Technical
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is the science of changing socially significant behaviors in order to increase an individual’s quality of life. This is done through the application of evidence-based practices. The seven pillars of ABA are: Analytical, Behavioral, Applied, Effective, Conceptually Systematic, Technological, and Generalization.
Practical
ABA is behavior therapy that targets behaviors that keep an individual from participating in everyday activities or from being independent. Behaviors that ABA works with include, but are not limited to, tantrums, elopement, aggression, self-stimulatory behaviors (e.g., spinning, flapping), and self-injurious behaviors.
In addition, ABA targets behaviors that increase independence, such as toileting, brushing teeth, dressing, and crossing streets. Lastly, ABA targets behaviors that increase social skills, such as playing games and having conversations.
Socially Significant Behaviors
These are behaviors that affect the individual’s quality of life. They are important to the individual’s way of life in creating relationships and living independently.
Alternative Behaviors
When a behavior is being targeted, such as aggression, ABA seeks to replace it with a functionally equivalent behavior. What function did the target behavior serve? Was it to tell someone to stop feeding them? Or was it to get someone’s attention? Or maybe it was simply to keep access to their tablet because they did not want it taken away? As behavior analysts, it is our job to find the function of that behavior and find an appropriate behavior to replace it with.
What a typical ABA session looks like
- ABA can take place in the home, community, school, or clinic.
- A typical session would look like a behavior interventionist (BI) or registered behavior technician (RBT) coming to your house. Once inside, they set up for the session. That may look different depending on the child’s needs: there may be visuals involved (e.g., visual schedule, expectation board, token economy), activities set up around the house, and materials ready for activities. Once the session starts, the BI/RBT engages with the child in a variety of games, books, and activities, narrating what is happening the whole time. The BI/RBT will involve the family in activities to help generalize behaviors across people and environments. A walk around the neighborhood or an outing to the community is highly recommended during sessions, and parents and staff can coordinate these activities. Throughout the whole session, staff will give the child opportunities to communicate, engage, socialize, and, most importantly, engage in appropriate behaviors.