How does ABA work?

September 3, 2019 Katie Cook, M.Ed., BCBA

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behavior

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applied behavior analysis

Principles of Behavior

The golden standard of treatment to improve the behavior of individuals with autism is Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). Applied Behavior Analysis is the scientific study of how behavior works and how learning takes place. Through a system of reinforcement, ABA focuses on improving and teaching new socially significant behaviors such as academics, social, communication and daily living skills for those with autism. In order to accomplish this, ABA follows three main principles of behavior.

1) We can change behavior by changing the environment.

Certain things happening in the environment, both before and after a behavior occurs, which effects the behavior.

For example, say you want to increase a child’s socially significant behavior of following directions at home. In order to do this, you change the environment by giving the child a bite of his favorite strawberry candy after he follows your instructions with toy clean up. You then see that the child begins following directions more often after this. You have just changed the child’s behavior by changing the environment.

2) Behavior is learned and continues because it serves a purpose.

We all behave the way we do for one of the following four reasons.

In ABA we call these reasons the Functions of Behavior, each of which fulfills a specific need we have.

Escape/Avoidance- We behave the way we do in order to remove ourselves from a non-preferred environment or to get out of doing something we don’t want to do.

Attention- We behave the way we do to gain attention, this can include ‘acting out’ in order to receive negative attention from someone.

Tangibles Items/Activities- We behave the way we do to gain access to a preferred items or activities such as a favored food, toy, iPAD, etc.

Sensory Stimulation/Automatic- We behave the way we do because the action in itself feels good, helps us cope with stressors or has a calming effect internally.

When a child with autism engages in a challenging behavior, they have a purpose for doing it. They have learned that this behavior gets their needs met, satisfying one of these four functions. If you can figure out which function it is, you can then help the child learn a new, more socially appropriate way to get what they want instead.

3) Behaviors that lead to a desired outcome are likely to be repeated, while behaviors that lead to undesired outcomes are less likely repeated.

Here’s an example for a child in need of attention. To gain attention this child tells jokes during class discussions. If her teacher and classmates do not pay attention to her when she engages in this behavior, and instead give the child a ton of attention for the behavior of making on-topic comments during class discussions, this child is more likely to continue making on-topic comments because this behavior is meeting the need for attention which the child desires!

The principles of behavior are present in all our lives on a daily basis. They have also been extensively studied and developed for use with individuals with autism who do not always naturally learn the use of socially appropriate behaviors on their own due to skill deficits related to their diagnosis. ABA techniques can be utilized in structured settings such as a classroom, as well as more natural settings such as at home and in the community, with life changing results!

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