Stories of Progress

When this family first came to Aviation ABA, their son was not yet using language to connect with the world around him. He had no reliable way to tell his family what he needed, or to share what he noticed. Our team introduced an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) device and began the careful work of pairing words with meaning.

Through consistent, individualized instruction, he learned to navigate the device. He now uses one and two word combinations to request items and to label the people and objects in his world, including the family members he loves.

After six months, his parents shared something they never expected to see. Their son had begun to understand the meaning of language in a deeper way, producing certain sounds on his own to pair with specific actions. He was babbling vocally and showing a genuine, growing interest in language, an interest they had never witnessed before.

This learner once experienced tantrums so intense that they included property destruction and self-injurious behavior. His safety, and his ability to access his learning environment, were seriously affected. The situation reached a point where his family had to withdraw him from school entirely.

Through ABA, our team focused on building the communication and waiting skills that give a child other ways to have their needs met. Over time, the frequency and intensity of his tantrums decreased dramatically, and those stronger skills supported the drop in interfering behaviors.

The change has been significant enough that his family now feels confident sending him back to school for half days. There he can experience the benefits of the classroom, followed by ABA in the second half of the day to keep building on his remarkable progress.

This learner struggled with emotional outbursts and often pushed back against completing everyday routines. Our team put reinforcement systems in place and worked closely with the parents, teaching reinforcement strategies they could carry into daily life at home.

The result was a meaningful shift. After the strategies were in place, the learner completed the routine tasks that had previously been a source of conflict. Just as importantly, the parents began to notice how their own responses shaped their child’s behavior, a realization that continues to strengthen the whole family’s daily rhythm.

For this family, grocery shopping had become something to dread. Their son bolted every time, which made outings unsafe and turned a simple errand into a battle. Taking him along felt like more than they could manage on their own.

Our direct technician joined the family on real outings, working right alongside them while they shopped. Together they practiced safety instructions and prompting strategies, paired with parent education designed to support future trips without therapy staff present.

Recently, the parents took their son to the store on their own. They noticed his elopement was far less frequent, and when he did begin to bolt, he responded much more readily to safety directions. They also shared that they felt more confident as parents, because of what they learned in ABA about setting and holding contingencies with their child.