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Applied Behavior Analysis and Verbal Behavior

Applied Behavior Analysis, or ABA, is a method of teaching children with autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorders. It is based on the premise that appropriate behavior – including speech, academics and life skills – can be taught using scientific principles. ABA assumes that children are more likely to repeat behaviors or responses that are rewarded (or "reinforced"), and they are less likely to continue behaviors that are not rewarded. Eventually, the reinforcement is reduced so that the child can learn without constant rewards.

Research shows that ABA works for kids with autism. "Thirty years of research demonstrated the efficacy of applied behavioral methods in reducing inappropriate behavior and in increasing communication, learning, and appropriate social behavior," according to a U.S. Surgeon General's Report.

The most well-known form of ABA is discrete trial training (DTT). Skills are broken down into the smallest tasks and taught individually. Discrete, or separate, trials may be used to teach eye contact, imitation, fine motor skills, self-help, academics, language and conversation. Students start with learning small skills, and gradually learn more complicated skills as each smaller one is mastered.

If a therapist is trying to teach imitation skills, for example, she may give a command, such as "Do this," while tapping the table. The child is then expected to tap the table. If the child succeeds, he receives positive reinforcement, such as a raisin, a toy or praise. If the child fails, then the therapist may say, "No." The therapist then pauses before repeating the same command, ensuring that each trial is separate or discrete. The therapist also will use a prompt - such as physically helping the child tap the table - if the child responds incorrectly twice in a row. This "no-no-prompt" method is used in some traditional ABA programs.

Other ABA programs now use prompts for every trial, so the child is always correct and always reinforced by praise or a toy. This technique is called "errorless learning." The child will not be told "no" for mistakes but rather will be guided to the correct response every time. The prompts will be gradually reduced, so the child will learn the correct response on his own.

ABA may take place in the home or in special preschools. A consultant, usually someone with a master's or doctoral degree in psychology, often supervises the therapy.

Some people incorrectly assume that ABA is synonymous with the method developed by Dr. O. Ivar Lovaas, a pioneering researcher in the Psychology Department at UCLA. Lovaas describes one form of ABA. In 1987, he published a study showing that almost half of the 19 preschoolers involved in intensive behavioral intervention -- 40 hours per week of one-on-one therapy -- achieved "normal functioning."  Note: Several decades ago, Lovaas described using mild physical punishment for severe behaviors during therapy sessions. He no longer advocates such punishment, and current behavior therapists do not use it.

ABA programs usually draw upon Lovaas's decades of research, but they also may incorporate different methods and tools.

Applied Verbal Behavior or VB is the latest style of ABA. It uses B.F. Skinner's 1957 analysis of Verbal Behavior to teach and reinforce speech. It also uses the errorless learning technique described above. Skinner describes categories of speech, or verbal behavior. Mands are requests, echoes are verbal imitations, tacts are labels, and intraverbals are conversational responses. A VB program will focus on getting a child to realize that language will get him what he wants, when he wants it. Requesting is often one of the first verbal skills taught. Some parents say VB is a more natural form of ABA. Like many Lovaas ABA programs, a VB program will use errorless teaching methods, prompts that are later reduced, and discrete trial training. Behavior analyst Vincent Carbone has helped popularize this approach.

One drawback to ABA/VB: some school districts and insurance companies do not pay for ABA, and it can be expensive for parents to fund. If you decide to pay for it yourself, carefully research the credentials of anyone claiming to be an ABA or VB consultant or experienced therapist. A consultant should have, at a minimum, a master's degree in psychology or ABA, or should be closely supervised by someone who does. When hiring therapists, some families find volunteers or students willing to work for lower pay in order to gain experience with autism.

ABA and VB Web sites and Books:
1. Major organizations that set up and supervise home and group-based intensive behavioral intervention programs include the Lovaas Institute for Early Intervention, the Center for Autism and Related Disorders and the Carbone Clinic.

2. "Autism Treatment Based on Applied Behavioral Analysis: What does the current research tell us?" A pro-ABA article that examines the research on other teaching methods, such as TEACCH, LEAP and Walden Preschool. Other research articles are posted.

3. The Behavior Analysis Certification Board lists certified behavior analysts by state and country. The Association for Behavior Analysis is a professional organization for ABA therapists and researchers.

Behavioral Intervention for Young Children With Autism: A Manual for Parents and Professionals, edited by Catherine Maurice, Gina Green and Stephen C. Luce. A how-to manual for families starting a home ABA program. Includes teaching programs, a chapter on how to pay for ABA, and samples of data collection sheets.

A Work in Progress: Behavior Management Strategies and A Curriculum for Intensive Behavioral Treatment of Autism by Ron Leaf, John McEachin and Jaisom D. Harsh. Practical advice and easy-to-understand explanations of how to set up an ABA program. Like the Maurice book, it also includes advice on teaching social skills and conversation.

Triumphs in Early Autism Treatment, edited by Ennio Cipani PhD, documents the cases of seven children who achieved "best outcomes" (being indistinguishable from other kids) after ABA. All ABA isn't equal, nor is ABA a guarantee of reaching best outcomes, but this 2008 book helps a parent see what an excellent ABA program should look like.

Teaching Individuals with Developmental Delays: Basic Intervention Techniques, by Dr. O. Ivar Lovaas, the psychologist whose name has become synonymous with ABA-discrete trial instruction programs for young children with autism. Lovaas' first book in years, it includes revised teaching programs and detailed instructions for implementing each one.

For Verbal Behavior:

The Verbal Behavior Approach: How to Teach Children With Autism and Related Disorders by Mary Lynch Barbera, a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and parent of a child with autism, and Tracy Rasmussen. One of the few parent-oriented books about using Verbal Behavior to teach communication, speech, self-help skills, potty-training and more.

Educate Toward Recovery: Turning the Tables on Autism by Robert Schramm, a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. This book is an easy-to-read teaching manual for parents who are new to the concepts and "language" of VB. He includes information on children who don't respond to conventional ABA methods, and on how VB can be used along with the Relationship Development Intervention method.

ABA/VB Materials

These online companies sell flash cards, workbooks, materials, craft activities and "reinforcer" toys for Applied Behavior Analysis, Verbal Behavior and other home-based teaching programs for children with autism and PDD.

1.  Model Me Kids: Videos For Teaching Social Skills by Peer Example   

2.  ABA Materials at Natural Learning Concepts

3. General flash cards

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