Symetry Psychological ServicesABN 13356552261

Email: Telephone: 0408 155660 Mail: P O Box 761, Mudgeeraba, Q 4213

Intensive Home-Based Intervention

with Applied Behavioural Analysis (ABA)

Applied Behavioural Analysis (ABA)

Applied Behavioural Analysis is a process of understanding the purpose of behaviour.

  • All behaviours occur in response to something (an antecedent event)
  • Behaviours lead to further responses from others (consequences)
  • Consequences either encourage or discourage the behaviour
  • (A)ntecedent  (B)ehaviour  (C)onsequences

Encouraging Appropriate Behaviours & Decreasing Inappropriate Behaviours

Applied Behavioural Analysis works with a basic understanding that

  • Behaviours that are rewarded (or lead to success) are more likely to occur in the future.
  • Behaviours that are not rewarded (or lead to failure) will be less likely to reoccur.

ABA therapists use reinforcement schedules to encourage specific socially appropriate behaviours by providing the child with an immediate reward (e.g., snack, cuddles, praise) when child displays an appropriate behaviour.

  • Initially, tangible rewards are provided for any attempt at the desired behaviour.
  • Later, rewards are only given for exact behaviours.
  • Once the behavior is occurring regularly, rewards are given intermittently.

Thus reinforcement schedules are planned to coincide with very specific attainment goals. The therapist aims to fade out immediate tangible rewards, gradually replacing them with social rewards (e.g., praise). Later, stickers and reward charts might be introduced to teach delayed gratification.

Individualised Education Programme (IEP)

ABA therapists are trained to deliver an individually tailored programme.

  • An IEP is based upon the child’s specific needs, strengths, and designed to overcome areas of weakness.

ABA therapists are trained to deliver instructions, prompts, and rewards in a manner suited to the child’s unique style of learning.

Most importantly, ABA therapists are trained to be consistent

  • In delivery of instructions (discriminating stimuli)
  • In delivery of prompts (least intrusive)
  • In delivery of rewards (moving from tangible to social rewards, and immediate to delayed rewards)

The ABA and Discrete-Trial-training (DTT) method

ABA therapists are learning partners. Their role is to:

  • Slow down the rate at which information is presented
  • Reduce the activity to individual motor components
  • Teach these motor components individually
  • Allow these components to be repeatedly practiced
  • Provide direct modelling and continuous feedback (rewards)
  • Chain the sequence of motor components together
  • Provide opportunities for indirect modelling of newly acquired skills (preferably with same-age peers) and,
  • Introduce alternate problem-solving learning experiences.

ABA therapists try to minimise visual and auditory distractions during discrete training trials.

Each discrete trial consists of an ABA therapist requesting or modelling a skill and the child responding.

  • Specific requests are referred as the discriminating stimulus (Sd)
  • Each request should lead to a specific or desired response (R)
  • One Sd  R is equivalent to one discrete trial
  • Repeated practice is known as mass trials (i.e., repeated discrete trials)

Modelling and Imitation Procedures

The way that new skills are taught to a child is very important!

Children with autistic spectrum disorders typically do not imitate the behaviours of their peers.

  • ABA therapists always model the whole procedure to to the child.
  • ABA therapists always indicate that they expect the child to imitate, using short verbal prompts that are clear and consistent (e.g., “Your turn” or “Do same”) as well as visual prompting (e.g., pointing or signing).
  • During introduction of new skills, ABA therapists use hand-over-hand teaching to promote errorless learning.

Backward Chaining Procedure

Backward chaining procedures are useful when teaching long or complex sequences.

  • ABA Therapists teach the last step first, and then chain the last two steps together, and so forth, until the child is able to do all steps as one sequence.
  • For sequences to be learned well enough to become automatic, they must first be learned slowly and consciously.

To become a well-learned skill (or habitual behaviour), the child must have many opportunities to practice the skill and few opportunities to fail.

  • ABA Therapists plan for the child to obtain the maximum number of “successful” trials possible, leading to maximum “rewards” for the child.

Structuring an ABA session

ABA therapists use the pictorial schedule board to present the order of activities to the child (PECS, Boardmaker symbols, or real photographs).

  • The schedule board is made of carpet or Velcro™ strips on a strong display folder
  • A clear START is provided (e.g., table or work symbol)
  • A selection of activities spanning ½ hour blocks
  • Breaks are scheduled (e.g., toilet, snack, free play, music and sensory)
  • A clear signal for END of work is provided (e.g., finished symbol)
  • The child may choose a reward / activity for end of work, to be displayed on schedule board as a visual reminder (teaching delayed gratification)

ABA therapists need to have a selection of suitable activities available that may be used interchangeably for each learning objective.

  • Activity boxes are typically separated in to three basic categories (oral-motor/language, fine-motor/hand-eye coordination, and pre-academic).
  • Items in the boxes are regularly varied to reduce boredom and to promote generalistion of skill.

ABA therapists try to place “fun” activities between difficult ones.

  • Children with autistic spectrum disorders often have preferences or obsessions for particular activities (e.g., play doh, bubbles, spinning toys).
  • ABA therapists ensure that “work-time” therapy is mixed with “play-time” fun. This will help to keep the child’s motivation high.

Recording Successes

ABA therapists are trained to record the child’s responses throughout their therapy session.

  • Record number of successes as a percentage (ratio of number of successes out of number of attempts).
  • Record the number of failed attempts, prompted attempts, and off task behaviours.

ABA Intensive Home-Based intervention is data-driven. Careful monitoring of this recorded data allows the consulting psychologist

  • To note if child is losing motivation (indicated by increasing percentage of off task behaviour, non-responses, and failures)
  • To alter the teaching format (e.g., provide more prompts, use hand-over-hand technique, lower the criterion for success, or reward approximations to the desired behaviour).

Mastery of a skill is determined by criterion

  • (Typically 80% success across three sessions, across three different therapists, and in at least two different contexts)

Generalisation of a skill is achieved by creating opportunities to practice the skill in multiple contexts.

Regular Team Meetings

It is important to keep track of your child’s progress.

  • The head therapist (usually the most proficient therapist) will summarise the data and communicate with the consulting psychologist on a weekly basis.
  • The team of ABA therapists, parents, and consulting psychologist, meet a minimum of once each month to discuss the child’s progress toward targeted behaviours and skills.
  • Problem behaviours are noted and strategies for dealing with these behaviours are agreed upon by therapists and parents (to provide consistency in delivery).
  • The data is reviewed and modifications to ABA intervention are made based upon antecedent control or consequence control (e.g., new teaching procedures, increasing or decreasing rewards).
  • New objectives are added to the IEP on the basis of current skill acquisition.
  • The consultant psychologist can liase with schools or other service providers to ensure that consistency is achieved across learning contexts.

Symetry Psychological Services P.O. Box 761 Mudgeeraba, Qld4213 Telephone: 0408155660