Implementing an ABA Program

A general guide on how to properly implement an ABA program

Implementing an ABA Program can be a complicated process but this article provides some insight. Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy teaches social, motor, and verbal behaviors in addition to reasoning skills that are useful for everyday living.  ABA treatment specializes in teaching behaviors to children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) who may otherwise not learn on their own as other children would. The ABA approach can be used by a parent, counselor, or certified behavior analyst.

The ABA approach attempts to teach desired behaviors by providing teaching tools that focus on simplified instructional steps and consistent reinforcement. It aims to help children with autism lead more independent and socially active lives. Research shows that this positive outcome is more common for children who have received early intervention when the brain is critically developing during the preschool years.

ABA is one of the most extensively studied interventions for children with autism. According to the U.S. Surgeon General's 1999 report, thirty years of research on the ABA approach had shown very positive outcomes when it is used as an early intervention tool for autism.

In the early-intervention research summarized in the U.S. Surgeon General's report of 1999, about half of the children with autism who began the ABA approach before the age of four showed significant increases in IQ, verbal ability, and social functioning. Even those who did not show as good results still had significantly better improvement than children who did not receive the intervention. In addition, some children who received ABA therapy were eventually able to attend general education classrooms.  (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1999)

Negative Side Effects

How ABA is delivered matters, and a program can go wrong. Watch how your child responds and tell your provider if something is distressing them. What can go wrong is a poorly run program, which the next section covers.

Implementing ABA therapy is also expensive, rigorous, and stressful for the family of a diagnosed child. It may take as much as 40 hours a week especially in the early stages of the intervention.

On rare occasions, the wrong implementation of ABA therapy may result in an increase of observable bad behavior. Another negative but relatively rare effect of ABA therapy is that it may sometimes produce robotic behavior. Children undergoing this intervention undergo regimented activities, sometimes without any underlying emotions to back it.  Some children receiving ABA therapy have been observed to sound unnatural in speech or to execute certain gestures in a ‘mechanical’ manner.

References:

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (1999). "Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General -- Executive Summary". Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Mental Health Services.

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