What is ABA?
Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) is evidence based most effective treatment for teaching individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
Behaviour Analysis is the study of how stimuli (events in our environment) affect people's behaviour. Most people think that individuals with Autism have problem behaviours because they have Autism. This is not true! Our behaviours are controlled by events which occur in our environment.
The purpose of ABA is to identify and change these events which a person finds reinforcing or not reinforcing, in order to increase or decrease behaviours.
Strengths are expanded on and generalized to other settings, people and materials. Deficits are replaced with skills to help learners function in the environment.
ABA is when the principles of behaviour analysis are applied systematically to help change behaviour in socially meaningful ways. These principles include; reinforcement, prompts (hierarchy), prompt fading, extinction, punishment (technical term used in ABA, and does not refer to its everyday meaning), generalization and maintenance. Each principle is described below.
Reinforcement is when a behaviour is strengthened (will occur again) due to the consequences that occurred after the behaviour. Our behaviours are reinforced by natural consequences all the time!!!! Consequences that strengthen the behaviour are called reinforcers. Ex. We go to work (behaviour) and then get paid (consequence). If you continue to go to work, it means that the consequence of getting paid has strengthened your behaviour, and therefore the consequence of getting paid is a reinforcer.
Here are some other examples. We put our dirty clothes in the washing machine (behaviour) and then our clothes are cleaned (consequence). If you repeat the behaviour, the consequence is a reinforcer. If you don't repeat the behaviour, the consequence is not a reinforcer.
We put the key in the ignition and turn it (behaviour) and then the car starts (consequence). If you repeat the behaviour again, then it means that the consequence is a reinforcer.
Learner's are given reinforcers such as; edibles, toys, attention, activities, electronics, etc. All reinforcements are gradually faded to mimic natural reinforcements used in our environment.
A prompt refers to helping a learner accomplish behaviours they cannot perform or behaviours they cannot perform at the right time or in the right context.
Prompt fading ensures that prompts are no longer present in order to encourage independency and discourage prompt dependency.
Extinction is when a behaviour was reinforced in the past but now that reinforcement (that was maintaining the behaviour) is put on hold, in order to stop the behaviour. Therefore, Extinction is when a behaviour is no longer reinforced. Extinction procedure is used along with a replacement behaviour and reinforcement schedule.
Ex. You turn the key of the car (behaviour which was reinforced when the engine started) but the engine no longer starts, so you will eventually stop turning the key.
Ex. a child cries for candy and then mom gives him a candy (reinforcement). But when mom no longer gives the child candy when he cries, eventually the child will stop crying for candy. Here, a replacement behaviour is introduced along with a reinforcement schedule.
The term Punishment is used as a technical definition in ABA and is not referred to as the everyday meaning. Punishment is when a consequence weakens the behaviour.
Consequences are everywhere and we learn from them all the time. There are bad, good or neutral consequences. Ex. if you run a red light, the consequence is a ticket. If you don’t wash the dishes, the consequence is double the dishes the next day. When you eat healthy, you feel better.
Reinforcement is used when we want the behaviour to increase, and we use punishment when we want the behaviour to decrease. If a consequence causes the behaviour to decrease in the future, then it is called a punisher. If a consequence increased the behaviour then it is a reinforcer.
Ex. if a learner pushes his peer and the teacher says, ‘no pushing’ (consequence) and the behaviour of pushing increases, then the consequence (‘no pushing’) is a reinforcer (attention). If the behaviour decreases, then the consequence is a punisher.
Ex. A learner throws his food on the floor, and a parent gets the learner to clean up his mess. Here, the consequence is cleaning up the mess. A consequence has been given in order to decrease the behaviour of throwing food. If the behaviour (throwing food) decreases, then the consequence is a punisher for this learner. If the behaviour (throwing food) increases, then the consequence is a reinforcer (attention) for this learner.
Ex. When a learner is late for school, the teacher may give the learner a detention (consequence). Here, the teacher added a consequence in order to decrease the behaviour of showing up late. The consequence added (detention) is a punisher if the behaviour decreases, but if the behaviour increases, then the consequence is a reinforcer.
Punishment cannot be used alone. A schedule of reinforcement is used along with punishment, so that the learner understands, he/she will not only get something for inappropriate behaviour (consequence of cleaning up) but will also get something (praise, access to an item) for appropriate behaviour (eating nicely, showing up on time). The learner is taught a replacement behaviour (the appropriate behaviour) so that the learner knows how to behave appropriately.
NOTE: Punishment is only used when other techniques have not worked, and if used, the learner will lose access to an item, only if consent has been provided by the parents.
Generalization occurs when learners apply new skills in other environments (outside of training sessions).
Maintenance is generalization over time and ensures that skills are maintained over time.
Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) is evidence based most effective treatment for teaching individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
Behaviour Analysis is the study of how stimuli (events in our environment) affect people's behaviour. Most people think that individuals with Autism have problem behaviours because they have Autism. This is not true! Our behaviours are controlled by events which occur in our environment.
The purpose of ABA is to identify and change these events which a person finds reinforcing or not reinforcing, in order to increase or decrease behaviours.
Strengths are expanded on and generalized to other settings, people and materials. Deficits are replaced with skills to help learners function in the environment.
ABA is when the principles of behaviour analysis are applied systematically to help change behaviour in socially meaningful ways. These principles include; reinforcement, prompts (hierarchy), prompt fading, extinction, punishment (technical term used in ABA, and does not refer to its everyday meaning), generalization and maintenance. Each principle is described below.
Reinforcement is when a behaviour is strengthened (will occur again) due to the consequences that occurred after the behaviour. Our behaviours are reinforced by natural consequences all the time!!!! Consequences that strengthen the behaviour are called reinforcers. Ex. We go to work (behaviour) and then get paid (consequence). If you continue to go to work, it means that the consequence of getting paid has strengthened your behaviour, and therefore the consequence of getting paid is a reinforcer.
Here are some other examples. We put our dirty clothes in the washing machine (behaviour) and then our clothes are cleaned (consequence). If you repeat the behaviour, the consequence is a reinforcer. If you don't repeat the behaviour, the consequence is not a reinforcer.
We put the key in the ignition and turn it (behaviour) and then the car starts (consequence). If you repeat the behaviour again, then it means that the consequence is a reinforcer.
Learner's are given reinforcers such as; edibles, toys, attention, activities, electronics, etc. All reinforcements are gradually faded to mimic natural reinforcements used in our environment.
A prompt refers to helping a learner accomplish behaviours they cannot perform or behaviours they cannot perform at the right time or in the right context.
Prompt fading ensures that prompts are no longer present in order to encourage independency and discourage prompt dependency.
Extinction is when a behaviour was reinforced in the past but now that reinforcement (that was maintaining the behaviour) is put on hold, in order to stop the behaviour. Therefore, Extinction is when a behaviour is no longer reinforced. Extinction procedure is used along with a replacement behaviour and reinforcement schedule.
Ex. You turn the key of the car (behaviour which was reinforced when the engine started) but the engine no longer starts, so you will eventually stop turning the key.
Ex. a child cries for candy and then mom gives him a candy (reinforcement). But when mom no longer gives the child candy when he cries, eventually the child will stop crying for candy. Here, a replacement behaviour is introduced along with a reinforcement schedule.
The term Punishment is used as a technical definition in ABA and is not referred to as the everyday meaning. Punishment is when a consequence weakens the behaviour.
Consequences are everywhere and we learn from them all the time. There are bad, good or neutral consequences. Ex. if you run a red light, the consequence is a ticket. If you don’t wash the dishes, the consequence is double the dishes the next day. When you eat healthy, you feel better.
Reinforcement is used when we want the behaviour to increase, and we use punishment when we want the behaviour to decrease. If a consequence causes the behaviour to decrease in the future, then it is called a punisher. If a consequence increased the behaviour then it is a reinforcer.
Ex. if a learner pushes his peer and the teacher says, ‘no pushing’ (consequence) and the behaviour of pushing increases, then the consequence (‘no pushing’) is a reinforcer (attention). If the behaviour decreases, then the consequence is a punisher.
Ex. A learner throws his food on the floor, and a parent gets the learner to clean up his mess. Here, the consequence is cleaning up the mess. A consequence has been given in order to decrease the behaviour of throwing food. If the behaviour (throwing food) decreases, then the consequence is a punisher for this learner. If the behaviour (throwing food) increases, then the consequence is a reinforcer (attention) for this learner.
Ex. When a learner is late for school, the teacher may give the learner a detention (consequence). Here, the teacher added a consequence in order to decrease the behaviour of showing up late. The consequence added (detention) is a punisher if the behaviour decreases, but if the behaviour increases, then the consequence is a reinforcer.
Punishment cannot be used alone. A schedule of reinforcement is used along with punishment, so that the learner understands, he/she will not only get something for inappropriate behaviour (consequence of cleaning up) but will also get something (praise, access to an item) for appropriate behaviour (eating nicely, showing up on time). The learner is taught a replacement behaviour (the appropriate behaviour) so that the learner knows how to behave appropriately.
NOTE: Punishment is only used when other techniques have not worked, and if used, the learner will lose access to an item, only if consent has been provided by the parents.
Generalization occurs when learners apply new skills in other environments (outside of training sessions).
Maintenance is generalization over time and ensures that skills are maintained over time.