PSYE202

COUNSELING CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS

Write an essay on Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) covering an introduction and why
ABA may be used with a variety of disorders.

Student Name: Dulini Gunawardane

Student Code: DCP21A
Word Count: 2063
Student (ID): DCP21A011
Name of tutor: Mr. Janaka
“Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is the science in which tactics derived from the principles of
behavior are applied systematically to improve socially significant behavior and experimentation
is used to identify the variables responsible for behavior change” (Cooper, Heron and Heward,
2007) It is an intervention strategy that contributes to a significant improvement in social human
behavior. The directed behavior to change may have real – life implications for the person
(applied), behavior is assessed by conducting structured observation and measurement
(behavior), and the behavior is thoroughly examined in the context of the environment to identify
influencing factors (analysis). The prevalent belief is that through influencing environmental
factors, behavior may be modified more successfully, resulting to desired or enhanced behavior.
As a result, behavior analysis concentrates on changing specific unsuccessful behaviors or
altering the scope and frequency of existing ones. The emphasis is on assessing behavior
constantly over an extended period of time in order to seek for the specific purpose of conduct.
The three scientific concepts behind ABA are Classical conditioning, Operant conditioning and
the Three-term contingency. The Pavlov’s dog experiment or the Pavlovian conditioning is
pivotal in ABA. Ivan Pavlov observed how the dogs salivated when they heard the bell in his
experiments with dogs. He began the experiment by feeding the dogs which caused them to
salivate and the application of a bell in the time of feeding made them salivate for the ring of a
bell even without offering them food. A conditioned stimulus, the bell, began to trigger a
conditioned response, salivation. Classical conditioning was a forerunner of Operant
conditioning, which is arguably the most important concept in ABA. The effects of positive and
negative reinforcement are used in Operant conditioning to help modify how frequently a
behavior happens. B. F. Skinner’s work (Skinner box) involved rats and pigeons, placed in a
chamber and gave positive reinforcement, such as food and as a result for certain actions and
mild electric shocks as consequences for other behaviors. Actions followed by food occurred
more frequently while those behaviors that were followed by a shock occurred less frequently. In
the discipline of ABA, Operant conditioning organizes the consequences of a person’s conduct.
For example, some weight loss programs provide tokens for reaching an objective and these can
be exchanged for rewards or recognition. These outcomes positively reinforce the desired
behavior of weight loss. The Three-term contingency which was also discovered by B. F,
Skinner, is the foundation of Operant conditioning. It is the process through which
environmental factors influence behavior and is also known as the ABCs; Antecedents (stimulus
that occur before the behavior), Behavior and Consequences (stimulus that closely follows the
behavior). The main agenda of ABA typically consists of teaching linguistics, cognitive skills,
academics, adaptive living skills and social skills in all contexts. (Personal self-care,
consumption and food preparation, toileting, dressing and labor skills). All of these skills are
broken down into single, manageable tasks that are then taught in a highly structured, uniform
and hierarchical way. Inappropriate behaviors are ignored, redirected or discouraged with an
emphasis on rewarding or reinforcing desired behavior.

In the 1960s, psychologist Ole Ivar Lovaas developed ABA. His early research on applying
positive and negative reinforcement to alter the behaviors of people who engage in various types
of self-injury led to the development of the treatment. There are many different perspectives
about ABA; some may find the therapy to be debatable. For example, certain therapist and
parents may value ABA and claim that it is resulted in real, observable changes in children’s
abilities. However, other autistic individuals may believe that ABA overpowered their natural
behaviors and feelings in the name of becoming “normal”. They could think that the society
ought to embrace neurodiversity and accept them for who they are. The Center for Autism claims
that ABA assists individuals with autism in maintaining positive behaviors, learning new
abilities and improving social relationships. Therefore, humans with a wide range of diagnoses
and behaviors, most notably Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are treated using ABA- based
therapies. Additionally ABA aids in transferring abilities and behavior from one situation to
another, limiting negative behaviors and managing circumstances in which they emerge. When
used intensively for more than 20 hours a week and before the age of four, ABA is most
effective in treating autism. ABA can also aid old people in adjusting to the losses that aging
brings, such as memory, strength and relationships. For young and old it assists people to
manage their lifestyle challenges that come along with many mental and physical health
conditions.

