ABA – in a nutshell!

TCP Scribble Log is excited to introduce our first Guest Scribbler, James Adcock. Jame is a Board Certified Behaviour Analyst (BCBA) providing tailored ABA programmes for learnes with behavioural, learning and/or developmental delays in schools, nurseries, and in the home setting. He is also our go-to guy here at the clinic when we have any questions related to ABA! Wondering what ABA is? James is here to tell us!

Hey Everyone!

Some of you lovely readers may have heard of the three little letters – ABA. ABA stands for applied behaviour analysis.

ABA works with behaviour, so has a wide reach. Research has shown that ABA is particularly effective for children with autism, but a diagnosis is certainly not necessary to start ABA. I have effectively used ABA strategies with a range of children with learning/behavioural difficulties, and those with language and communication delays.

 In a nutshell…

ABA is a science dedicated to helping teach learners the skills they need to live a more independent life. These skills will cover domains such as functional communication, social skills, conversation skills, play skills, group skills, self help skills, imitation, labelling, and many more. An ABA programme is typically made up of skills from several of the areas listed above, and tailored to the areas that support is needed.

These skills should be taught in fun and creative ways, based around areas of interest to the learner. We want to help the learners access as much of their environment as possible (talking to various and adults and peers and having a great time). Sessions should involve identifying and following the learner’s motivation and reinforcing socially significant behaviours. There are days I can’t believe my luck that I get to be a big kid teaching in such fun ways!

Learners should learn because they want to, not because they have to

A main goal of ABA is to teach socially significant behaviours. It is a science devoted to the understanding and improvement of human behaviour. This means that targets of the programme should identify behaviours of importance to the learner and their family to increase (within reason). A programme should also, where appropriate, decrease undesirable behaviours by analysing why the problem behaviour is happening (the function).

 ABA programmes are data led (ABA folk are complete geeks when it comes to data!) and aim to demonstrate reliable relationships between their interventions and the behavioural improvements; we want to always make sure what we are doing is effective, we know you don’t have time to waste! Most ABA programmes will involve an ABA tutor working 1-1 with the learner, and they will be taking a range of data, such as ABC data (data on challenging behaviour that may occur), and probe data (data on targets being taught), and at the end of the session they’ll spend some time plotting the data on graphs.

What about the logistics?

Each ABA programme should have a BCaBA (board certified assistant behaviour analyst), or BCBA (board certified behaviour analyst) consultant overseeing it. Some are more involved than others, some have supervisors (who are usually studying towards board certification). The consultants will generally be responsible for designing the individualised programme (which involves conducting assessments), analysing data, training tutors and parents, updating goals, and maintaining good levels of communication between the team. The ABA tutors would act as the 1-1, and implement the programme that’s been designed (this could range from 10 – 40 hours a week depending on the needs of the learner). Depending on the competency of the tutors, and needs of the learner will dictate how often, and how long for, the consultant will visit. ABA sessions may occur at home, in the nursery (if the provision is OK with it), or at school (again if the provision allow it). Personally, I think if you can be around other children, then you should be. I’m not a big fan of teaching in heavily neutral, quiet, non-stimulating environments, as that isn’t real life.

Once you’ve recruited some tutors (you should probably look to get at least 2 to make sure the learner can use the skills they’re taught with different adults), and a consultant, an assessment will be carried out. After this the consultant will normally hold an initial training day (may be 2 or 3 days depending on the experience of the tutors). From this point, the consultant will make monthly visits (this is what I observe to be the average structure, but it may vary).

How long will I need an ABA programme?

It really depends on the learner and the team around him. The goal of ABA will be to equip the individual with the skills needed to be an independent learner as soon as is appropriate. This can be frustrating to hear as it’s not time specific, but it’s very difficult to predict the future that far ahead.

I feel as though ABA is the best kept secret, and can seem a bit mystical. I hope this has been helpful, and shed some light. I’m always happy to answer questions if people want to get in touch, just leave a comment on this post!