Continuing from the last post (Behavioural Therapy for Children with Autism) in this series, let us now look into a learning methodology evolved from behavioural therapy, Appled Behavioural Analysis, commonly known as ABA.
What is ABA?
Borrowing the concept from Operant Behavioural Conditioning, ABA claims that behaviours can be taught or modified through a system of reinforcements, punishments and consequences. As it is a form of behavioural therapy, ABA functionally assesses the relationship between a targeted behaviour and the environment in order to modify a behaviour or to teach it.
As reinforcements and responses to these reinforcements are components of ABA, Classical Conditioning is also considered as one of the concepts in ABA other than operant conditioning.
Lovaas, a psychologist, first applied ABA to autism at the Psychology Department at UCLA in 1987. He suggested that social and behavioural skills could be taught, to children with autism, through the ABA method.
Read Understanding Applied Behavior Analysis: An Introduction to ABA for Parents, Teachers and Other Professionals by Albert J Kearney for a clear, precise introduction on ABA.
How does ABA work?
Every trials have 3 parts to them. There are the ABC - Antecedent, Behaviour and consequence. The antecedent is the instruction (also known as Sd - (Discriminant) Stimulus, because the instruction helps the child to discriminate the purpose of the stimuli presented) that leads to a response which is the behaviour and the consequence is the response to the behaviour that resulted from the instruction. For example, "Pour juice" is the antecedent, the child proceeds to pour juice into a glass is the behaviour and the child being praised by you for pouring the juice is the consequence. (ABC is also used in other components of ABA such as the assessment of undesirable behaviour in order to mofidy it. This is known as Functional Behavioural Analysis. We will look more into it in a future post in this series.)
Reinforcement, in this case, like classical conditioning, plays a very crucial role. Timimg and frequency of delivering of the reinforcements are important in the effectiveness of discrete trial training. Differential Therefore, reinforcement techniques are employed in ABA to combine the frequencies of reinforcements with the effectiveness of the discrete trials. For example, when a child first learns a new concept, reinforcements should be immediately after every correct response so that the child can effectively pair the reward with his most recent behaviour. However, the frequency of delivering the reinforcement may decrease to encourage higher steady rate of responding when the child is motivated by receiving a reward but has no idea when it will be given. We will explore more about reindorcement schedules in future posts in this series.
Of course, discrete trials training is only one of the many components of ABA. However discrete trials training remains the most crucial element of ABA to date. In upcoming post of the series, we will look further into the various elements of ABA such as Verbal Behaviour, Functional Behaviour Analysis and Reinforcement Schedules.
As ABA is wide ranging in topics and its approach, here are some suggested readings that will help you understand it better -
Let Me Hear Your Voice: A Family's Triumph over Autism by Catherine Maurice is a mother's illuminating account of how one family overcomed the difficulties of autism through ABA. It is an absolutely unforgettable book, as beautifully written as it is informative.
Behaviorspeak: A Glossary of Terms in Applied Behavior Analysis (Volume 1) by Bobby Newman is an invaluable resource for parents, giving its readers the tools necessary to understand articles in professional journals, presentations, and books. Deliberately written in a humorous and easily understood style, this book will prove to be of great help to you in understanding ABA in greater depth.
Behaviorask: Straight Answers to Your ABA Programming Questions by Bobby Newman is a collection of answers to over 100 of the most common ABA programming questions, discussed in rich detail. The authors are Board Certified Behavior Analysts with many years of experience providing ABA-based programs in schools, homes, and private clinics.
Applied Behaviour Analysis and Autism by Mickey Keenan and his colleagues gives detailed guidance on how to develop a tailored ABA programme that includes the key features of ABA. The well laid out information is mixed with inspirational stories of success, making this book a holistic reference guide to ABA therapy.
If you have any further questions or suggestions, I look forward to corresponding with you via email at davensim@triumphantkids.com.
You can also find me on Facebook!
Till the next post, I wish you a very wonderful week ahead.
With regards,
Daven :)
www.triumphantkids.com
What is ABA?
As reinforcements and responses to these reinforcements are components of ABA, Classical Conditioning is also considered as one of the concepts in ABA other than operant conditioning.
Lovaas, a psychologist, first applied ABA to autism at the Psychology Department at UCLA in 1987. He suggested that social and behavioural skills could be taught, to children with autism, through the ABA method.
Read Understanding Applied Behavior Analysis: An Introduction to ABA for Parents, Teachers and Other Professionals by Albert J Kearney for a clear, precise introduction on ABA.
How does ABA work?
One of the main components in ABA is the discrete trials therapy. A
discrete trials session uses repeated presentations with each trial
having a clear, specific instructions and distinctly identifiable results. In discrete trial teaching, a
very small amount of information is given and the student’s response is
immediately reinforced or not reinforced.
Reinforcement, in this case, like classical conditioning, plays a very crucial role. Timimg and frequency of delivering of the reinforcements are important in the effectiveness of discrete trial training. Differential Therefore, reinforcement techniques are employed in ABA to combine the frequencies of reinforcements with the effectiveness of the discrete trials. For example, when a child first learns a new concept, reinforcements should be immediately after every correct response so that the child can effectively pair the reward with his most recent behaviour. However, the frequency of delivering the reinforcement may decrease to encourage higher steady rate of responding when the child is motivated by receiving a reward but has no idea when it will be given. We will explore more about reindorcement schedules in future posts in this series.
Read A Work In Progress by Ron Leaf and John McEachin for a more detailed and comprehensive explanation of discrete trials.
The video below may also better help you understand more about what discrete trial training is and how it is being carried out.
As ABA is wide ranging in topics and its approach, here are some suggested readings that will help you understand it better -
Let Me Hear Your Voice: A Family's Triumph over Autism by Catherine Maurice is a mother's illuminating account of how one family overcomed the difficulties of autism through ABA. It is an absolutely unforgettable book, as beautifully written as it is informative.
Behaviorspeak: A Glossary of Terms in Applied Behavior Analysis (Volume 1) by Bobby Newman is an invaluable resource for parents, giving its readers the tools necessary to understand articles in professional journals, presentations, and books. Deliberately written in a humorous and easily understood style, this book will prove to be of great help to you in understanding ABA in greater depth.
Behaviorask: Straight Answers to Your ABA Programming Questions by Bobby Newman is a collection of answers to over 100 of the most common ABA programming questions, discussed in rich detail. The authors are Board Certified Behavior Analysts with many years of experience providing ABA-based programs in schools, homes, and private clinics.
Applied Behaviour Analysis and Autism by Mickey Keenan and his colleagues gives detailed guidance on how to develop a tailored ABA programme that includes the key features of ABA. The well laid out information is mixed with inspirational stories of success, making this book a holistic reference guide to ABA therapy.
If you have any further questions or suggestions, I look forward to corresponding with you via email at davensim@triumphantkids.com.
You can also find me on Facebook!
Till the next post, I wish you a very wonderful week ahead.
With regards,
Daven :)
www.triumphantkids.com
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