A leading researcher and clinician in the treatment of autism is Ivar Lovaas, who claimed that the use of ABA (applied behavior analysis) with children diagnosed with autism led to increased language and intellectual skills.
Full Answer
What did Ivar Lovaas do for autism?
Ivar Lovaas. A pioneer of Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) and devoting his life to help children with Autism and their families, Dr. Lovaas changed the way a family with Autism sees the world. Lovaas ABA is supported by more than 50 years of research and today is used by the Lovaas Center. read more.
What is the Lovaas method of autism treatment?
Autism and autism treatment are scary words for new parents. The “Lovaas method” which incorporates Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) has over 50-years of rigorous research proving effectiveness.
Who is Ivar Lovaas ABA?
Ivar Lovaas A pioneer of Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) and devoting his life to help children with Autism and their families, Dr. Lovaas changed the way a family with Autism sees the world. Lovaas ABA is supported by more than 50 years of research and today is used by the Lovaas Center.
When did Lovaas first meet children with autism?
When Lovaas arrived at UCLA in 1961, he wanted to conduct an experiment on language learning and needed children old enough to speak who did not. He was referred to the university’s Neuropsychiatric Institute, where he first encountered children with autism. “As if in a dream, I had found the ideal persons to study,” he remembered.
How did Lovaas' behaviorist approach lead him to believe that severely disabled children learned just as normal children did?
The implication was that desirable behaviors could be elicited in children who did not display them—by offering cookies or praise when kids performed as desired—while undesirable behaviors could be eliminated or reduced—either by withdrawing positive reinforcement or by scolding, spanking, or taking other punitive steps. His behaviorist orientation led Lovaas to believe that severely disabled children learned just as normal children did. He even speculated that labeling them autistic might be a factor in eliciting the behavior it meant merely to describe.
Who is Ivar Lovaas?
Norwegian-born Ivar Lovaas immigrated to the United States as a young adult in 1950. As a teenager, he witnessed the German occupation of Norway and wondered whether such destructive behavior originated in nature or nurture, a question he later identified as the source of his interest in psychology. He completed his PhD at the University of Washington in 1958 and held a postdoctoral position there in the Institute for Child Development. Lovaas spent his entire professional career after that at UCLA and was a founder of the Autism Society of America in 1965. His dedication to severely affected children who were considered hopeless and untreatable earned him admiration even as his research attracted criticism. The “Lovaas method” was an important foundation for Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA), now the leading paradigm in early intervention for children with autism.
How did Lovaas use aversives?
The experimental data persuaded Lovaas that aversives could alter negative behaviors quickly , and that was very compelling in cases of children whose destructive behaviors were directed against themselves. “Isolation or electric shock may seem harsh, but these are ‘acts of affection’ for children who have spent large parts of their lives hurting themselves.” Parents gave Lovaas permission to use negative reinforcement and became some of his strongest supporters, especially when his work made a discernable difference in the quality of their children’s lives. Everyone understood that this approach was a last resort, to be used sparingly and only after positive reinforcement had failed.
What was the most satisfactory technology that Lovaas used?
The most satisfactory technology was a hand-held instrument called the hot-shot. It was applied quickly to a child’s leg, delivering a painful, one-second shock.
What did Lovaas do?
The work Lovaas did created ethical dilemmas for clinicians, teachers, and parents. If punishment worked, why not use it with all autistic children? Could parents who found Lovaas’ approach intolerable conscientiously restrict themselves to positive reinforcement, knowing that children’s harmful behaviors might well persist, requiring additional restraints and restrictions? These disturbing questions made Lovaas a lightning rod for controversy. A 1965 profile in Life generated passionate defenders as well as horrified detractors.
What did Lovaas do for children?
If non-verbal children weren’t challenging enough, Lovaas also worked with children whose self-harming behavior was extreme . They tore out hair and nails, bit themselves to the point that fingers had to amputated, and banged their heads so violently that their scalps were covered by scar tissue.
What did Lovaas do when he saw her bang her head?
The first time Lovaas saw her bang her head against the sharp corner of a steel cabinet, he “reached over and gave her a whack on her behind with my hand.”. Lovaas acted spontaneously, without thinking, and felt “intense fear and guilt as to what I had done.”.
What did Lovaas do to the institution?
Lovaas subsequently introduced behavior modification to institutions for individuals engaging in severe forms of self-injury. The self-injury was severe enough to cause premature death and a significant decrease in the quality of life.
Who was the first person to use Freudian approaches to self injury?
Ivar Lovaas. 1950s. Dr. Lovaas began his work in institutional settings where treatments using Freudian approaches were used. Individuals engaging in self-injury were often hugged and given love, as it was theorized they were acting out towards their parent’s that did not, or were not, capable of loving them.
How is self injury acquired?
As self-injury was acquired via positive social attention, and reduced when removed, attention, first behavior function, was identified . While the use of electric shock on individuals with intellectual delays issues may seem inhumane or archaic, its effectiveness in changing behavior could not be disputed.
Which did better, children who were in therapy or who were in therapy for only a short time?
Duration: the children who were in therapy longer did better than those who were in therapy for only a short time .
Who is Erik Lovaas' father?
Dr. O. Ivar Lovaas, father to Erik Lovaas, founder of The Lovaas Center. “I would like to be remembered in the tradition of other empiricists and educators who put a good deal of faith in the power of the environment to shape human behavior. I’d like to be remembered as one who worked to free those whose minds enslaved them…and as ...
Who is the author of the refrigerator parent theory?