The key features of ABA therapy are clear definitions of intervention aims, continuous and
objective progress evaluation, interventions that employ scientifically documented behavior
analysis concepts to effect change, extensive evidence that the observed changes or
improvements are the result of the intervention and not some other cause and at what age one
could benefit from the ABA approach. ABA is used within a developmental framework, which
means that the methods and skills we teach are developmentally appropriate. (Howard, 2005) A
behavior analyst working with a three year old, for example, may integrate education in play,
whereas a behavior analyst working with a teenager may educate in a group setting or during an
academic routine. The Applied Behavior Analysis is benefited in a wide range of fields,
including education, medical treatments, health and fitness, serious mental problems and
parenting. The two main categories that are used in ABA-based therapy for people with ASD and
other intellectual and developmental disorders are either comprehensive interventions or focused
interventions. Comprehensive interventions target the majority or all of the core and related
impairments of ASD. These treatments are known as early-intensive behavioral interventions or
EIBI. The principles are used to support such individuals and their families to learn how to
engage and communicate with people, to develop self-management and self-controlling skills,
daily life skills, to learn to play individually and with others, boost the knowledge of reading and
math, reduce problematic behaviors like aggressiveness or self-harm and to build independence.
Evidence based teaching methodologies such as discrete-trial teaching, incidental teaching, and
naturalistic environment teaching are employed in comprehensive treatments. These
interventions are usually delivered by a behavior analyst and might take place in a center-based
program or through in-home therapy. Focused interventions target a single or small group of
goals. They are often time-limited, lasting a few weeks or months. Evidence based procedures
such as functional behavior assessment, incidental teaching, and discrete-trial teaching are also
employed in focused treatments. Behaviorists, environmental analysts, specialist practitioners
and applied behavior analysts are the four connected domains in which behavioral analysts
operate.

The clients who work with an ABA therapist will identify the behaviors that need to be modified,
set objectives and desired outcomes, establish metrics for evaluating improvements and
adjustments, analyze where they are at that particular time, learn new talents and to avoid
negative behaviors, review their progress regularly and assess the need for additional behavior
change. The sovereignty of the issue and each person’s rate of improvement determine the length
of time spent in ABA. ABA therapists use varieties of techniques to increase desirable behaviors
and to decrease undesirable ones. The strategies used will change depending on the person, the
therapy environment and the desired behaviors. Discrete Trial Training (DTT), modeling, the
Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS), and Reinforcement techniques are popular
examples. (Howard, 2005) DTT entails applying the ABC strategy in a supervised one - on - one
setting. The therapist will give a cue, request the desired action and reinforce it positively
thereafter. The procedure is then carried out once again until the required behavior manifests on
its own. DTT is a technique that therapists can use to assist autistic people learn social and
behavioral skills. Modeling entails performing the desired behavior. The therapist may
demonstrate what the patient is supposed to accomplish in person, on camera, or over the phone.
For instance the person could be told to shake hands when meeting new people or to say “thank
you” while receiving anything. This method works especially well for helping kids improve their
social and communication skills. PECS is most frequently used with youngsters to improve
communication and linguistic skills. The kid sends the therapist an image of an item they both
want, and in return, the therapist gives the child what is seen in the picture. They continue to
communicate new words, phrases and modifiers using this technique. Reinforcement techniques
are used by therapists to teach clients about the effects of particular behaviors. If people don’t act
in the right way, they could be told to try again or their reward might be delayed until they do.
They could get a reward or positive reinforcement in the form of a reward or praise if they
properly accomplish the behavior. For instance, kids could get tokens they can trade in for treats,
toys and special privileges.

