Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy uses various teaching methods. No single method works for everyone. The best approach depends on what your child is learning and how they learn. Understanding these methods helps families recognize why therapists choose strategies for different situations.
Matching Methods to Learning Goals
ABA teaching methods are tools designed for different purposes. Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) select methods based on what skill is being taught, how the learner responds, and where the skill will be used. As skills develop, the approach may shift to ensure continued progress.
Core Teaching Methods
Discrete Trial Training (DTT)
DTT breaks skills into small units. The therapist gives an instruction, the learner responds, and feedback follows immediately. This structured format works well for teaching specific skills like identifying objects, naming colors or following directions. The clear format and repetition help establish new skills efficiently.
Natural Environment Teaching (NET)
NET uses everyday moments for teaching. Learning happens during play, meals, and daily routines based on the learner’s interests. This approach works well for skills your child needs in real life, like asking for things or playing with friends. Skills learned this way often transfer easily to home and school.
Behavioral Skills Training (BST)
BST combines four steps: explain, demonstrate, practice, and give feedback. The therapist explains a skill, demonstrates it, guides your child through practice, and tells them what went well. This method works well for multi-step procedures like safety skills or self-care routines. Watching a demonstration shows exactly what the skill looks like before practicing.
Prompting and Fading
Prompts are cues that support learners to complete tasks successfully. These might be physical guidance, gestures, verbal hints, or visual supports. As the learner improves, prompts gradually decrease. This creates a bridge from assisted performance to doing things independently.
Video Modeling
Video modeling uses recorded demonstrations of skills. Your child watches videos of someone doing a skill correctly, then practices what they saw. Videos can be reviewed multiple times, making this approach effective for visual learners and complex social skills.
Task Analysis and Chaining
Task analysis breaks activities into individual steps. Each step is taught separately, until the complete skill flows together. This method works well for grooming routines, household tasks, or any multi-step activity.
Communication and Independence
Functional Communication Training (FCT)
FCT teaches appropriate ways to communicate needs. Instead of problem behaviors, your child learns to ask for help, request breaks, or tell someone what they want. The new communication gets them what they need without frustration. Learners experience success by using effective communication instead of problem behaviors.
Errorless Learning
Errorless learning provides enough support that learners respond correctly from the start. This maintains motivation and prevents practicing incorrect responses. As skills strengthen, support decreases while keeping accuracy high.
Positive Reinforcement
When your child does something you want to see again, something good immediately follows. This could be praise, a favorite activity, or a small reward. Because the behavior led to something positive, your child is more likely to do it again. What works as a reward differs for each child.
Shaping
Shaping means celebrating small improvements toward a goal. Your therapist doesn’t wait for perfection. They recognize each step forward. This keeps your child motivated while learning.
Making Skills Last
Generalization Training
Skills are needed to work everywhere, not just in therapy. Therapists practice skills in different places, with different people, and with different materials. This ensures your child can use skills at home, school, and in the community.
Maintenance Programming
Maintenance keeps skills strong after initial learning. Regular assessment identifies which skills remain strong and which need additional practice. Brief review sessions maintain skills without extensive retraining.
Combining Methods in Practice
Effective ABA programs combine multiple approaches. A session might include DTT for new skills, NET for practicing communication during play, and video modeling for social responses. Data collection guides these decisions. When progress is steady, the approach continues. When learning slows, therapists modify methods.
The methods selected depend on:
- The type of skill being taught
- The learner’s current abilities
- Where the skill will be used
- How the learner responds to different formats
What Makes a Method “Best”
“Best” means most effective for achieving specific goals with individual learners. A method that works well for one skill may not suit another. Research provides general guidance, but individual data always takes precedence.
The best method is one that:
- Produces consistent skill learning
- Results in skills that transfer to daily life
- Matches the learner’s current abilities
- Uses the simplest effective approach.
Ongoing assessment determines which methods work for each situation. Data collection shows whether progress is occurring. This removes guesswork and provides clear information about what’s working.
Working Together
Understanding these teaching methods helps families support learning at home. When therapists use specific approaches, families can ask why and how to reinforce similar learning during daily routines. Families contribute valuable information about how their child responds to different teaching styles.
Consistency between therapy and home strengthens learning. When families understand the approaches being used, they can reinforce skills using similar methods. This helps skills develop more quickly across all environments.
Moving Forward
ABA therapy methods represent decades of research about how people learn. ABA offers many teaching methods because every child and every skill is different. Your therapy team selects the right combination for your child’s needs. They adjust methods based on how your child responds.
At GreenLight ABA, our team uses evidence-based teaching methods tailored to each child’s unique needs and learning goals. We continuously assess progress and adjust our approaches to ensure effective instruction with our in-home ABA therapy. Through close collaboration with families, we create consistent learning experiences that extend beyond therapy sessions. Contact us today to learn how our individualized, data-driven approach can support your child’s development.