After seven weeks in the child mental health unit at the IWK Health Centre in Halifax, Carly and John Sutherland?s nine-year-old son, Callum, was returning home, and his parents were terrified. Their wounds from his violent outbursts?bites and scratches up and down their arms?had mostly healed but his behaviour hadn?t changed, and the Sutherlands didn?t know how they were going to keep themselves and their younger son, Henry, physically safe.
Six months prior, Callum, who is profoundly affected by autism, had started losing his limited communication skills and lashing out in frustration. When his outbursts became so extreme that the Sutherlands and the staff at his school feared for their safety, Callum was admitted to the hospital. But he couldn?t stay there forever. Carly took a leave from her job as a special education teacher and scrambled to assemble a team of specialists to support Callum at home.
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A new way to help kids with autism manage their emotions
One of the key members of Callum?s team was a board-certified behaviour analyst (BCBA), who drew up a plan using applied behaviour analysis (ABA), the most prevalent therapy for children with autism in Canada.
ABA uses strategies intended to decrease problematic behaviours and increase go...