic tool in floor time is played. Following the child's lead and interests, the therapist or parent engages in the same activities as the child.
This approach promotes emotional connection and impromptu communication, which helps the therapy process feel more like a normal part of the child's everyday life.
During play, the therapist can establish a deeper emotional bond by experiencing the child's joy or frustration alongside them.
Floortime and ABA can be used in various contexts, such as a clinic or a person's home. However, each therapy's unique characteristics affect where it could work best.
Because of its methodical and quantifiable approach, ABA works best in formal environments where progress can be monitored closely.
This kind of organisation can be very helpful in learning settings or speciality therapeutic facilities.
Because Floortime is so all-encompassing and adaptable, it works best in various contexts, including the household.
Playtime, mealtimes, and bedtime rituals are just daily activities that parents may integrate into floor time strategies. The integration facilitates ongoing interaction and the growth of the child's social networks within an organic setting.
One important difference between floor time and ABA is the quantity and calibre of research that backs each strategy.
A large amount of research has shown that ABA is a successful therapy for autism, and it is regarded as an evidence-based best practice.
With this evidence-based classification, ABA treatments are supported by research and customised by skilled therapists to match the requirements of each client.
Although Floortime has received a lot of praise for its child-centred and emotionally supportive methodology, it still lacks the high calibre of research evidence necessary to be classified as an evidence-based treatment.
Further, additional high-quality studies must be conducted to fully establish the effectiveness of the floor time model.
Despite this, floor time has proven to be beneficial for many professionals and parents, especially when it comes to enhancing social skills and emotional awareness.
Some practitioners argue that integrating components of both systems can better address the requirements of persons with autism, given the distinct strengths of both ABA and floor time.
One such hybrid approach is Pivotal Response Training (PRT), which combines ABA concepts with a more naturalistic methodology akin to floor time.
By taking the child's lead and letting their interests direct the therapy, PRT focuses on strengthening general functioning while improving particular talents.
With Floor Time's child-led, emotionally supportive approach, and ABA's structured, behaviour-focused approach, this method aims to strike a compromise.
To help children, floor time and ABA have real-world applications that may be incorporated into daily living. ABA methods may be used all day to establish reliable routines that support kids in learning and practising new abilities.
Structured interventions can be implemented in several contexts, such as the family, the classroom, or via specialised ABA treatment facilities.
As a relationship-based approach, floor time therapy entails parents and other caretakers actively interacting with the kids at their developmental stage.
Through routine activities, this method seeks to build on the child's strengths and expand their communication circles.
Parents and other caretakers may continually engage a kid in more complicated interactions, promoting social and emotional development, by establishing a supportive and participatory environment.
Determining which kind of intervention is best requires understanding the distinctions between ABA and floor time treatment.
Floor time offers a flexible, child-led approach that emphasises social and emotional development, whereas ABA offers an organised, evidence-based approach that focuses on behaviour management.
Both strategies have advantages and can work well for certain people in certain situations.
