Getting to know ABA

What is ABA?
What can ABA be used for?
How much ABA is Enough?
What is the role of a parent in an ABA program?
Components of an Effective Program
First Steps in Getting an ABA Program Started
What is ABA Therapy: The Basics
There are a lot of ideas and perceptions about ABA, and many prepackaged plans that
ostensibly provide a family with an ABA program. It is critical to remember that there is no
single program or plan that "is" ABA.
ABA, applied behavioral analysis, is simply the application of behavioral principles, to
everyday situations, that will, over time, increase or decrease targeted behaviors. ABA has
been used to help individuals acquire many different skills, such as language skills, self-help
skills, and play skills; in addition, these principles can help to decrease maladaptive behaviors
such as aggression, self-stimulatory behaviors, and self-injury. There are many providers of
ABA services, many of whom are quite good. Frequently, a parent will choose a qualified
provider with whom they share similar philosophical approaches in the application of
intensive behavioral interventions.
This guide is provided to assist caregivers in their decision-making process.
WHAT IS ABA
Applied Behavior Analysis is the process of systematically applying interventions
based upon the principles of learning theory to improve socially significant behaviors to a
meaningful degree, and to demonstrate that the interventions employed are responsible for the
improvement in behavior.
ABA is a discipline that employs objective data to drive decision-making about an
individuals program. That is, data is collected on responses made by the individual to
determine if progress is being made or not; if there is no progress under a particular
intervention, we need to reevaluate the program and change it so that the child begins to make
progress.

WHAT IS ABA USED FOR?

The short answer is: almost anything. If it is a behavior, and it can be observed, ABA
principles exist that can be used to either increase or decrease that behavior. As a discipline,
ABA providers are charged with the improvement of socially significant behaviors. Socially
significant behaviors include communication, social skills, academics, reading and adaptive
living skills such as gross and fine motor skills, toileting, dressing, eating, personal self-care,
domestic skills, and work skills.
HOW MUCH ABA IS ENOUGH?
This commonly asked question has no single answer. Research supports, at a
minimum, 25 hours per week of intensive behavioral intervention for young children
diagnosed with autism for 12 months a year (2). The original Lovaas studies showed that
approximately half the children were able to achieve typical development with, on average, 40
hours per week over at least 2 years (3). There is no single study that can inform a parent of
the optimal number for their child. But, frankly, ABA, like breathing and eating, should be
incorporated into a familys lifestyle. This does not mean doing flashcards all day long, or
sitting at a desk for every waking hour. It does mean that the family should learn ABA
principles and how to apply them in the context of daily activities.
What is the role of a parent in an ABA program?
Parents are indispensable in the childs program. They play a necessary and critical
role. Studies show that children whose parents are actively engaged in the process make
measurable gains (4). First, no one knows the child better than the parent; the parents provide
critical and insightful information that will help guide the ABA program. Second, parents are
able to continue to prompt and reinforce the child through his and her various daily activities an essential component to generalizing skills. Finally, parents are in a position to be able to
record and track ABC data in the home and community setting. This information is vital in
hypothesizing the function (the why) of specific behaviors as well as for determining what
conditions encourage behaviors to occur.
Components of an effective program
Children need, and education law supports, the use of effective interventions for
children with autism. Based on the National Autism Centers National Standards Report,(note
3) the following components meet the criteria of research-based, effective interventions for
children with autism:

Antecedent manipulation - modification of situational events that precede the target

behavior. These alterations are designed to increase the likelihood of success of the targeted
behavior. Examples include: prompt/fading procedures, behavioral momentum, contrived
motivational operations, inter-trial intervals, incorporation special interests, etc.
Behavioral treatment -programs designed to decrease problem behaviors and to
increase functional alternative behaviors. Examples include: functional communication
training,

chaining,

discrete

trial

training,

mand

training,

generalization

training,

reinforcement, shaping, etc.

