Although ABA, or Applied Behavior Analysis, is an integral component of many behavior modification programs for individuals with unique learning needs, there is one competing approach that you deserve to know about – Floortime. Floortime is a method that, like ABA, can be used to increase positive behaviors and decrease harmful or distracting ones.
When comparing Floortime vs. ABA, you might ask yourself, “What’s the difference?” Fortunately, the two can be combined to be used in tandem – or you might find that one therapy is more effective for your child when used in isolation.
Either way, this article will walk you through the differences and familiarize you with a technique that combines the best of both Floortime and ABA.
What is ABA?
ABA is a therapy that is used to increase positive behaviors and to reduce those that might interfere with learning or be harmful. It can be used to help a child acquire social skills, language skills, or even improve academically. When provided early and often, there is lots of evidence to suggest that ABA can be extremely effective for individuals with autism spectrum disorder and other unique learning needs.
Elements of ABA are now incorporated into many different treatment approaches. It has its fair share of critics, however, with many people saying that ABA leads to robotic responses and that it fails to generalize skills so that they can be used outside of the therapy setting. This is part of the reason why another approach, Floortime, has been introduced as a way to improve behavioral response.
History
The very beginnings of applied behavior analysis can be traced back to studies in the 1950s that involved training the nurses and other staff at a psychiatric hospital on how to use a token economy. Later, the principles used in these studies were adapted by researchers and instructors at the University of Washington to be used specifically in the instruction of children with developmental disabilities as well as in other situations.
Later, the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis was launched as a way to study and continue to implement this therapy. Although it seems to be intrinsically linked to interventions for individuals with autism, ABA is also used in many other situations. It can be used in classrooms with typically developing students as well as in settings such as job performance, desensitization for phobias, applied animal behavior, behavioral medicine, and much more.
What is Floortime?
Floortime is similar to ABA in that it is a highly customized therapy meant to meet a child at his or her current developmental level. It challenges each learner to move up a “hierarchy of milestones.” These milestones or “stages” are as follows:
- Stage One: Regulation and Interest in the World (involves shared attention and inducing a state of calm and well-being)
- Stage Two: Engagement and Relating
- Stage Three: Two-way Intentional Communication
- Stage Four: Continuous Social Problem-Solving
- Stage Five: Symbolic Play
- Stage Six: Bridging Ideas
A typically-developing student will have mastered all of these stages by age four years, but as you likely already know to be the case, students with unique learning needs may have missed some of these stages or struggle with mastering them at their present level. The idea is that Floortime helps a child “move up the developmental ladder” by progressing through these stages.
Floortime starts with an initial assessment before moving onto an intervention and activities. It targets four areas – home, educational programs, therapies, and playdates for a holistic approach to skill development.
History
Floortime was developed by Dr. Stanley Greenspan and detailed in his 1979 book, Intelligence and Adaptation. Greenspan wanted to bring the best of ABA into practice while also helping to get the development of children with ASD and other learning needs back on track.
Floortime vs. ABA: What’s the Difference?
The primary difference between Floortime and ABA is that Floortime is inherently playful, tuning in to a child’s unique interests while incorporating behavioral modification techniques. At its core, Floortime has been praised as being more customized rather than taking the more formulaic approach of ABA (which some practitioners have accused of being “robotic” – the reality is that, when implemented correctly, ABA is anything but and can also be quite customized).
Floortime is significantly more focused on emotional connection and development than on behavior (which is the primary focus of ABA). It looks at the social and relational deficits of a child as the core issues that block students from producing desired behaviors (or vice versa).
Often referred to as DIR/Floortime, this approach is child-led, while ABA is therapist-led. As the name implies, Floortime often takes place on the actual floor, following a child’s lead and using whatever objects or toys interest the child. In sharing the pleasure or frustration and spending time with the child, it provides more opportunities for connection and is appropriate for inspiring a more social relationship.
Floortime and ABA are similar in that both are sometimes covered by insurance – but this varies. Floortime is frequently offered via Early Intervention services, too.
Floortime vs. ABA: When to Use
Floortime is an alternative to ABA but is often used in combination with ABA. The two can both be used to improve social and behavioral skills, but by far, Floortime is the best option for individuals who need to improve their emotional awareness and regulation.
Other than that, either Floortime or ABA can both be effective strategies. You may want to consider the environment in which either therapy is being used. For example, using Floortime is better if you’re looking for a more natural, loosely-structured therapy, while ABA is better for a formal setting. It might be easier to track progress with ABA, since it offers more concrete measures of success.
Floortime, on the other hand, is a more holistic approach that might be more useful when it’s applied across settings – say, for example, parents who wish to incorporate their own interventions at home.
Combining Floortime and ABA
As with anything in life, it might be most beneficial for parents and other stakeholders not to use ABA or Floortime in isolation (or as an “either or”) but instead, in combination.
There is one specific technique that you can use that draws upon the best of both worlds = it’s known as Pivotal Response Treatment.
Pivotal Response Training was developed by Drs. Robert and Lynn Koegel at the University of California. It recognizes that when you can improve a child’s ability in one area, the functioning in other areas will follow.
PRT employs the same principles of ABA but takes a more natural approach that you might find in Floortime. Like with Floortime, the combined PRT technique requires the adult in the relationship to take the child’s lead. However, as with ABA, it rewards the child for desirable behaviors. It encourages – but does not demand – the behavior. Learn more about PRT here.
Training
One of the primary differences between ABA and Floortime is in who provides these services.
Floortime is beneficial because it can be delivered by just about anyone, including a speech therapist, special education teacher, child psychologist, occupational therapist, or even a parent or other caregiver. It’s relatively easy to learn, with Floortime techniques taught in books, workshops, or even detailed on various websites.
ABA, on the other hand, generally requires that a therapist be extensively trained, often requiring certification. It is a highly qualified field of therapy, but of course, that doesn’t mean that parents and other caregivers can’t apply ABA techniques at home.
Which One is More Effective? The Research on Behavior Modification
While ABA and Floortime can both be effective ways to help improve a child’s behavioral responses, to date, there has been limited research on the efficacy of Floortime.
While behavioral treatments such as ABA are rated as “established,” Floortime has only received a rating of “emerging.” While there are some studies indicating its effectiveness, more research is needed to solidify this approach.
Of course, ABA offers a more intensive focus on observable behaviors – this is likely the reason why there have been more studies on its effectiveness. It’s easier to evaluate something that can be observed!
However, that’s not to say that Floortime is not a valid therapeutic technique. Both ABA and Floortime can offer significant gains in children, and it’s important to consider using both (or to use both in tandem!) as part of an intensive therapy program for a child with unique learning needs.
Further Reading
- Geraldine Dawson: Early behavioral intervention, brain plasticity, and the prevention of autism spectrum disorder
- Stanford Autism Center: Pivotal Response Treatment
- Rebecca C. Matheson: DIR Floortime Therapy
- Joshua D. Feder: Neurodiversity: Autism Spectrum and Other Disorders DIR/Floortime Approach in Early Intervention