Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)
The goal of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) at Stars is to improve the lives of each child and his/her family by increasing desired language, social and academic skills and reducing problematic behavior.
Applied Behavior Analysis is a philosophy of treatment based on data collection and the use of statistical tools. Lessons to be taught are broken down to their simplest elements. Children are presented with a stimulus through repeated trials. Positive reinforcement is used to reward correct responses and behaviors, and incorrect responses are ignored.
ABA addresses behaviors interfering in a child’s ability to learn:
- Inattention and work behavior
- Impulsivity and frustration tolerance
- Resistance to change and Adaptive skills
- Self-stimulatory and other stereotypic behaviors
- Non-compliance and non-responsiveness
- Disruptive and Aggressive behavior
- Manipulative and attention-seeking behavior
- Inability to use ‘Functional Communication’ to obtain desired object or access an activity
ABA methods are used to support learning in the following ways:
- To increase appropriate positive behaviors (eg reinforcement procedures increase on-task behavior or social interactions)
- To teach new skills through discrete trail training and incidental teaching and pivotal response training
- To maintain behaviors (eg, teaching self control and self-monitoring procedures)
- To generalize or to transfer behavior from one situation or response to another (in multiple environments and with multiple instructors) to reduce and restrict the conditions under which interfering behaviors occur (modifying the learning environment)
- Use conditioned reinforcement or reward charts to encourage and model acceptable behavior
- Use Token Economy and Visual Timers for teaching waiting and turn taking/sharing
- Prepare children with interfering behaviors for school and group interactions
- Increase social skills through pretend play activities
- Educate siblings relationships
- To reduce challenging behavior (eg. self injury, stereotypy) and restrict the conditions under which these behaviors occur (eg. modify the learning environment)