ABA Techniques

Applied Behavior Analysis or ABA therapy is the most popular form of intervention, whether adult or child, diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. It is also the most proven approach in teaching a person basic skills that will otherwise not be picked up on their own. Comprehensive ABA programs often run 30 to 40 hours a week, and focused programs fewer (Council of Autism Service Providers, 2020), with supervision by a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). There are different techniques used in therapy that are patterned after ABA principles.

These techniques are programmable and can be used alone or in combination with a child’s therapy sessions:

Task Analysis - A process in which a task is broken down into small steps, listed in the order they are done. It shows which steps the learner can already do and which need teaching.

Chaining - Teaching the steps of a task analysis and linking them in order, starting from the first step (forward chaining) or the last step (backward chaining).

Ex. In eating a candy bar, child is taught first how to remove the wrapper before being taught how to eat the candy.

Prompting - Using the least intrusive encouragement that gets a child to perform a certain task. There are different forms of prompting:

Verbal Cues: Ex. “Dannie, please peel off the candy wrapper.”

Visual Cues: Pointing at the candy bar.

Physical Guidance: Guiding the child’s hand to the candy bar.

Demonstration: Peeling off the first layer of wrapper for the child to imitate.

Fading – The process of subtly reducing prompts over time in order to make the child transition from being prompted to having no need for one. For example, an analyst might start by guiding the child’s hand, then fade to demonstrating, later to pointing, and finally to no prompt at all.

Shaping – Gradual modification of a person’s existing behavior to a desired one. Ex. Dannie says “wa” when she wants water, and her parents give her water. Next they wait for “wa-ter” before giving it, and then for “water.” Each step closer to the word is reinforced.

Differential Reinforcement – Reinforcing a desired behavior while no longer reinforcing an undesired one, for example giving attention when Dannie asks for help and not when she screams.

Reinforcement can be positive or negative. Positive reinforcement adds something the child likes after the behavior, such as praise, a token, or a favorite activity, food or toy. Negative reinforcement removes something the child dislikes after the behavior, such as ending a hard task early when the child asks for a break. Both make the behavior more likely. Saying “no” or taking away a toy is punishment, not negative reinforcement. It is important to give positive reinforcement immediately after the child performs the desired behavior.

Generalization - Teaching a skill in the natural environment after it has been learned in a controlled environment.

Video Modeling – Using a video to demonstrate performance of a desirable task or behavior. This is very effective, especially for children.

These techniques can be learned by anybody that is willing to undergo training. There are also products that can be used in ABA therapy that require minimal training to implement. Special Learning has many examples of products that effective and easy to use. (Behavioural Neurotherapy Clinic, 2009)

Copyright © by Special Learning Inc. All right reserved.

No part of this article may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information, contact Special Learning Inc., at: contact@special-learning.com