learning and tantrum to escape learning situations.
privileges. If punishment procedures are used, they should be done so very cautiously, with full consent of parents, and with procedural safeguards to ensure benefit to the individual. Using behavior reduction procedures without informed consent and documented effectiveness is unacceptable. All parents should find out how their child’s behavior is addressed and discuss the procedures for which you would and would not provide consent. For more information on guidelines for the use of behavior reduction procedures, please see Autism New Jersey’s Position Statement on the Use of Restrictive Procedures within Comprehensive Behavior Support Plans (see resource section). This position statement advocates for the extinction or limited
FACT Historically, compliance training was used a great deal in ABA. We now know much more about how to motivate behavior, and compliance is gained in many positive ways. In a good ABA program, children are very fond of their instructors, eagerly anticipate learning, and enjoy their instructional time.
MYTH ABA uses a lot of punishment.
FACT This is a very serious issue and will be answered in two parts. a. Punishment is NEVER used as part of a teaching program. ABA always uses items and activities that motivate learners to participate in instruction. Increasing appropriate behavior is the major focus of all ABA programs. b. When an individual exhibits challenging behaviors that place the individual or others in danger, a treatment team must carefully and effectively respond to reduce the behavior. Comprehensive positive behavioral supports (see page 41) should be utilized to the fullest extent to reduce dangerous behavior through assessment and positive interventions. Most of the time, positive approaches sufficiently reduce the dangerous behavior. The use of punishment procedures is a last resort. Most punishment procedures are consistent with techniques that parents use with typically developing children such as verbal reprimands and loss of
use of punishment procedures. It outlines extensive procedural
safeguards for the safe and effective use of punishment procedures within the contexts of behavior plans and crisis management, should they be deemed necessary by a treatment team. While clinicians and legislators continue to discuss the merits of regulating such procedures as a component of a plan or crisis management, the individual’s rights and safety are primary concerns.
MYTH ABA is limited to one or a few specific strategies, such as Discrete Trial Instruction. FACT ABA incorporates many strategies to improve people’s abilities and quality of life. Sometimes these strategies are grouped together by practitioners and
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Myths & Facts
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