What Is ABA

Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) refers to interventions that are based on the science of Behaviour Analysis.  While not exclusive designed for the treatment of autism, there is a very large body of evidence to support the use of ABA interventions for children diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. 

Building a Skill Set

ABA can be used to build skills where there are deficits. There is a wide variety of skills that can be taught, a typical ABA program usually includes the following.

  • Communication & Language Skills
  • Visual Performance
  • Joint Attention & Requesting Attention
  • Fine & Gross Motor Skills
  • Self-help tasks & building Independence
  • Play Skills:  Playing with others / Taking Turns / Making toys fun

Managing Difficult Behaviour

Challenging behavoiur is common for children on the spectrum. Coping with every day life and struggling to communicate needs often leads to frustration and anger. You will be taught strategies for managing outbursts, melt downs and tantrums. Your child will also learn how to appropriately make requests and deal with frustration. By identifying the function of harmful and inappropriate behaviour, we will design an intervention that directly works to replace these behaviours with appropriate and functional skills. 

ABA also works to identify those things in the environment that affect and cause behaviour to happen, in doing so we can alter the environment to increase the behaviours we want to teach. An ABA session is structured in a way that provides numerous teaching opportunities and therefore more scope for learning. 

Other Terms you may have come across. 

EIBI stands for ‘Early Intensive Behavioural Intervention’:  this is ABA designed specifically for young children between the ages of 2 and 5.  Evidence shows that starting early gives a child the best opportunity for making gains.  

VB stands for ‘Verbal Behaviour’:  this describes behavioural interventions that specifically target communication and language.  Almost all ABA interventions will include a VB program that is tailored to the language skill of the child.

ABA – AN EVIDENCE BASED SCIENCE

There is a strong body of evidence that supports the use of ABA in the treatment of Autism.  Unlike many non-behavioural and eclectic approaches to autism therapy, ABA has been the focus of hundreds of studies that examine its effectiveness and this research is ongoing.  Both EIBI and VB are continuously updated with the findings of this new research and it is the duty of any Behaviour Analyst to keep up to date with this growing evidence base. 

‘Evidence Base’, means that scientific tests have been applied to the tools and techniques used and that each facet of an intervention has been measured for its effectiveness.  Data is the corner stone of ABA research, and the foundation of all the interventions chosen for your child’s program.