Strategies Used In Applied Behavior Analysis – ABA
There are two ABA strategies commonly used to help an autistic child modify their behavior.
· Positive Reinforcement
· Antecedent, Behavior, Consequence, or “A-B-Cs”.
It is important for parents to be aware of these strategies so they can help reinforce proper behaviors at home. The following is a brief summary of these ABA strategies.
Positive Reinforcement. We are all aware of Positive reinforcement where a positive action results in positive consequences. Keep in mind that each autistic child will differ in some way from another so the positive reinforcement should be tailored to the child. For example, giving an allowance for completing a task may work for one child because they understand what can get them, but not have the same impact for another child who would be more motivated with a toy or taking the child out for ice cream for completing a task. The reward for their behavior must correspond to what will motivate them to repeat the desired behavior.
Antecedent, Behavior, Consequence. This is like a sandwich where what happens before and after is the bread and the behavior is the “meat” (desired behavior) of the sandwich. This strategy helps us determine why a behavior is taking place and how different possible consequences could increase the probability that the behavior can be duplicated. An example might be when an instructor tells the autistic child to do something and the child says “No”. The quest at this point is to determine which consequences can move the child to a position of “Yes”.
· Antecedent. The antecedent can be verbal instructions, something environmental, an object like a toy, or interaction with another person.
· Behavior. The behavior is the response or lack of one resulting from the antecedent.
· Consequence. The consequence is the immediate response after the behavior which could come in the form of positive reinforcement or even a non-response to undesired behavior.
As a parent, you may have many questions and we are here to help you find answers. Although Childhood Behavior Center is in Poinciana FL, we serve multiple Florida counties, where we have our hub in Osceola County, Polk County just a few miles away, Orange County, Seminole County, and Brevard County.
Please contact Child Behavior Center here for more information.
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