Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is the use of behavioral methods to measure behavior, teach socially significant skills, and evaluate the progress of those skills. ABA looks at understanding human behavior in the context in which the behavior occurs in order to determine the cause of the behavior. A “behavior” includes any action or skill that is observable andmeasurable, not just inappropriate or maladaptive behavior. ABA focuses on data collection and direct and objective observations, and is used to increase behaviors, teach new skills and concepts, maintain behaviors, reduce inappropriate behaviors, and generalize behaviors. ABA is based on sound scientific principles and has a solid research foundation that proves its effectiveness.
Behavioral Theory follows the idea that “you are who you are because you have learned to be that way”. It is sometimes hard to understand that behaviors such as language, communication, play, and social skills are behaviors, but you are not born with these skills, you learn them. You learn them through your environment and those in your environment. Therefore, the environment impacts you and your learning just as you impact the environment and those in the environment. It’s not that children with autism cannot learn and it’s not that they have learned to have autism, it’s that they have not maximized their ability to learn from their environment and they are not “learning” in the same ways as typical developing children. We know that many children with an autism spectrum disorder have potential for normal intelligence, if not superior intelligence.
ABA programs provide extensive levels of reinforcement which usually includes verbal praise (Great Job! Amazing!), physical praise (hugs, high fives, spins, wrestling, squeezes, etc), tangible praise (toys), etc. to increase behaviors and make therapy sessions highly enjoyable and rewarding.
“If you don’t have good reinforcers and are not willing to establish them, you might as well go home” -Ron Leaf and John Maceachin Autism Partnership, 1999
I Can Too Learning Center’s ABA techniques include play-based approaches and naturalistic teaching strategies, discrete trial teaching (DTT), verbal behavior techniques, picture exchange communication systems, pivotal response training (PRT), and various social skills training techniques. Each child needs a unique combination of these various approaches to maximize his or her learning potential. We need to understand that children with autism, just as typical developing children, have different learning styles and do not maximize their learning with one and only one teaching technique. We also see the benefit in many other philosophies and techniques such as TEACCH, Floortime, Relationship Development Intervention (RDI), SCERTS, and Sensory Diets. However, we take techniques and ideas from these philosophies and place them under an ABA umbrella by delivering them in the three part model, making them contingency based, and applying various behavioral principals for successful integration.
I Can Too Learning Center Inc. is a developmentally-based Applied Behavior Analysis program. We look at all domains in deficit and develop a program based on where the child’s developmental skills lie in each domain. We cannot look at an overall developmental age of a child (i.e., a 4 year old that is developing at 2.5 years of age) with autism to set up an appropriate program, as children with autism usually have “splinter skills”. Splinter skills and the level to which the autism impairs the child is why programming needs to be highly individualized and why knowing typical child development is so important. Each child with autism, as typical children, are unique and individual. Autism usually exhibits itself in splinter skills for each child where each developmental domain (cognitive, language, fine motor, gross motor, and social emotional) profile can look very different from one child to another. Programming for each area is like a developmental ladder where the program is broken down step by step and we are working on developing the skills and concepts at the next step up from where they are, then the next step, then the next step. This allows for the child to build on what they all ready know and makes sure they quickly reach independence while minimizing frustration.
