Unlocking Potential – ABA Intervention for ADHD

Sophie (name changed to protect privacy) is a wonderfully observant, musically gifted, and deeply affectionate six-year-old girl. She possesses a phenomenal memory for musical pitch and loves exploring the mechanics of physical movement. However, Sophie’s neurological profile meant that she experienced the sensory world in extremes, making standard classroom and home environments highly overwhelming.

Sophie was presenting with severe, seemingly contradictory behaviour issues. On one hand, she exhibited intense sensory-seeking behaviours; she would frequently crash her body into walls, throw herself onto the floor, or impulsively tackle her peers and parents without warning. On the other hand, she suffered from extreme sensory avoidance, particularly regarding auditory input. The sound of a school bell, a vacuum cleaner, or multiple peers talking at once would trigger immediate, severe meltdowns characterized by screaming, covering her ears, and bolting from the room. Her parents were exhausted from constantly trying to guess which "version" of Sophie they were dealing with on any given day. Recognizing that generic, one-size-fits-all discipline was entirely ineffective, they reached out to the multidisciplinary experts at daar for highly customized support.

The Challenge

Without a targeted support system that recognized her unique sensory and communicative needs, Sophie’s environments were in a state of constant disruption:

• At School: Sophie’s dual sensory needs made mainstream classroom participation nearly impossible. Her unprompted tackling and crashing alienated her peers, who found her physical play too aggressive and unpredictable. Yet, during music class or school assemblies, the noise triggered violent panic attacks and absconding (fleeing the room). Her teacher felt entirely overwhelmed, unable to safely manage an environment that triggered Sophie in both directions.
• At Home: Her family was living on a knife's edge. Trying to transition Sophie from playtime to the dinner table triggered sensory meltdowns that lasted for hours. Her parents could not vacuum the house, have the television on, or invite guests over without sparking a crisis. The family was socially isolated, and the exhaustion of managing her unpredictable energy levels had left her parents in a state of severe caregiver burnout.

Sophie needed an expert approach that treated her as an individual, blending sensory regulation with functional communication to unlock her true potential.

daar Therapy Approach

The clinicians at daar understand that in the realm of Autism, there is no single instruction manual. Effective behaviour therapy for children must be meticulously tailored to the individual child's unique neurological blueprint. We designed a holistic, customized intervention focused on proactive regulation and communication.

Our multi-layered strategy included:

• Individualized Functional Behaviour Assessment (FBA): The core of our intervention relied on pinpointing exactly when and why Sophie’s engine was becoming deregulated. The FBA confirmed that her physical aggression was purely sensory-seeking (a need for deep pressure), while her elopement was purely escape-maintained due to auditory pain.
• Tailored Positive Behaviour Support (PBS): Using the FBA data, we crafted a hyper-specific positive behaviour support plan known as a "Sensory Diet." We collaborated with her school to implement proactive sensory breaks. Instead of waiting for Sophie to tackle a peer, her teacher was trained to provide structured deep-pressure activities (like pushing heavy boxes or wearing a weighted vest) every 45 minutes to safely satiate her proprioceptive needs. For her auditory defensiveness, we introduced noise-canceling headphones specifically designated for transitions and noisy school environments.
• Language Acquisition via Speech Therapy: To help Sophie bridge her receptive language delay and advocate for her own sensory needs, a daar speech pathologist introduced specialized speech therapy. We taught Sophie functional, interoceptive scripts. Using visual communication cards, she was trained to point and say, "My body needs a squeeze," or "My ears are hurting," effectively replacing her need to tackle or scream.
• Safe Peer Play via Socialised Behaviour Therapy: To repair her social standing, we implemented targeted socialised behaviour therapy. A behaviour practitioner worked within the school environment to facilitate structured, high-energy games with her peers. We taught Sophie how to ask for "rough and tumble" play safely, and we guided her classmates on how to interact with her predictably, fostering inclusion without compromising safety.

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Results & Progress

By replacing generic discipline with a sensory-informed, deeply customized intervention, the clinical team at daar helped Sophie find balance. When her physiological needs were met proactively, the need for extreme, challenging behaviours drastically subsided.

Within four months, the family dynamic transformed. Providing Sophie with deep joint pressure at home safely eliminated her need to crash into the furniture. The introduction of noise-canceling headphones allowed her parents to successfully take her grocery shopping and run the vacuum cleaner without triggering a panic attack.

At school, the tailored "Sensory Diet" completely changed her academic profile. Because she was routinely receiving the physical input her body required, she stopped tackling her classmates. Utilizing her new communication cards, she learned to successfully ask her teacher for a quiet break before the classroom noise became unbearable. She was able to remain safely in her classroom, learn alongside her peers, and finally begin forming meaningful friendships.

80%

Reduction in anxiety-driven task avoidance. 

85%

Task Initiation (Classroom / Home) 

10mins

Highly improved focus using ABA token economy strategies.