Intro to ABA slide narration
Slide 1: Introduction to Applied Behavior Analysis
As the title indicates, this presentation is designed to introduce you to applied behavior analysis. I
applaud the fact that, for most of you, an introductory session may appear somewhat redundant as you
have likely undergone prior self or professionally guided study in applied behavior analysis. But as is
often the case in the field of education, no two presentations are exactly the same, and this one is
designed to take a somewhat different approach to teaching the underpinnings of our field. Thus we
encourage you to give it a chance.
Slide 2
Structure and clarity is important in education, especially with adult learners, so I will attempt to set the
goals of this presentation up front. First, you will learn what behavior analysis is and how it is related to
science in general. In order to facilitate future goals for parent training as a whole, I have found it
valuable to get parents thinking as scientist practitioners early on in training, rather than as parents.
This also makes it easier to make appropriate treatment decisions later on. You will also learn about
some of the primary differences between behavior analysis and its application to socially significant
issues. Moving away from strictly theory based learning, they 4th goal involves providing you with some
resources for help and support. Lastly, we will discuss how and why you should learn to implement ABA
procedures for your child.
Slide 3
In line with our first goal, we will venture to understand what behavior analysis is as a practice and a
field. Vastly simplified, the Association for Behavior Analysis International notes that behavior analysis is
a “natural science-based approach to understanding behavior”. The natural sciences are those that deal
with the physical world. For a more detailed definition you can click on the hyperlink within the slide.
As such, behavior analysis defines behavior as something that a person or other organism does within
the context of an environment that can be observed, measured, and repeated. Thus understanding
behavior for a behavior analyst is much like how an astronomer attempts to understand celestial bodies,
except that we limit our field of study to living organisms.
Further, behavior analysts view the context in which behavior occurs as a critical factor to its
understanding. Context is a very large concept to a behavior analyst, comprising many different
variables and how they interact. However, if an organism is ‘behaving’ within a given environment then
the reasons for its actions will be directly related to the prevailing conditions within that environment.
And those prevailing conditions define the ‘context’ within which the behavior occurs. For a more
detailed discussion about behavior analysis, applied behavior analysis and this behavior/context
interaction, click on the 2nd hyperlink in the slide.
Slide 4
Thus far we have considered behavior analysis as akin to the natural sciences from a general conceptual
basis. But the similarities run to deeper philosophical and applied levels. Remember how our definition
of behavior included the components of observation, measurement and repeatability? This is by design
because behavior analysis shares many of the central characteristics of science, most specifically for our
purposes, description, explanation, prediction and control. We operationally define behavior in
observable and measurable terms so we can clearly note its presence and absence. We then observe
behavior occurring in a given context and make note of the environmental conditions occurring before
and after in an attempt to identify the processes responsible for it. We attempt to explain these
processes in their most basic terms and manipulate them experimentally in an attempt to establish
conditions under which we can cause a given behavior to happen or not happen. Lastly, we repeat this
process to establish an adequate degree of certainty that the change was a result of our manipulations
and not other factors such as chance. Please click the hyperlink for a more detailed discussion of these
scientific characteristics.
Slide 5
Who best to describe behavior analysis and its origins than one of its founding fathers, BF Skinner? This
video is provided free of charge by the BF Skinner Foundation. While rather lengthy at 45 minutes, it
clarifies very well the concepts presented thus far in this presentation. Feel free to watch the video in
segments if the full 45 minutes proves a bit too challenging. Enjoy!
Slide 6
In previous slides, you read some information on the web about behavior analysis and some of the
things that make it different from applied behavior analysis. In an effort to avoid redundancy, the
contents of this slide will focus primarily on what sets ABA apart not only from behavior analysis but
from psychology as well.
