One of the most widely known and practiced strategies for autism intervention is the Applied Behavior Analysis Approach (ABA). Some scientists are convinced that children with autism have a difficult time learning from their experience or from the environment around them. ABA is the science of applying principles of behavior to improve the behavior of an individual. By taking what is known about a behavior and using it to bring about positive change within an individual, this learning gap is eliminated. The approach is based on the principle that all behavior is learned and is influenced by what happens just before the specific behavioral event (antecedent), and what happens just after the behavioral event (consequence). 

 

In other words, the therapist observes the events that happen just before a behavior takes place and events that take place just after a behavior takes place, in order to figure out particular patterns that come along with a specific behavior. The therapist measures the progression of a child by gradually modifying and keeping note of child’s behavior until the desired results are obtained.  ABA makes use of behavioral methods not only to measure behavior, but also to teach functional skills and observe the development of those skills as well.

The goal of the therapist is to figure out what is triggering a child to act in a certain way, and what is reinforcing the child to act in such a way in the future. Once a therapist is able to figure out the trigger that is causing a child to misbehave, it is their job to reduce or eliminate the bad behavior by teaching the child to adopt a more appropriate behavior whenever they are affected by the same trigger in the future. The appropriate behavior that the child learns is ingrained through reinforcement, which means that the therapist rewards the child each time they perform the appropriate behavior. The process may take some time for both the therapist and the child. It may take the therapist some time to analyze the triggers that are affecting the child, and it will take a child some time to adopt the new appropriate behaviors that the therapist teaches him or her.

 

As stated previously, ABA therapy can also be used to teach children functional skills as well. For example, a therapist may tell a child to “Pick up the cup!” In the beginning, the child may not understand what the therapist is asking of them, and do nothing at all. The therapist will then probably give the child a prompt such as physically placing the child’s hand on the cup. Once the child connects the verbal cue with the action of picking up the cup, the therapist will reward the child with a toy or snack as a reinforcer, to increase the likelihood that the child will perform the same behavior in the future. Another method that involves ABA teaching is the Pivotal Response Training Method, which focuses on developing just a few behaviors to have a broad effect on behaviors which are not specifically taught.

 

Out of all the therapies and interventions available for those who are diagnosed, ABA is the most well-established therapy. As with other therapies, the best outcomes result from “early and often.” If a child is introduced to the therapy at a young age (3 or 4 years of age), and there is consistent and long-term commitment to treatment, the child is very likely to have improved cognitive skills, functional skills, and I.Q. rating. Studies have shown that it benefits a child if a parent has experience with the therapy as well. For best results, children should be involved one-on-one with an ABA therapist for no less than forty hours a week. Over a year, the costs of the therapy can run any where from \$35,000 to \$100,000.

 

Sources:

 

[http://www.autismconnectmd.org/education/methods/aba.html]

 

[Applied Behavior Analysis. < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Applied_behavior_analysis]