What is ABA Therapy?

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is a scientific approach focused on influencing the person's behavior by manipulating what happens before the behavior and what happen after the behavior. This is the "ABC" approach (Antecedent, Behavior, Consequences). We do not attempt to change the person or their behavior, we manipulate the circumstances around the person so the person can adjust their behavior themself as a reaction to those changes in their surroundings. 

A simplified principle of ABA is that the behavior is controlled by its consequences. As such, by manipulating the consequences, the behavior may change. Another principle of ABA is that for every "problem behavior" that we try to reduce, there is a "replacement skill" that we try to teach and increase. This is important because this discipline seek to teach relevant and functional skills that allow the person to engage in better social interactions.

Since ABA is a practical approach that seek to be relevant to the person's social environment, the discipline has multiple techniques that we call "Interventions". These interventions are some of the tools that the therapists use to influence the person's behaviors and to teach replacement skills. Those techniques are the base of our profession and it is what every therapy uses during the therapy sessions.

Five examples of ABA interventions

1- Shaping- Reinforcing successive approximations to the terminal behavior (the desired behavior).

2-Modeling- Performing the behavior appropriately for the person to imitate it.

3- Errorless Teaching- Helping the person to complete the behavior and then reinforce them "as if" they completed it without any help.

4- Premack Principle- Asking the person to complete a non-preferred task first, and then allow them to complete their preferred task.

5- Behavior Momentum- Asking the person to complete a non-preferred activity immediately after they finished at least two highly preferred activities in a row, and they are highly motivated.