ABA

What is ABA ?

1. Focuses on improving specific behaviors ?

2. Culturally appropriate for effective communication

3. Applicable across various settings, ppl, disorders

Behavior

The activity of a living organism upon the environment

Overt vs covert ?

Observed/measurable vs inner emotions/feelings

What behavior change programs do ABA focus on ?

BIP: reduction of excess behaviors

Skills Acquisition Plan: increasing skills

What are the ABC’s of behavior ?

Antecedent

Behavior

Strategy

Antecedent

What happens right before the behavior, things you can see

Consequence

Behavior is controlled by consequence (determines if behavior will happen more or less often)

Behavior

(in)correct responses

What are the two types of consequences ?

1. Punishment (outcome that makes behavior less likely to occur)

2. Reinforcement (reward that makes behavior more likely to occur)

What makes a good reinforcement ?

Immediate, distinct, specific, preferred, varied

What are the effects of punishment ?

Decrease target behavior

Not for new behaviors

TEMPORARY

What are the units of measurement for data collection ?

1. Frequency (count of behavior)

2. Rate (number of responses)

3. Duration (total extent of time behavior occurs)

What is time sampling ?

Records the occurrence or nonoccurrence of a behavior

Whole vs partial interval ?

Behavior occurs throughout interval vs at any point in the interval

What is momentary time sampling ?

Behavior happens at specific moment (end of interval) to be recorded

How do you collect data for desirable behaviors ?

measure FERBs (functionally equivalent replacement behavior)

plus if correct and independent behavior

minus if incorrect with no response

prompted

How is frequency data collected ?

Task refusal with onset and offset (when client complies)

What are the two teaching approaches ?

1. Adult led (DTT, ITT, PEAK)

2. Child led (PRT, NET, Incidental teaching)

Adult vs child led ?

Reinforcement comes after correct responses, Errorless training, Typically occurs at a table

Involves play, motivation in natural environment, reinforcement built in, shared control, skill transition into real world

Discrete Trial Training

1:1 structured instruction

BT presents controlled learning opp, learner chooses reinforcer

Repeated trials of SDs followed by specific consequences

errorless and error correction

Incidental teaching

Flexible

“Go with the flow”

Use MO to teach

Discriminative stimulus (SD)

Clear, concise, consistent

Developmentally appropriate

Reinforcement vs corrective feedback ?

Immediately, increases response likelihood, maintains correct behavior

Immediately, decreases response likelihood

What are the three different preference assessments ?

1. Indirect: ask client or others who know them

2. Free operant: observe client to see what they like

3. Forced choice: offer choices and see how client responds

What are prompts ?

During new or emerging skills, errorless training

Increases relationship btwn new skill and access to reinforcement

What is the prompt hierarchy ?

Most to least intrusive: FP, PP, FV, PV, G/M, pos.

When do you prompt client ?

During the antecedent

At the same time as the instruction

Before client response

What is prompt fading ?

Reduce prompt level, magnitude, or timing

What is the errorless learning teaching procedure ?

1. SD plus prompt

2. Reinforce

3. Fade

4. Reinforce

What is the error correction procedure ?

1. Error

2. SD plus prompt

3. SD with time delay or faded prompt

4. Distractor

5. Re-present SD independently

6. Reinforce

What are the three different error correction procedures ?

Error and prompt: deliver SD, wait for correct or incorrect response, provide corrective feedback if needed, retrial with minimally intrusive prompt

Transfer trial: re-present SD with time delay or prompt fading, wait to see if client provides correct response, if desired response then reinforce but if not then do error correction procedure again

Errorless vs error correction ?

Prompt right away, most to least prompting

Wait until you need to prompt, least to most prompting

What affects behavior ?

Internal states and external factors, lived experiences, functions of behavior

What are the functions of behavior ?

Self-stimulatory

Escape/avoidance

Attention

Tangible/access

Trigger vs signal ?

Antecedent event that increases likelihood of challenging behavior

Cue or pattern that indicates challenging behavior to come or escalate

Name the 9 antecedent strategies

Environmental modification

Priming

Visual schedules

High-probability sequence

Task reduction

Preference assessment

Pairing/repairing

Functional communication training

Non- contingent reinforcement

What are the consequence strategies ?

Response blocking

Token economy

Differential reinforcement

Extinction

What are the three types of differential reinforcement ?

1. DRO: other behaviors/omission reinforced as long as not targeted

2. DRI: incompatible behavior bc can’t be done simultaneously

3. DRA: alternative behavior reinforcement

What are the four schedules of reinforcement ?

1. Fixed ratio: stable number of responses

2. Fixed interval: stable amount of time

3. Variable ratio: unpredictable number of responses

4. Variable interval: unpredictable amount of time