Understanding the various techniques and methodologies used in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy can be daunting for parents new to the process. In this blog post we’ll break down some essential ABA terms and practices, providing clarity on how they can support your child’s growth and development.
Naturalist Interventions
Naturalistic interventions involve teaching skills within a learner’s typical day to day activities. For example, practicing following instructions while getting dressed in the morning and learning colors while playing Lego ™. Naturalistic interventions are often “child-led” in that therapists will create opportunities to teach skills within the learner’s favorite activities.
Discrete Trial Training
Discrete trial training is a structured teaching method where skills are broken down into small components and learners are presented with new skills highly systematically. Positive reinforcement and prompting are used to help promote success.
Fluency
Fluency is the ability to perform a skill often and quickly enough that it is useful in a variety of environments. For example, Laura can write her name but it takes her twenty minutes. It is great that she can write her name, but it is a problem that it takes her so long. Her BCBA will want to work on Laura’s fluency so that she can write her name more quickly and use this skill effectively outside of therapy sessions.
Manding
Manding is the term ABA therapists use to describe using language to make requests. For example, Amir wants milk and so he goes to his mother and says, “I want milk, please”. Manding is typically the first communication skill taught in Intensive Early Intervention programs.
Pairing and building instructional control
Pairing and building instructional control is the process of building a cooperative, effective, and joyful teacher/learner relationship with learners. While pairing and building instructional control, therapists demonstrate that being with them is fun and that they make the learner’s world a better place to be. Therapists also show that following their instructions and engaging in learning activities with them results in positive reinforcement and is to the learner’s benefit. Our goal is for learners to want to interact and learn from us.
Prompting
Prompting is how we help learners acquire new skills with as little frustration as possible. There are many ways to give prompts from modeling the correct answer to using hand over hand guidance to help a learner exhibit the desired response. For example, while teaching Mara to wave “hello” to her friends, her RBT waves her hand as well.
Reinforcement
Reinforcement is the process of providing a desired consequence to learners so that they are more likely to exhibit the behaviors we are teaching in the future under similar circumstances. For example, Robert really likes it when his therapist makes silly faces, and he is working on learning to identify his colors. Each time his therapist holds up an item and asks “what color is this” and Robert names the correct color, she makes a silly face. After a two weeks, Robert is more and more often labeling colors correctly without prompting.
Addressing Challenging Behavior
The Three Term Contingency
The three term contingency describes the components of behavior and the environment and is the basis of how ABA therapists understand behavior. The three term contingency includes antecedents, behaviors, and consequences.
Antecedent
Antecedents are environmental events that happen immediately before a behavior. For example, Carlos is told to put his iPad away, and then he begins to cry and whine. The antecedent to Carlos’s crying and whining behavior is being told to put his iPad away. Sally sees her grandmother and says “hi!”. The antecedent to Sally saying “hi” is seeing her grandmother.
Behavior
Behavior is actions – it is everything that a person does. In ABA, we typically focus on behavior that is easily observed like speaking, running, teeth brushing, kicking, biting, and saying “please”. Successful ABA programs define behavior objectively and measurable so that it is easy to monitor progress and ensure consistency.
Consequence
Consequences are what happen immediately after a behavior. For example, Carlos is told to put his iPad away, he begins to cry, and then his babysitter says “Fine, you can have five more minutes”. The consequence to Carlos’s crying behavior is that he gets to have his iPad for five more minutes.
Functions of Behavior
The function of a behavior is the purpose of the behavior; it is what someone gets or avoids as a consequence of their behavior. It is the why behind each of our actions. ABA usually divides the function of behavior into four categories:
- Getting attention,
- Avoiding/escaping a task or event,
- Getting an item that we like,
- Getting/avoiding a particular feeling (like stopping a bug bite from itching by scratching it or feeling calmer by taking a deep breath).
Often children with developmental disabilities like Autism Spectrum Disorder develop dangerous and disruptive ways to get their needs met because they lack communication skills; for example, when Lily wants her mothers attention, she pinches her little sister rather than asking her sister to come play with her.
Replacement Behavior
Replacement behaviors are safe, appropriate behaviors that help us get our needs met. In ABA programs, once the function of a dangerous or disruptive behavior has been identified, your BCBA will identify a different behavior your child can use that has the same function. For example, prior to ABA therapy, when Luis was asked to clean up his toys, he slapped his own forehead until someone would come over and start to help him. His BCBA identified that the function of his head slapping behavior was to avoid having to clean up on his own and that a safer, more effective way to get help would be for Luis to ask for help. Asking for help is a replacement behavior in this instance. Moving forward, his RBT started to prompt him to ask for help at clean up time before he started to slap his head.
Functional Behavior Assessment
(FBA) A functional behavior assessment is a structured method for identifying the function of a dangerous or disruptive behavior. During this process, the common antecedents and consequences for the behavior are identified by conducting interviews with individuals who know the learner well and by observing and recording information about the behavior as it occurs in the learner’s environment.
Behavior Intervention Plan
A Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP), also called a Behavior Support Plan (BSP) is a structured plan for preventing dangerous and disruptive behaviors and teaching replacement behaviors. BIPs ensure that staff and family can respond to dangerous and disruptive behaviors using the same safe, effective, and supportive strategies.
At Greenlight ABA, we use all of these ABA therapy techniques and strategies to help your child grow and thrive in a supportive environment. By learning about these key methods, you can play an active role in your child’s progress and celebrate their successes. To enroll, or if you have any questions, just get in touch with us. We’re here to support your child’s journey every step of the way!