What is ABA?
ABA makes meaningful changes in people’s lives through the use of procedures that have been demonstrated to work. The following description of ABA was adapted from Green (1996). Behavior analytic treatment for autism uses reinforcement in structured and natural environments to help individuals learn new skills. Skills ranging from simple to complex are broken down into small, measurable units and systematically taught. A high-priority goal is making it enjoyable for the learner. Through carefully planned guidance and reinforcement, the learner is more likely to exhibit appropriate behavior during and after the teaching interaction. In contrast, problem behaviors are not reinforced. Some analysis may be necessary to determine the function(s) and reinforcers for these behaviors to develop an effective intervention plan.
On a more technical note, Cooper, Heron, and Heward (1987) define ABA as:
the science in which procedures derived from the principles of behavior are systematically applied to improve socially significant behavior to a meaningful degree and to demonstrate experimentally that the procedures employed were responsible for the improvement in behavior. (p. 14) As we said above, ABA makes meaningful changes in people’s lives through the use of procedures that have been demonstrated to work. During the last fifty years, Behavior Analysis has been referred to in a number of different terms, including behavior modification, behavior management, contingency management, positive approaches, and operant or Skinnerian
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