Leo Kanner described parents of autistic children as “happening to defrost enough to produce a child,” hence the term, “refrigerator parent.”. Bruno Bettelheim promoted the use of the “refrigerator mother” theory of autism.
Is hugs and love a result of self injury?
Treatment consisted of no longer providing hugs and love as patients engage d in self-injury (i.e., extinction), instead, love and hugs were given at times patients were not engaging in self-injury, or applying punishment (i.e., electric shock) upon occurrences. The results of the data indicated, on most occasions, self-injury was a result of prior learning, not traumatic childhood events, and could be modified by altering the contingencies following their occurrence. As self-injury was acquired via positive social attention, and reduced when removed, attention, first behavior function, was identified.
Who is Ivar Lovaas?
Ivar Lovaas. A pioneer of Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) and devo ting his life to help children with Autism and their families, Dr. Lovaas changed the way a family with Autism sees the world. Lovaas ABA is supported by more than 50 years of research and today is used by the Lovaas Center. Read More.
What is the Lovaas method?
The “Lovaas method” which incorporates Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) has over 50-years of rigorous research proving effectiveness . According to a report published by the U.S. Surgeon General in 1999, “Thirty years of research demonstrated the efficacy of applied behavioral methods in reducing inappropriate behavior and in increasing ...
How many children with autism were treated with behavior therapy?
A well-designed study of a psycho-social intervention was carried out by Lovaas and colleagues. Nineteen children with autism were treated intensively with behavior therapy for two years and compared with two control groups.
What does ABA stand for in autism?
ABA stands for Applied Behavioral Analysis . ABA is often confused as a treatment, however it is a set of principles or laws that are used to increase, maintain or decrease behavior. Treatments in adherence with the principles of ABA are used widely across the world due to its effectiveness in persons who are diagnosed with Autism.
How many staff does the Lovaas Center have?
Through word of mouth, The Lovaas Center has grown to over 100 professional and highly specialized staff, serving families nationally and abroad. Hear from the parents of the children we work with about their journey and the effectiveness of the Lovaas method.
Are Other Treatments Effective?
There are many different types of treatments using ABA, the Lovaas Center uses Discrete Trial Teaching (DTT) in adherence with the Lovaas Model. Other models include the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM), Pivotal Response Treatment and Verbal Behavior. A controlled study comparing the outcomes of DTT vs. ESDM is reported to be published April 2019.
What did Ivar Lovaas do for autism?
Ivar Lovaas (1927-2010) devoted nearly half a century to ground-breaking research and practice aimed at improving the lives of children with autism and their families. In the 1960s, he pioneered applied behavior analytic (ABA) interventions to decrease severe challenging behaviors and establish communicative language. Later, he sought to improve outcomes by emphasizing early intervention for preschoolers with autism, provided in family homes with active parental participation. His studies indicated that many children who received early intensive ABA made dramatic gains in development. Lovaas also disseminated ABA widely through intervention manuals, educational films, and public speaking. Moreover, as an enthusiastic teacher and devoted mentor, he inspired many students and colleagues to enter the field of ABA and autism intervention.
What is ABA intervention?
For over 50 years, intervention methods informed by the principles of applied behavior analysis (ABA) have been empirically researched and clinically implemented for autistics/individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Despite the plethora of evidence for the effectiveness of ABA-based interventions, some autism rights and neurodiversity activists have expressed concerns with ABA-based interventions. Concerns have included discontent with historical events and possible harm from the procedures and goals targeted. The purpose of this manuscript is to examine some expressed concerns about ABA-based intervention and suggest productive ways of moving forward to provide the best outcomes for autistics/individuals diagnosed with ASD. The authors represent stakeholders from multiple sectors including board certified behavior analysts, licensed psychologists, parents, and autistics/individuals diagnosed with ASD.
How old was Lovaas when he died?
remainder of his career. Lovaas died at the age of 83 on
What is behavioral analysis?
ABA can be defined as a systematic approach to understanding behavior of social interest. For the past 40 plus years, researchers have evaluated ABA and ABA based procedures (e.g., behavioral intervention) as they relate to individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and have implemented behavioral intervention in clinical settings for individuals diagnosed with ASD. In this paper, we discuss some of the pivotal contributions in the field of ABA in research and clinical practice. Additionally, we provide recommendations for the science and clinical practice of behavioral intervention in the next 40 years.
What are the social deficits of autism?
Social deficit theories of autism generally conceptualise a deficit in understanding of others or motivation to relate to others as its primary cause. Harms of the medical model heightened by these theories include dehumanisation that denies basic respect and dignity, pathologisation of neutral and positive differences, reductionism to a social disorder despite complex traits and sensorimotor underpinnings, and essentialism despite autism's fluid boundaries. Proposed solutions include a more holistic and socially embedded classification system that recognises strengths and functional differences, more inclusion of autistic people in research and society, and practical strategies to help autistic and non-autistic people understand one another.
When did autism start in homes?
autism in their homes in the 1970s and 1980s. The rapid
When did the psychologists pioneer applied behavior?
their families. In the 1960s, he pioneered applied behavior
What is Lovaas' class?
At UCLA, Lovaas’ class, Psychology 170 A: Behavior Modification, was among the most popular undergraduate courses. In a booming voice, he entertained students with stories of Norway and played the song “Dust in the Wind” to introduce a lesson on human malleability.
Who is Alan Zarembo?
Alan Zarembo is an assistant foreign editor for the Los Angeles Times.