Comprehensive intervention - low student to teacher ratio (1:1, or low as appropriate)
in a variety of settings, including home school and community. Effective programs are based
on a treatment manual, provide intensive treatment (25hrs/wk+), and include data-driven
decision-making.
Joint attention intervention - programs designed to teach a child to respond to the
social bids of another, or to initiate joint attention interactions. Examples include: pointing to
objects, showing items, activities to another, and following eye gaze.
Modeling - adults or peers provide a demonstration of the target behavior; the student
is expected to imitate. Thus, imitation skills are a necessary prerequisite to this type
intervention. Modeling is often combined with prompting and reinforcement strategies which
can assist the student to acquire imitation skills.
Naturalistic teaching strategies - use of child-initiated interactions to teach functional
skills in the natural environment. This intervention requires providing a stimulating
environment, modeling play, providing choices, encouraging conversation and rewarding
reasonable attempts
Peer training - involves training peers without disabilities strategies for interacting
(play and social) with children with autism. Some commonly known peer-training programs
include: circle of friends, buddy skills, peer networks, etc.

Pivotal response training - program designed to target specific, pivotal, behaviors

that lead to improvement across a broad range of behaviors. These pivotal behaviors include:
motivation

to

engage

in

social

communication,

self-initiation,

self-management,

responsiveness to multiple cues, etc.

Schedules - teaching a student to follow a task list (picture- or word-based) through a
series of activities or steps in order to complete a specific activity. Schedules are accompanied
by other behavioral interventions, including reinforcement.
Self-management - this treatment intervention teaches a student to regulate his or her
behavior by recording the occurrence or non-occurrence of the target behavior, and secure
reinforcement for doing so.
Story-based interventions - involves a written description of the situations under which
specific behaviors are expected to occur. The stories seek to teach the: who, what, when,
where and why of social interactions to improve perspective taking. The most well-known of
these interventions is Carol Grays Social Stories.
First steps in getting an ABA program started
The first step for parents wanting to start an ABA program is to get an assessment of
their childs current skill level. There are a number of assessments available, and parents
should try to get an assessment that is as comprehensive as possible. This could include:
Diagnostic Assessment. A diagnostic assessment provides information related to your
childs diagnosis and is completed by a licensed psychologist. This is not a service that we
offer but one that we highly recommend. A good clinician will differentiate your childs
diagnosis from autism, Aspergers syndrome, or Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not
Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS). Diagnostic assessments should be conducted initially and
then again each year. Common diagnostic assessments include the Autism Diagnostic
Observation Schedule (ADOS), Autism Diagnostic Interview Revised (ADI-R), PDD
Behavior Inventory (PDD-BI), Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) and Gilliam Autism
Rating Scale (GARS).

Developmental Assessment. Norm-referenced developmental assessments provide

information about how your child is developing in all areas compared to peers his or her own
age. Developmental Assessments measure cognition, communication, motor, adaptive, and
social skills. Some developmental assessments such as the Bayley Scales of Infant
Development may only be completed by a licensed psychologist. However, other
developmental scales may be implemented by anyone with advanced training in assessment.
These assessments include but are not limited to The Battelle Developmental Inventory
(BDI),

Developmental

Activities

Screening

Inventory-Second

Edition

(DASI-II),

Developmental Assessment of Young Children (DAYC), and the Merrill-Palmer Revised

Scales of Development (M-P-R).
Domain Specific Assessment.Specialized assessments are available for each area of
development. For example, a number of assessments exist for the sole purpose of assessing
language development. These measures are utilized to determine specific information about a
childs delay. For example, a developmental assessment may reveal that a child has delays in
language and social skills. Subsequent assessment must then be completed in those areas in
order to determine the nature and extent of the delay. You may find it beneficial to consult
with specialists to assist you in meeting your childs needs within each domain. Typically
speech and language pathologists assist with language and speech issues while physical
therapists assist with gross motor and occupational therapists assist with fine motor.
Neuropsychological Assessment. Neuropsychological assessments measure cognitive
function and can only be administered by licensed psychologists. While we do not offer this
type of assessment, we recommend having this assessment completed at least once in the
early phases of your childs intervention program. These measures are more accurate if your
child speaks. However, appropriate measures for non-verbal children are available.
Criterion-Referenced

Assessments.