In 1968, Trevor Stokes and Donald Baer wrote an article entitled “Some Current Dimensions of Applied
Behavior Analysis” for the inaugural issue of the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis. In this seminal
work, Stokes and Baer outlined 7 dimensions that Applied Behavior Analysis must possess as a field;
these dimensions still hold true today. The first of these, “applied” could perhaps, be considered the
‘mission statement’ or the social conscience for the field. It specifies the application of behavior analytic
technology to changing behavior that is socially significant first and foremost. After all, any technology
that is to be considered seriously by mainstream society must possess pragmatic value for its
consumers, otherwise it is cast aside and considered unnecessary. The next several dimensions attach
ABA to its natural science roots. Behavioral ensures the requirement that the unit of study, namely
behavior, is clearly defined, observable and measurable. This ensures precision when examining
phenomena and discussing results. Stokes and Baer also reasoned that ABA must be conceptually
systematic to ensure longitudinal growth of the field and its research base. Any truly novel findings
should be presented heuristically and invited for scrutiny in peer reviewed literature. Along with being
systematic ABA procedures must meet a requirement of being technological, possessing procedural
descriptions and are clear, concise. This way, other practitioners in the field can replicate find ings to
determine if they are consistent or spurious. Maintaining adherence to the technological dimensions
also facilitates clarity when determining the processes responsible for behavior change. Perhaps the
dimension that best separates ABA from conventional psychology is its analytic dimension. ABA resists
ascribing changes in behavior to hypothetical constructs and bases all determinations and decisions on
data, most typically, rate of behavior. Relying on data to guide decision making also ensures unbiased
interpretation of results and adherence to the other 6 dimensions. The final two dimensions reattach to
the first in terms of social significance. ABA must be effective in acting as an agent for behavior change;
otherwise it fails to produce acceptable levels of social validity. For example, which doctor would you
see if you had a knee problem – one who has an excellent track record of treating and rehabilitating
patients or one who doesn’t? Lastly, ABA must ensure generality, not only of behavior change but the
external validity of the techniques and procedures in its research base. Portability of individual behavior
change goes a long way toward ensuring the independence of ABA’s recipients and increasing their
overall quality of life. However, if those results were only applicable to a specific clientele or under
highly specific circumstances, the field would be seriously marginalized. While a vibrant field can have
multiple areas of specialty (such as with specialist medical practitioners), the field as a whole must have
widespread application, to widespread socially significant issues.
Slide 7
In comparison to other fields, ABA is still in its infancy. Because growth has been steady, the past two
decades or so has established the need to exert quality control over practitioners to ensure continued
service provision by competent professionals. In response, a group of behavior analysts led by the late
Jerry Shook formed the Behavior Analyst Certification Board in 1998. In short, the mission of the BACB
was to establish minimum competency standards for behavior analysts across educational levels, help
training programs meet minimum educational requirements to prepare behavior analysts adequately
and to set different credentialing levels and requirements as per education and experience. As such, the
BACB established 4 different certification levels, BCBA-D, BCBA, BCaBA and most recently RBT. For more
information on the BACB, its credentialing process, ethical or disciplinary standards or practitioner
guidelines, you can visit their website by clicking on the hyperlink provided in the slide.
There are also many other organizations who support ABA from which you can get information. Autism
NJ (formerly COSAC) provides guidance to families on issues related directly to autism spectrum
disorders. Their website, which is accessible from the hyperlink in the slide, contains a wealth of
information for parents and professionals alike on topics such as autism diagnosis, early intervention
resources, the Individualized Education Plan process and navigation of the newly introduced NJ Autism
Insurance Bill. NJ Autism also sponsors a very large conference each year in Atlantic City with days
geared toward professionals and parents specifically. Lastly, the Association for Science in Autism
Treatment (or ASAT) is an organization forwarding the dissemination of evidence-based practices in ASD
treatments. Their website, which can also be reached via hyperlink in the slide, is a treasure trove of the
most current information regarding interventions for ASDs and can provide some much needed
guidance for families when deciding how to help their children.
