Applied behavior analysis (ABA)
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is a scientific approach to understanding and changing behavior. It's most widely known for its use in helping individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but it’s also used in education, healthcare, business, and more.
What is ABA?
ABA involves:
ABA programs are often highly individualized. For example:
- Observing behavior: What is the person doing?
- Identifying triggers (antecedents) and consequences: What happens before and after the behavior?
- Changing the environment or responses to encourage positive behaviors and reduce harmful or unwanted ones.
- Positive reinforcement – Rewarding good behavior so it happens more often.
- Prompting and fading – Helping someone perform a skill and slowly reducing that help.
- Generalization – Teaching a skill in one setting and helping the person apply it elsewhere.
- Data collection and analysis – Constant tracking to see what works.
ABA programs are often highly individualized. For example:
- A therapist might help a child with autism learn to communicate by rewarding attempts to use words or gestures.
- They might also work on reducing self-injurious behavior by teaching alternative ways to express frustration.