ABA is comprehensive and can be used to teach all basic skills or concepts (e.g., sitting, attending, imitating, vocabulary building, direction following, etc.) and complex skills and concepts (e.g., storytelling, inferencing, reading, having conversations, emotional development, self-regulation, playing a team sport, theory of mind, senses, etc.). Goal setting and data collection drive ABA programs and help professionals decipher what is working, what is not, and what needs to be changed and added.
Through the use of ABA techniques, desired behaviors and competencies are broken down into smaller, teachable parts to more effectively teach to the larger goal. This systematic approach has been shown to be effective in teaching with children with autism new skills. In doing this, we explicitly work to make sure that learning becomes a fun and rewarding activity for your child and that he/she develops the ability to “learn how to learn!” Each teaching trial and target is a building block toward ever greater independence, understanding, and knowledge.
ABA strategies can be used in all settings, whether in a 1:1 setting, or with small or large groups. It can be incorporated into the most structured teaching task or informal play date. ABA techniques can be taught to and used by anyone, including parents, siblings, and peers.