Slide 8
With the introduction of the NJ Autism Insurance Act of 2009, families finally gained access to autism
services provided or reimbursed by federal and state funded insurance companies. However, much like
the other services for which they provided reimbursement, insurance companies expressed concern
about the regulatory mechanisms establishing qualifications of the individuals providing these services,
particularly those implementing ABA programs. Fortunately the BACB stepped in and the insurance
companies accepted both its credentialing system and its practice parameters. Although in need of
further development, the insurance companies are now beginning to agree upon standardized billing
processes and procedural coding for autism-specific services. Further, most have established provider
networks throughout New Jersey and other states. Should you have questions about how to secure
services or where to find them, you should ask your insurance company or visit the sites provided on the
previous slide.
Slide 9
In an effort to help you, the families, understand the roles and responsibilities of ABA practitioners, this
slide outlines the basic practice parameters for the various credentialing levels of the BACB. In terms of
scope of practice, the BCBA-D and BCBA credentials are essentially equal, although the BCBA-D
credential signifies doctoral level training while the BCBA credential specifies at least master’s level. As
can be seen in the slide, the BCBAs and BCBA-Ds function as program supervisors and, as such have the
least amount of direct contact with the client, typically 2-4 hours per month. Their interaction with your
child is typically limited to assessment in the form of skill and functional behavioral assessments.
However they can also provide training for parents and, in the process, model behavioral techniques
with your child. BCaBA practitioners must secure regular supervision by a BCBA or BCBA-D and in doing
so, can provide some program oversight, direct implementation and perform portions of functional
behavioral assessments. But the BCaBA’s role in a given home program can vary, depending upon your
insurance provider’s policies and those of the ABA provider delivering services. Registered Behavioral
Technicians or RBT practitioners are direct implementation staff that have 40 hours of ABA training and
must be supervised directly by a BCaBA or above. These are the individuals who will provide the bulk of
the direct contact hours with your child. Should you have any further questions about the credentialing
levels or see further information, please visit the Board’s website.
Slide 10
Perhaps alternate titles for this slide could be “Should I do this with my child?” or “Do I have to do this
with my child?”, and the answer to both questions is an unequivocal YES! The reasons for this are
numerous; but most importantly, by becoming proficient in ABA techniques you can supplement your
child’s time in school by teaching at home, which is directly and positively correlated with improved
outcomes in all skill sets across the board. Increased practice means faster learning and increased
practice in settings other than school means deeper understanding and more ‘portable’ skills for your
child. Although the skill sets you teach at home can be the same as those in school, you may opt to
target only those that serve your family best at home, such as hygiene, daily routines, leisure and
community access to name a few. If you think about it, who better to identify these areas and pick
targets than the people who are with your child the most during these situations? Click on the hyperlink
to see a family working as part of a treatment team to teach their child with autism as an example.
Slide 11
Buying into the idea of something is vastly different from actually doing it, so the next few slides will
discuss Allegro’s model for parent training and how you can start your own education with some help
from us. Our model is to empower families for the reasons stated previously, and we achieve this
according to 4 basic themes which, based on our experience and the available research base, enables
training to be both comprehensive and efficient. These themes are didactic training in basic behavior
analytic content, behavior skills training to learn the techniques, general case study to ensure ‘loose’
learning and generalizability of skills and lastly adoption of an adult learner model to ensure a
curriculum and delivery system that meet your and your family’s needs. Each of these themes will be
discussed in the next few slides.
Slide 12
When referring to didactic training within our model, we imply some form of study into the curricular
content on which our training is based. Of course for our purposes, this means developing firm
foundational knowledge in behavior analytic and applied BA philosophies, terms and processes. So we
summarize information drawn from peer reviewed literature and present it to parents in the form of
presentations, hyperlinks to websites and supplementary materials such as handouts and information
packets. Although we specify foundational knowledge as our curricular focus primarily, we encourage
parents to delve deeper into some of the concepts through conferences, online seminars and other
sources based on their personal interests and needs. However, we must offer a word of caution
regarding the validity of information obtained through online chatrooms, specialty discussion forums
and other non-peer reviewed sources. As with many sources on the internet, these can be used as
vehicles for unsubstantiated claims, misinterpretation of valid information or blatant marketing of
personal products which, while sounding perfectly legitimate, can actually work against the goals you
and we are trying to achieve. Should you have any questions about where to find valid information
about behavior analysis or questions about information you may have found already, just ask - we will
be happy to answer them!
