Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Therapy
The Minnesota Autism Center implements Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)
therapy. Behavior analysis is a natural science approach to
understanding behavior. ABA is the use of behavior analytic methods and
research findings to change socially important behaviors in meaningful
ways. Since the early 1960's, hundreds of researchers have documented
the effectiveness of ABA principles and methods for building a wide
range of important skills and reducing problem behavior in individuals
with autism and related disorders of all ages.
Today, bona fide ABA programming for learners with autism combines many
research-validated methods into a comprehensive but highly
individualized package. For each learner, skills to be increased and
problem behaviors to be decreased are clearly defined in observable
terms and are measured carefully by direct observation.
Selection of treatment goals for each individual is guided by data from
that initial assessment, and a curriculum scope and sequence that list
skills in all domains (learning to learn, communication, social,
academic, self-care, motor, play and leisure, ect.). These skills are
broken into smaller component skills and sequenced developmentally, or
from simple to complex. The overall goal is to help each learner develop
skills that will enable him or her to be as independent and successful
as possible in the long run.
Effective ABA programming blends discrete-trial procedures with a
variety of other ABA methods, including child-initiated instructional
sequences (known as incidental teaching procedures), task analysis and
chaining to teach skills involving sequences of actions or steps,
instructional trials embedding in ongoing activities, and other
procedures. There is a heavy emphasis on making learning enjoyable and
on engaging the learner in positive social interactions.
