So What is ABA Anyway?
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ABA is Amazing, Bold, and Accepting! Just kidding, that’s not what it stands for. Although, I would argue it is all of those things! Joining this field has been one of the most fulfilling things I have ever done and nothing makes me happier than knowing I make a difference in others’ lives on a daily basis. I know that ABA as it pertains to direct services for neurodiverse kids (i.e., kids diagnosed with developmental disabilities) can be difficult to understand, but I’ve taken a shot at it below in hopes that I can clear some confusion regarding the subject.
The science of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is a treatment that can be used to improve quality of life for kids and their families. Examples include making relationships with siblings or parents stronger, showing how to make and interact with friends, managing challenging behaviors, and teaching basics such as communication and motor skills.
How do we do this?
Our treatment begins with assessments that help us pinpoint exactly what deficits in behavior are present. For instance, when a behavior analyst hears a parent mention their child has trouble getting along with a sibling, the behavior analyst breaks that down into a series of small behaviors that have to be in place for a child to learn to communicate and maybe even play with a sibling. For communication, we assess whether a child can speak at all, request what they want and don’t want, look others in the eye when speaking to them, speak clearly, speak audibly, etc. Once we identify the prerequisite skills or behaviors that are missing or impaired, we can move on to our second step: developing a treatment plan.
Our treatments will always be individualized. No ifs or buts about it. Every person is different and we understand that we must teach the way an individual learns instead of expecting them to learn a certain way (e.g., worksheets, videos, lectures, etc.). If our client is young and has difficulty sitting still, we will create teaching opportunities that involve being active and moving around. If our client loves a cartoon, we may incorporate those characters into a program to encourage them to attend and learn. Behavior analysts also use only evidence-based interventions to teach behaviors. This means that any techniques we apply have been rigorously tested and questioned within our scientific community to ensure they are effective. If it’s not evidence-based, then we’re not using it because our clients and their families deserve the best and most effective treatment available. We are also deeply committed to using motivation and reinforcement. Every day. Every hour of every day. We want our clients to want to attend and engage in programming! A huge part of behavior analysis is identifying what motivates our clients. If we can identify what will motivate a child to participate, we can use it to teach vital skills to a child that wants to cooperate. I can’t stress this enough. We want them to want to participate and to make ABA a positive experience for them!
Once programs have been developed for a client to address their deficits, behavior analysts collect data on the behaviors we are teaching or working on reducing. A LOT of data. CONTINUOUS data. SO MUCH data! Why? Good question. If we don’t keep track of whether a client is making progress on a behavior or not, we can’t tell if our intervention is working. And that goes back to our clients having a right to the most effective treatment available. We have to collect data and analyze it continuously to ensure our interventions are effective. As I mentioned earlier, our programs are individualized. This is what I meant! If we notice our intervention isn’t working, we update it. Then, more data and analysis of that data will let us know if it works. It’s a bit of an endless cycle. But we love it! Data and analysis is our bread and butter. It goes with everything!
And that’s ABA in a nutshell! I told you it was amazing, bold, and accepting! I hope you found this helpful!
Please feel free to reach out with questions or inquiries about services on our contact form on the main or services pages of our website!
-Tania Henderson, MS, BCBA, LBA-VA
