Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)
What is ABA?
ABA is an evidence-based approach to changing socially significant behavior. It is supported by over 70 years of research with the seminal research by BF Skinner to its modern researchers such as Donald Baer and Todd Wolf.
The five steps we take in ABA are:
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Step 1: Defining and Prioritizing Behavior...
Step 2: Gather Information...
Step 3: Develop Hypotheses...
Step 4: Develop a Behavioral Support Plan...
Step 5: Implementation and Monitoring.
Discrete Trial Training (DTT)
What is DTT?
DTT is training use small bite sized requests followed by reinforcing items/activities for the learner.
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This is an intervention method of implementing behavioral analysis. Most children on the severe side of the autistic spectrum have challenges in grasping basic abilities. Therefore, DTT teaches skills using a structured ladder of small and easily-taught elements. Through the repetition of DTT, children acquire mastery over significant abilities; skills taught are categorized as self-help, social, play, communication, and cognitive.
Principles of DTT
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The fundamentals of DTT are highlighted into five principles:
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Skills are broken down into small structures, and instructions are provided in the most concise way possible. Rather than asking a child to show the trainer which book on the table is blue, the teacher may simply say"touch blue"; students avoid confusion regarding what the teacher is requesting.
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Therapist teaches each bit until the child grasps it before moving on to the next skill.
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Each session is intensive.
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Therapist start with prompts as required and then reduce them.
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Learning (reinforcers) must be promoted by incentives; providing these incentives, and at the time they are offered should be consistent.
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The five DTT training steps:
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Discriminative stimulus. This is a brief and clear instruction alerting the child of the activity at hand. This assists the learner in making a connection between a particular direction and the appropriate response.
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The prompt. It is not always given; however, it may be essential for some learners to help them form appropriate responses. It is usually provided between the discriminative stimulus and the response.
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Child response. this is the behavior the child accentuates when presented with a discriminative stimulus; it can be either incorrect or correct.
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Consequence. It varies according to the correctness of the response; a correct answer is immediately backed up with a positive reward while an incorrect response, the child is simply corrected gently.
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Inter-trial intervention. It is the final step of the DTT process. This is the period that comes after the consequence; it shows the end of one trial and the beginning of another.
Natural Environment Training (NET)
What is NET?
Natural Environment Teaching is a way of offering ABA therapy in a "real life" or"natural environment" setting, unlike a more formal environment. NET is often applied to individuals on the autism spectrum to help them gain general and necessary skills. Generalization is when a learner is capable of applying the skills learned in various settings. This is particularly vital because a child may learn to self-adjust their emotions in school, church, market, or any other environment. by generalizing the skill successfully, they are capable of practicing the skill whenever they go.
skills taught by NET
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Natural Environment Teaching(NET) can aid children with an autism spectrum disorder to obtain new skills which are vital in development, including socialization and language. An ABA therapist can use NET to keep the learner focused during therapy because it always applies to the child's high-interest areas. However, NET is not mainly designed as play; applying the learner's interests in ABA therapy can assist them in developing rapport. Incorporating interest areas of the child is a crucial principle in NET to motivate them to master new socially essential skills.
NET can also be a somewhat complex strategy to implement in ABA therapy because of the informal and less structured setting. To ensure a more successful session, the therapist needs to be in control when the learner receives reinforcements. Besides, it is vital to have a reinforcer that highly encourages the learner to ensure immense progress during the process. The aim is for the learner to associate the therapist with positive reinforcement.
Verbal Behavior (VB)
What is VB?
Verbal behavior (VB) is a teaching strategy that focuses on the concept that the meaning of a word is found in its function. B.F Skinners invented this term.; to teach a child with language delays the meaning of the word, you need to teach its function first. As an example, rather than just teaching a word, we need to educate them on applying the words functionally. For instance, a child with autism might say the word "cup" when they see one, but may not be able to actually say the word "cup" when they need to use the drink tea or water or even answer correctly when asked what a cup is used for.
In as much as Verbal Behavior (VB) and Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) originate from Skinner's concepts, they both apply different ideas to teaching language. others believe that VB Intervention is an incredible addition to ABA; however, according to Skinner, language can be broken into the following operants:
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Tact - this is the ability to label things, including emotions and actions.
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Mand - the ability to communicate what you want or need. For instance, the child asks for a ball if they want to play with it.
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Interverbal - this is one of the most complex behaviors to teach; the speaker responds to another's verbal behavior. For example, If I say, "A cow says…'' and the speaker says "moo'' they perform an intraverbal response. It is the ability of a speaker to fill in the blanks.
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VPMTS (Visual perception and Matching to Sample)n - Matching items or pictures to another picture or object in the environment.
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Listener Responding (LR) - The ability of a listener to respond to another's verbal behavior; ability to do something when given a direction to do action.
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Listener Responding by Function, feature, Class - The ability to find things depending on its name, what it does, how it is described, and what group it belongs to.
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Echoics - The speaker repeats the same sound or word said by another individual, like an echo, imitating some else's sound.
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Motor Imitation - This is the ability to imitate another person's actions; this happens when it directly responds to seeing action.