Criterion-referenced

assessments

provide

information about skills that in your childs repertoire. Criterion-referenced assessments are
not designed to diagnose or to measure delay but rather to determine what skills your child is
able to perform as well as what skills your child should learn next. Criterion-referenced
assessments may be completed by anyone with advanced training in assessment. Additionally,
criterion-referenced assessments are excellent to use for program development. Popular
criterion-referenced assessments include The Brigance, the Assessment of Basic Language

and Learning Skills (ABLLS), the Verbal Behavior Milestones Assessment and Placement
Program (VB-MAPP), and the Hawaii Early Learning Profile (HELP).
Other Assessments. Your child should also have other assessments completed as often
as necessary.

These assessments include preference assessments, functional behavioral

assessments, and skill probes. These measures should be regular components of your childs
educational program.
Solid assessments provide a baseline upon which to begin building an ABA program.
In addition, the assessment outcomes can provide year-to-year objective markers of progress
(or lack thereof) of the interventions chosen.
Second, parents will need to find a qualified provider of ABA services. There is a
formal credentialing within the profession of behavior analysts coordinated by the Behavior
Analyst Certification Board (http://bacb.com). Certification under this process provides
parents with some safeguards with respect to the services of the professional. It assures the
parent that the professional has undergone specific training and supervision by qualified
Behavior Analysts and has completed specific coursework related to behavioral analysis and
interventions. However, parents need to understand that a BCBA certification does not
guarantee that the professional has any training or experience specific to autism or that that
individual has the skills necessary to produce optimal treatment outcomes. Thus, a parent
should always ask about the individual professionals specific experience and training in the
implementation and training of ABA programs for individuals with autism. Finally, since the
BCBA certification process is relatively new, there are a number of professionals who have
actively been working in the field for many years and who are in the later stages of their
career who are not BCBAs. If you interested in working with a non-certified professional,
parents are urged to request information relating to their qualifications and experience.
Third, parents will need to find therapists to implement the ABA program designed by
the consultant. Some ABA providers can provide parents with trained therapists; others rely
on parents to find and hire therapists which the consultant subsequently trains. Costs for
programs vary tremendously. Comprehensive programs (where therapists are provided to the
families) can run between $60,000 to $120,000 per year. Programs where parents find and
hire their own therapists can run substantially less than comprehensive programs, and yet
remain financially burdensome (between $20,000-$35,000 per year).

Costs can be alleviated by securing ABA services through early intervention services
or through the school system. Federal law requires that individuals with disabilities be
provided individualized and appropriate education that is research-based and effective (see
http://idea.ed.gov/ ). ABA is the only intervention that passes such standard; thus schools and
early intervention providers are required to utilize such interventions with students with
autism.
Another avenue that parents can pursue for financial assistance is through their
insurance plan. Insurance coverage will vary depending on your state of residence, and
whether your plan is self-funded or fully funded.
(1) Baer, Wolf & Risley, 1968; Sulzer-Azaroff & Mayer, 1991
(2) National Research Council (2001) Educating Children with Autism. Committee on
Educational Interventions for Children with Autism. Catherine Lord and James P. McGee,
eds. Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. Washington, D.C.: National
Academy Press.
(3) Lovaas, O.I. (1987) "Behavioral treatment and normal educational and intellectual
functioning in young autistic children," Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 55, 39
(4) Johnson, C.R., et al. 2007. "Development of a Parent Training Program for
Children with Pervasive Developmental Disorders." Behavioral Interventions 22(3):201-221
(5) http://www.thelovaascenter.org/autism-aba-study.php
(6) Filipek, P.A., MD et al (2000), Practice Parameter: Screening and Diagnosis of
Autism. Report of the Quality Standards Subcommittee of the American Academy of
Neurology and the Child Neurology Society.