Throughout the last few weeks, I have been hinting at a broader form of Autism therapy known as ABA or Applied Behavior Analysis. Recently, I have talked about PRT which is a form of ABA. ABA is the science devoted to the understanding and improvement of human behavior. “Applied" means practice, and "behavior analysis" is the application of the different principles of learning and motivation. It might seem odd to use the word "behavior" when talking about basic life milestones like talking or following directions but with ABA all “behaviors” can be taught and encouraged.
Usually as we grow and develop, we learn and evolve with our environment. Our surroundings, cultures and situations help us learn different social skills and the “rights” and “wrong” of behavior. Someone diagnosed with Autism has difficulty communicating and learning from our daily environment. That does not mean they cannot learn from their environment, but that it takes a very structured routine and arrangement where conditions are optimized for them to acquire the same skills that are considered "natural" and “normal”. ABA is all about how to set up the environment to improve behaviors that are the most meaningful for the individual and those around them.
The word “behavior” sometimes carries a negative connotation in society. What exactly is a behavior? A behavior is anything that is observable and measurable. A behavior is not an type of emotion, a state of mind or feeling and definitely not something that is undesirable. With ABA, therapists teach and monitor behaviors that can represent emotions and that are important to the quality of life.
There are many important components to ABA therapy. To teach ABA methods, a behavior needs to be isolated and controlled. Therapists aim to work on one behavior at a time, because changing many behaviors can confuse what exactly caused the change in the individual. These changes to behavior need to last over time as well. The child must be able to general the skill outside the realm of the clinic or session or working not that behavior is ineffective. For example, if a child is toilet trained at a clinic, but is unwilling to use the restroom at home or school then the behavior is not generalized. The results also need to effective and practical as well.
In later blog posts I will explain the different ABA based interventions as I observe them during sessions, and provide examples of what this form of treatment looks like. For anyone still confused about this type of treatment, I have attached a video that gives a brief introduction to the basic concepts of ABA.
Great details on ABA , this really helps.
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