Stronger Together: How Physical Therapy & ABA Collaborate for Growth
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is complex, impacting much more than communication and behavior. Many children with autism also face challenges in motor development, coordination, motor planning, and balance. Some families even notice motor delays in their toddlers before observing the core signs of autism. Physical therapy helps these children build essential motor skills that enable them to live fulfilling lives.
While motor challenges aren’t in the diagnostic criteria for autism, they are a common co-occurrence, and addressing them alongside behavioral, communication, and social skills can be the key to helping children reach their full potential. Applied behavior analysis (ABA) and physical therapy (PT) target different areas of development, but when combined in a collaborative, multidisciplinary approach, they complement one another beautifully.
Two Therapies, One Goal
Pediatric physical therapists and ABA clinicians share a common goal of helping children with autism and other neurodevelopmental differences develop the skills needed to meaningfully participate in everyday life. Each discipline brings different expertise: physical therapists focus on movement, coordination, strength, and motor planning, while ABA therapists focus on communication, social skills, daily living skills, and behavior management. Despite the differences in expertise, these therapy teams can work together to help their shared learners reach their fullest potential.
The Role of ABA Therapy for Children With Autism
ABA therapy is based on the science of learning and behavior. While not every child with autism necessarily needs ABA, it is often recommended due to its extensive research demonstrating its effectiveness. The ultimate goal of ABA is to teach and reinforce socially significant skills while reducing behaviors that interfere with a child’s ability to learn and grow.
ABA therapy can address a wide range of skill domains, including:
- Communication
- Social skills
- Play and leisure skills
- Self-care and adaptive living skills
- Pre-academic readiness
- Emotional regulation
- Behavior challenges
- Safety awareness
- Community skill
- Vocational skills
ABA is often intensive, with children receiving 10-40 hours of therapy per week. Sessions are typically led by registered behavior technicians (RBTs) under the supervision of a board certified behavior analyst (BCBA).
The Role of Physical Therapy for Children With Autism
Physical therapy focuses on helping children with autism develop and improve their motor skills. Researchers have found motor challenges in 86.9% of children with autism, though only 31.6% receive physical therapy (Bhat, 2020), highlighting the potential that many children who could benefit from PT aren’t receiving it. Difficulties in balance, coordination, strength, and motor planning can impact meaningful participation in a child’s everyday activities, including at home, school, and in the community.
A PT can assess each child’s unique motor profile to design an individualized treatment plan. Areas physical therapy can address include:
- Gross and fine motor skill development
- Play skills
- Balance and motor coordination
- Body awareness
- Functional mobility
- Endurance and flexibility
- Core strength and posture
Aligning Therapies: How PT and ABA Work Together
ABA and PT can be highly complementary when they’re delivered in a coordinated model of care. In multidisciplinary clinics, like CompleatKidz, PTs and ABA providers work closely together to ensure alignment in their goals and interventions.
Here are a few ways physical and ABA therapists work hand-in-hand:
- Shared behavior intervention plan (BIP).
As experts in behavior, BCBAs analyze harmful or interfering behaviors and create an individualized BIP to address them. When a child also receives PT or other services, the BCBA can train those providers on the strategies in the plan. Consistency in responding and preventing target behaviors across people helps accelerate progress. Also, having behavioral supports during PT sessions can make them more productive by reducing behaviors that may otherwise limit the learner’s engagement.
- PT builds the physical readiness for learning. ABA therapists often target functional life skills, such as toileting and dressing. However, underlying physical barriers can impede progress. When this is the case, physical therapists help strengthen the child’s muscles, coordination, and balance, which are needed to perform those tasks, providing the foundation for skill development.
- Shared goal planning. PTs and behavior analysts collaborate to align their goals based on identified needs. By sharing insights, progress data, and strategies that have shown success, providers can ensure that goals and interventions complement one another and don’t interfere with progress.
The Importance of Multidisciplinary Care
Children with autism often have diverse needs that span developmental domains. When therapies are delivered in isolation, gaps in need emerge. For example, if a child only receives ABA therapy but experiences motor challenges, they may not be able to fully benefit from ABA due to physical barriers to participation.
When therapies are provided under a single roof in an interdisciplinary setting, children benefit from a more comprehensive approach. The alignment ensures that gains made in one therapy carry over to the others, and ultimately, where it matters most: in the child’s home and community. Multidisciplinary care supports holistic development, addressing the whole child, leading to better long-term outcomes and improved family satisfaction.
When to Try ABA and Physical Therapy
Everyone’s therapeutic journey is unique. Not every child with autism takes the same path. Your child may benefit from both ABA and PT if they:
- Have difficulty with balance, coordination, or overall body control
- Have low muscle tone
- Avoid physical activities
- Experience delays in meeting gross motor milestones
- Have a hard time with motor planning
- Struggle with attention and/or motivation
- Exhibit delays in communication and/or social skills
- Engage in behaviors that interfere with learning or quality of life
- Need help building independence in adaptive skills
We encourage you to discuss any concerns about your child’s development with their pediatrician.
Promoting Whole-Child Care
Children with autism thrive when therapies address the whole child. Individually, physical therapy and ABA offer tremendous evidence-based benefits. But when delivered in a multidisciplinary care approach, their impact is amplified.
CompleatKidz promotes whole-child care by offering four pediatric therapies under a single roof, empowering therapy teams to elevate outcomes through meaningful collaboration. If you’re exploring therapy options for your child, contact us today to discuss your needs and learn how our multidisciplinary approach can support their growth, independence, and confidence.
References
Bhat A. N. (2020). Is Motor Impairment in Autism Spectrum Disorder Distinct From Developmental Coordination Disorder? A Report From the SPARK Study. Physical therapy, 100(4), 633–644. https://doi.org/10.1093/ptj/pzz190