Slide 13
While a strong knowledge base is critical for understanding why you may implement a given set of
behavioral techniques, that information is useless if you do not learn how to implement the techniques.
The ABA research base shows us that behavior skills training or BST is an effective technique to translate
knowledge into practice, especially with adult learners. BST is comprised primarily of 4 basic
components – instructions, modeling, rehearsal and feedback. Instructions consist of verbal or written
directions about how to perform a given skill or technique. Research demonstrates that the most
effective way to present instruction is to break a target skill into its component parts using a technique
called task analysis. Thus in many cases, you will receive instructions as a list of steps to follow. Using
steps enables you to recognize each part of the sequence discretely which, in turn, allows the instructor
great precision in teaching them. Once familiar with the steps, you will watch the instructor model the
skill, first in a role play with you and then with your child. In the rehearsal component, it is your turn to
perform the skill, again first during a role play with your instructor and then with your child. While
rehearsing the skill, the instructor will deliver specific performance feedback to you, based on the steps
listed in the instructions. Feedback may be verbal, where the instructor tells you what you did correctly
and incorrectly, written in the form of a performance checklist or a combination of the two. During the
feedback phase, the instructor may choose to address performance deficits through additional role play
or at the point of performance while you are interacting with your child.
Slide 14
For those of you interested in reading research, here are just a few of the many studies that support the
use of BST with adult learners.
Slide 15
Continuing toward the goal of family empowerment, we strive to give parents skills that they can use
across many different situations. The specificity of BST as described in the prior slide allows us to train
you to a high degree of precision and confidence in implementing many different but specific behavioral
techniques. However, for a moment, envision ABA skills in the context of a toolbox; the tool or
technique you choose depends on the job for which you will use it. For most situations, you can get by
with just a few basic tools in your toolbox because some tools can serve multiple purposes. However,
the more complex and specific the problem, the more specific the tool needed and the more skills-based
training in using the tool required. To keep the analogy going, general case programming deals with
teaching you how and when to choose a tool by identifying the range of situations in which that tool
might be used, selecting several situations that are representative of the range and teaching you the
variations on target skills to be used within them. All of this is done so you can respond to novel
situations in which you can use the tool.
Procedurally, ABA techniques tend to fall into categorical frameworks and, as such, lend themselves to
application across a wide variety of situations that share common features such as treatment outcome
or behavioral function. For example, mand training involves teaching a child how to request items
based on her wants and needs. While the concept and theme of adaptive communication remains
constant, the specific response form can vary from vocal communication to say picture exchange or the
context can vary from requesting food items to requesting use of the bathroom. If applying general case
programming to this example, you would learn to apply mand training techniques across a variety of
situations so that you learn not only HOW to perform the procedures but WHEN to use them. Hopefully
you can now see how didactic and behavior skills training fit in with general case programming. Should
you be interested, the hyperlink in the slide brings you to one of the seminal articles establishing general
case programming as a valid behavioral technique.
Slide 16
The final dimension of our parent training model is, not coincidentally, the one that binds the other
three together. Teaching you through an adult learner model establishes the validity of our training
components and content because it accounts for your needs and preferences in designing and
implementing the training curriculum. In short, adult learner models are adaptive. Adults want to learn
things that improve their quality of life and learn best when theory is translated into practice during
situations that are important to them. Thus, adults learn information through the lens of how they
intend to apply it. Take for example, your reasoning for viewing this presentation versus those for which
a college student would view it. Undoubtedly, the issues you face with your child on the autism
spectrum establish both your goals for training and process by which it must occur. So adopting a model
that incorporates both of these training dimensions ensures that curriculum content is applied directly
to the issues you are facing, in a manner that prepares you to address future issues efficiently and
effectively. Once you inform us of your priorities we can design a training curriculum that is based on
your personal needs and will help you meet your goals as efficiently as possible.