Spotlight on ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis)
The area of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) has its origin from the work of B.F. Skinner in the 1930’s. ABA works on the principles that the environment can influence actions, specifically rewards can encourage a particular behavior being repeated.
The following is a video featuring case studies of success in ABA treatment that was produced by The Pennsylvania Department of Education as part of the PaTTAN Autism Initiative.
Autism Speaks has an excellent article on their website of how ABA relates to autism. You can find it at www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism/treatment/applied-behavior-analysis-aba.
ABA therapy has been proven to be a helpful treatment for many people with autism. Behavior Consulting of Tampa Bay has an excellent online article showing research on the effectiveness of ABA at www.bcotb.com/research.php.
The following Autism Lights have or are making contributions to ABA. You can view their post by clicking on the link attached to their name.
- Dr. Vince Carbone is a Board Certified Behavioral Analyst and is the Director of the Carbone Clinic in New York. He was Autism Light #5.
- Ann D. Eldridge is a Board Certified Behavioral Analyst and President and Clinical Services Director of the South Carolina Early Autism Project, Inc. She was Autism Light #72.
- Barry and Judith Nelson are co-founders of the Victory School for Autism and Behavioral Challenges. The school uses ABA principles. They were Autism Lights #11.
- Dr. Carl Sundberg is a Board Certified Behavioral Analyst and Executive Director of the Behavioral Analysis Center for Autism in Indiana. He was Autism Light #94.
All posts with the ABA label attached can be viewed in chronological order by searching the blog based on the ABA label.
For more information on Applied Behavior Analsys visit their Wikipedia Page.
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Autism Light is an upbeat but real blog that takes readers on a journey that recognizes diverse heroes in and for the autism community.
Yep, it is super useful, I just wish that more providers would comply with medicaid regulations for billing!
I feel like there aren’t enough posts on autisable about this! I’m in school to be a BCBA, and currently a case manager for two adolescent individuals in an intensive residential treatment facility. Behavior analysis swept me off my feet as an undergraduate in psychology… and now I’m seeing how it works in the real world.
Along with staff, I utilized an intensive toilet-training procedure for a young man who had been in diapers his whole life, with no expressive communication modalities. After only two weeks of the treatment, my guy self-initiates when he needs to use the bathroom, and has continence with both urinations and stools! This is the only treatment I have ever seen that reduces problem behavior rates greatly while also teaching socially-appropriate skills for long-term use. Stop putting kids on high amounts of behavior meds, STOP the use of unnecessary restrictive environments and mechanical restraint. Use ABA!!