What is ABA?

Over my career, I have often been asked to consult for a team or review a program developed to work with children who have autism or other developmental disabilities.   All too often, I have heard the following statements from practitioners:  “We don’t do ABA”, or “We don’t believe in ABA.” At this point I realize I have some educating to do, but must tread carefully as I am in the midst of “nonbelievers”.  I think to myself, “It’s not a matter of whether you believe in Behavior Analysis.” The principles that govern behavior (e.g., reinforcement, punishment, extinction, shaping etc) are operating on all of us all of the time.  They are ubiquitous.  ABA is not an experiment.  It is not a theory waiting for evidence.  ABA requires no measure of faith or belief.  ABA is hard science.

ABA is simply an acronym for Applied Behavior Analysis.  Behavior Analysis is the science of human behavior.   B.F Skinner is the father of Behavior Analysis.  Skinner demonstrated that our physical and social environment primarily determines what we learn.   Certainly, physiology and genetics play a roll as well in who we are, by establishing potential or setting limits.  For example, if you are only 5’2” you may never be able to dunk a basketball, regardless of your training.  However you could very well become an expert gymnast.  Of course, whether or not you become a good gymnast will be determined mainly by environmental factors.

The confusion often stems from the misnomer that ABA is synonymous with discrete trial teaching (DTT): sitting your student at a table for 40 hours per week conducting drills that will turn him or her into a robot.  That is not what I would call ABA, and that’s not how therapists should be trained to apply behavior analysis.

The teaching we do at Behavior Analysis Center for Autism (BACA) is based on the principles of applied behavior analysis.  If you really understand behavior analysis, then you can understand the real causes of human behavior.  If you apply that knowledge to an understanding of children with autism who have communication challenges, and you use the tools developed through behavior analysis (referred to as behavior modification) then you will have a lot of success teaching children to communicate.

So, when I come across the statement “We don’t believe in ABA” I may simple ask these questions?

•Do you think it is important to conduct a thorough analysis of a student’s language and learning deficits (VB-MAPP vs. standard age equivalent score)?

•Do you think it is important to conduct a functional analysis of problem behaviors?

•Do you think it is important to break down skills into manageable units, to teach them, and to teach the foundation or prerequisite skills?

•Do you think it is important to tap into the student’s motivation and use whatever it takes to make learning interesting and fun for the student?

•Do you think it is critical that much direct teaching is necessary if the student does not learn in group settings?

•Do you think it is important to provide many meaningful learning opportunities throughout the day?  That is, would you agree that 2000 learning opportunities per day are better than 150?

•Do you think it is important to teach in ways that promote generalization and avoid rote responding?

•Do you agree that procedures such as reinforcement, shaping, chaining, prompting, and fading are important?

•Do you agree that the success of the child is in large part directly related to the skills of the person or people who are down there in the trenches with the student?

Most people who would say “We don’t do ABA” would agree with those statements.

That is the short version of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) as it pertains to teaching children with autism.  Only recently has behavior analysis been so closely connected with autism.  I remember a bumper sticker from the 1970s that read “Better Living Through Behaviorism”.  Back in those days, though, autism was diagnosed at about 1 per 10,000 children.

So, where does Verbal Behavior fit into ABA?  What is the difference?  Is there a difference?

Feel free to make a comment or ask a question, and stay tuned for the next edition of Carl’s Corner.

Thanks for reading!

Carl

Welcome to Carl’s Corner!  This will be a place to learn about Applied Behavior Analysis, exchange ideas, and have some fun while we’re at it.  I am the Executive Director at the Behavior Analysis Center for Autism (BACA) in Fishers, IN.  I have worked and studied in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis for thirty years now, and the bulk of my work has been helping children with Autism and related developmental disorders.  When BACA was founded in 2009, our mission was to create an optimal learning environment for our clients, and to support our staff with an intensive training program and ongoing education to ensure that we were delivering the highest level of service to our clients.  We have assembled an amazing clinical team, including 5 PhD’s from around the country to offer staff training seminars, research analysis, and to refine our curriculum.  The effort to make BACA the best it can be requires daily attention, and we are always looking for ways to improve.

In early 2010, we opened the doors to our second facility, known informally around here as “BACA II”.  We conceived BACA II as a place geared toward the unique learning needs of older children and adolescents (ages 8-18).  At BACA II, individuals receive services that facilitate the development of communication, academic, self-help, social, leisure, and vocational skills in an individualized manner including both one on one and group settings.   Meanwhile our younger clients at BACA I are benefitting from having an entire facility geared toward their needs as well.

This Saturday, April 2nd, we are hoping you will join us for a few hours at our first BACA II Open House.  We are excited to showcase our talented staff, and a facility that we are all very proud of.  We will be giving guided tours, followed by a light lunch, and finally I will be giving a clinical presentation on ABA, Verbal Behavior, and some more thoughts about what makes BACA II such a cool place.  Things get started at 11am, and we should be done around 2pm.  I hope to see you there!

Carl