Why is ABA an Effective Intervention Method for Autism?

Autism is a lifelong neurological difference shared by millions of people around the world. It cannot be cured; skills can be taught. In one early study (Lovaas, 1987), close to half of the children who received early intensive behavioral intervention went on to mainstream classrooms; later studies report a wide range of outcomes, and no result is guaranteed for any individual child. Even if mainstreaming is not possible, with proper implementation, ABA has been reported to help many children make substantial gains (Lovaas, O. I. 1987).

Autism affects the way the brain processes information. It changes how a person communicates and interacts with others. This makes learning based on standard methods of teaching, through which a typical developing child learns, very difficult. Common challenges include:

• Language and communication

• Impaired social skills

• Severe behavioral issues, including repetitive behavior

Teaching people with Autism is a very time-consuming and painstaking process. Due to the way in which they process information, very basic skills must be broken down to their most finite steps, with each step being taught individually, in order for the person to fully learn the skill. Although it requires a significant amount of time to teach a person with Autism, this kind of rigor is what makes skills stick and builds toward independence.

This is where ABA comes in. ABA or Applied Behavior Analysis is an extremely rigorous and systematic method that uses behavioral principles to modify behavior. In simple terms, the goal of ABA is to use well-defined techniques (or strategies) to decrease undesirable behavior and increase desirable or targeted behaviors (skills). The power of ABA is in its evidence-based results. Ole Ivar Lovaas, often called the grandfather of ABA, reported in 1987 that with early, intensive behavioral therapy, 47% of the children in his study reached what he defined as “indistinguishable from their peers”; later studies have found a broader range of outcomes.

ABA intervention, although highly effective, is a very laborious and time-consuming intervention to implement. Because of the unique way in which a person with Autism learns, often, intensive one-on-one therapy (35 hours or more per week) is required in order to achieve optimal results. Depending upon the child’s progress, the number of hours of intervention required may be decreased and the programming setting changed from one-on-one intervention to group settings.

Another significant factor in ABA intervention is the need for customized programming. To be able to efficiently and effectively treat a child with Autism, skill gaps need to be identified, a treatment plan developed, and a detailed curriculum created and constantly monitored (and modified as frequently as needed) to ensure that the child is always making progress. So the estimated cost of an intensive ABA program can exceed $50,000 per year. Methods can be put in place to reduce the financial burden and to increase the effectiveness of ABA intervention, however, this is ONLY possible with proper implementation. Direct care staff, clinical experts, educators, parents, and support staff all properly informed and trained on a uniform methodology can generate the best outcomes for people with Autism Spectrum Disorder.