Aspiring ABA therapists need to master a number of crucial skills and competencies in order to
become successful. Examples include the capacity for empathy, so that the individual receiving
the therapy must feel understood, critical thinking skills to make conversant decisions about
treatment programs which includes the practitioners to adapt each session to the requirements,
interests and skills of the learner and communication skills to read body language and other non-
verbal clues in addition to verbal instructions to interact in a straight forward and an efficient
manner. Overwhelming evidence suggests that the treatment of choice for maximal benefit to
autistic children is a systematic, behavioral or educational approach. (DeMyer, Hingtgen and
Jackson, 1981) Through decades of research, the effectiveness of ABA-based intervention in
children with ASD is likely the most demonstrated. Mr. Lovaas and his colleagues reported the
first promising findings of ABA with autistic youngsters in 1960s. Their findings revealed
significant improvements in many autistic children, with some even attaining average
developmental and educational performance. (Lovaas, 1989) Even though APA is widely
recognized as the most powerful approach in the education and management of autistic
behaviors, many researchers believe that it is the only truly successful way of working with
autistic children. However, ABA has not been without controversy and has frequently appeared
central to a variety of debates in the recent years. One main critique is directed at the highly
organized Discrete Trial Training approach, which is utilized in ABA to determine learning
readiness. According to Myers and Johnson (2007), there are serious issues with prompt reliance,
which is defined as habitual responses to taught behaviors that are not translated to spontaneous
usage the child’s natural environment. Furthermore, ABA is a very focused and structured
intervention; children’s stressed reactions may result in poor treatment outcomes (Schoen, 2004).
There’s also much debate regarding whether ABA should be utilized as the only therapy
technique. The spectrum of issues, the features of the autistic kid and his family, and range of
skills would probably not advise that an ABA-based program be used exclusively, however it
may be appropriate for certain families. (Simpson 1998) Another risk is that as the demand for
ABA has increased, many people claim to perform ABA, delivering services and following
defined plans, but not all of them have the necessary education and expertise. Time restrictions
and high expenditures of such an intensive program place additional limits on an ABA-based
intervention.

Among the helping professions, ABA is a well-developed scientific field that focuses on the
study, planning, implementation, and assessment of social and other environmental adjustments
to achieve significant changes in human behavior. It includes the use of direct observation,
measurement and functional analysis of the relations between environment and behavior. ABA
employs changes in environmental events, such as antecedent stimuli and consequences to effect
practical and substantial behavioral changes. This is often detected using a range of specialist
evaluation approaches. ABA is based on the fact that an individual’s behavior is influenced by
the past and present environmental events in combination with organic variables such as their
genetic endowment and physiological variables. As a result, when applying to ASD, ABA
focuses on treating the issues of the disorder by changing the individual’s social and learning
environments. The current recommendations are specific to ABA as a behavioral health
treatment of ASD, also ABA has shown to be successful in treating the symptoms of various
conditions, for example substance abuse, severe destructive behavior, dementia, pediatric feeding
disorders, traumatic brain injuries etc.
 References

1. Friman P. C. (2010). Cooper, Heron, and Heward’s Applied Behavior Analysis (2nd Ed.):
Checkered flag for students and professors, Yellow flag for the field. Journal of Applied
Behavior Analysis, 43(1), 161–174.

2. DeMyer, M. K., Hingtgen, J. N., & Jackson, R. K. (1981). Infantile autism reviewed: a
decade of research. Schizophrenia bulletin, 7(3), 388–451.

3. Lovaas, I., Calouri, K., Jada, J. (1989). The Nature of Behavioral Treatment and Research
with Young Autistic Persons. In: Gillberg, C. (eds) Diagnosis and Treatment of Autism.
Springer, Boston, MA.

4. Johnson, C.P. and Myers, S.M. (2007) American Academy of Pediatrics, Council on
Children with Disabilities. Identification and Evaluation of Children with Autism
Spectrum Disorders.

5. Schoen, S. F., & Nolen, J. (2004). Action Research: Decreasing Acting-Out Behavior and
Increasing Learning. TEACHING Exceptional Children, 37(1), 26–29.

6. Simpson, D. (1998). Book Reviews. Autism, 2(3), 316–317.

7. Howard, J. S., Sparkman, C. R., Cohen, H. G., Green, G., & Stanislaw, H. (2005). A
comparison of intensive behavior analytic and eclectic treatments for young children with
autism. Research in Developmental Disabilities