ABA Basics
How much time should be spent on each activity during sessions, to ensure session is structured appropriately?
10-15 minutes
How often should lesson notes be read?
every session / prior to running the lesson
a structured intervention designed to teach a specific skill
Lesson / Program
when the learner is smiling, making happy sounds, and staying in the therapy area, these are signs of...
Assent
a consequence/stimulus that follows a behavior or target response that increases the future likelihood of that behavior or response occurring again
Reinforcement
The 3 C's to increase learning opportunities
Capture, Combine, and Contrive
when the learner accurately demonstrates the target skill after the SD is presented
Correct Response
one complete learning opportunity; consists of an SD, response, and consequence
Trial
a learner may hit their head, say "no", elope, or look away
Dissent
(Reinforcement + Extinction)
Differential Reinforcement
a learner's ability to use a skill correctly outside of therapy across different people, settings, stimuli
Generalization
Prompt
the instruction, cue, or environmental event that signals a specific response is expected, and that reinforcement is available for the correct response
SD (Discriminative Stimulus)
When a learner dissents due to lack of motivation, we can figure out what they are motivated for by conducting a preference assessment. If a learner doesn't/can't respond vocally to the preference assessment, what nonvocal cues can we look for?
-what they're looking at
-what they reach for or move toward
-what they turn to / attend to
withholding the reinforcer maintaining the problem behavior (while still providing appropriate support, safety, and co-regulation)
Extinction
The core principle of ABA states: Desired outcomes will _____ future occurrences of behavior, while UNdesired outcomes will _____ future occurrences of behavior.
Desired outcomes will INCREASE future occurrences of behavior, while UNdesired outcomes will DECREASE future occurrences of behavior.
teaching procedure that reinforces gradual improvements/approximations until the learner demonstrates the desired behavior/skill independently
Shaping
the point when a behavior begins; the learner engages in a behavior that meets the operational definition
Onset
True or False: Once a learner assents to therapy at the beginning of session, they have assented for the entire session.
FALSE.
True or False: A learner engages in a tantrum (attention-maintained) because BT said "not yet" to playing together. The BT should respond by ignoring the learner and waiting them out without engaging until they stop crying.
FALSE.
Extinction: Don't negotiate, make comments about tantrum, or engage in play.
Stay nearby. Calm voice: "It's so hard to wait. I'm here when you're ready."
If the child likes deep breathing, model breathing.
Offer regulation tools if these are already part of treatment.
Once calm: "Nice calming your body. Let me finish then we can play."
*Reinforcement comes after appropriate regulation—not during the tantrum.
List in order of MOST to LEAST intrusive prompts: verbal (statement/question), gestural, echoic, model, physical, proximity, stimulus modification, directive, text/visual
-physical
-model
-echoic
-directive
-text/visual
-verbal
-gestural
-proximity
-stimulus modification
When shaping, as the behavior/skill gets progressively closer to the target behavior/skills, what do we do with earlier approximations?
discontinue reinforcement
the point at which a target behavior ends; the behavior has ceased according to the operational definition
Offset
A learner has been refusing to complete a lesson, but this lesson note says "This lesson must be ran at least 1x per session." What should you do?
Ask myself:
1) Is the task too hard?
2) Is reinforcement strong enough?
3) Is the environment aversive?
4) Does the learner need a break?
Address these, then seek assent again before continuing. If learner continues to dissent, seek BCBA support.
A learner engages in escape-maintained aggression when you present a lesson. How can you implement extinction with compassion?
Don't walk away or remove the lesson. Help them regulate, rephrase the demand "Let's do it together," and complete the activity with prompts as needed so they are still completing the demand (just with support)