ABA 101
These three words make up the acronym ABA.
What is Applied Behavior Analysis?
Name the four commonly taught functions of behavior.
What are attention, escape, tangible, and automatic.
Something is considered a reinforcer when it does THIS to behavior.
What is increases the future likelihood of the behavior?
A client hits another person 7 times during session. This is an example of this type of measurement.
What is frequency?
You arrive for your session and notice the client's program has been updated. Your first move is this.
This refers to a skill continuing over time after it has been learned.
What is maintenance?
A client yells when their tablet is removed. Staff return the tablet, and screaming becomes more likely during future removals.
What is access to tangibles?
A technician gives a client bubbles after they appropriately request "bubbles," and appropriate requests increase.
What is positive reinforcement?
A tantrum begins at 10:03 and ends at 10:11. You record 8 minutes. This is an example of this type of measurement.
What is duration?
A client gives an incorrect response during a teaching trial. This determines what you do next.
What is the client's current protocol / error correction procedure?
A client demonstrates a mastered greeting skill with their technician, parent, teacher, and unfamiliar adults.
What is generalization?
Each time worksheets are presented, a client engages in aggression. Staff remove the worksheet, and aggression becomes more likely during future demands.
What is escape?
A client appropriately requests a break, the task is temporarily removed, and appropriate break requests increase.
What is negative reinforcement?
What is it is subjective rather than objective and observable?
Another technician says, "I know the protocol says to do it that way, but my way works better." This is how you could respond / act.
What is follow the current treatment protocol and communicate the concern / suggestion to the supervisor rather than independently changing treatment?
Reinforcing closer and closer approximations toward a final desired behavior is called this.
What is shaping?
A client repeatedly hums while alone and continues whether other people respond or not. This function should at least be considered.
What is automatic?
A technician provides reinforcement for saying "break" instead of engaging in aggression to escape a task.
What is differential reinforcement / DRA?
You realize halfway through session that you forgot to record several trials. This is what you should do rather than estimating the client's responses from memory.
What is follow documentation / data procedures and notify the appropriate supervisor when needed.
A client begins engaging in a novel challenging behavior you've never seen before. This is your responsibility.
Breaking a complex skill into smaller teachable steps is called this.
What is task analysis?
TRUE OR FALSE: If a client hits someone immediately after being told "no," we know the function is access to tangibles.
What is FALSE? We need information about antecedents, consequences, patterns, and data; topography alone doesn't tell us function.
**Daily Double**
Staff say, "But Goldfish are his favorite!" Yet the client stops working when Goldfish are offered. What important ABA principle are staff forgetting?
What is that a stimulus is only a reinforcer if it actually increases / maintains behavior? Preferences and reinforcer effectiveness can change.
Client data suddenly decrease dramatically when one particular technician runs the program. Name at least two things the BCBA may investigate.
What are treatment fidelity, data collection accuracy, prompting, reinforcement, materials, antecedent conditions, procedural differences, etc.?
**DAILY DOUBLE**
Your client is playing happily and independently. You realize you haven't run many targets, so you wait until the final 20 minutes and rapidly run as many trials as possible. This is the problem.
What is poor session preparation / pacing and potentially reduced treatment quality? Teaching opportunities should be intentionally and appropriately distributed throughout treatment according to the client's programming.