ABA Therapy Techniques: Methods Explained for Parents

Understanding ABA Therapy Techniques

ABA therapy uses a variety of evidence-based techniques to teach skills and address challenging behaviors. Understanding these methods can help you be a more informed participant in your child's therapy. This guide explains the most common ABA techniques, how they work, and when they're used.

Teaching Techniques

Discrete Trial Training (DTT)

DTT is one of the foundational ABA teaching methods:

• What it is: A structured teaching format where skills are broken into small steps and taught through repeated practice
• How it works: Each trial has a clear beginning (instruction), middle (child's response), and end (consequence/feedback)
• When it's used: Teaching new skills, building vocabulary, learning academic concepts

A DTT Trial Includes:

1. Antecedent: The therapist presents an instruction or question
2. Behavior: The child responds
3. Consequence: The therapist provides reinforcement for correct responses or correction for errors
4. Inter-trial interval: Brief pause before the next trial

Example: Teaching colors - "Touch blue" (instruction) → Child touches blue → "Great job!" + preferred item (reinforcement)

Natural Environment Training (NET)

NET teaches skills in everyday contexts:

• What it is: Teaching that occurs in natural settings using the child's motivation and interests
• How it works: Creating learning opportunities within play and daily activities
• When it's used: Promoting generalization, teaching social skills, building communication in context

Key Features:

• Child-led activities based on their interests
• Learning happens in various locations (home, playground, community)
• Skills are practiced in relevant contexts
• Natural consequences reinforce behavior

Example: During play, therapist holds a desired toy and waits for the child to request it, teaching functional communication.

Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT)

PRT targets pivotal developmental areas:

• What it is: A naturalistic approach focusing on motivation, self-initiation, responding to multiple cues, and self-management
• How it works: Using child choice and natural reinforcers to teach pivotal skills that affect many areas of development
• When it's used: Building motivation for learning, increasing social initiations, improving self-regulation

Pivotal Areas:

• Motivation to learn
• Self-initiation of communication
• Self-management skills
• Responding to multiple environmental cues

Verbal Behavior (VB)

VB focuses on the function of language:

• What it is: An approach to teaching language based on B.F. Skinner's analysis of verbal behavior
• How it works: Teaching language by function (requesting, labeling, answering, etc.) rather than just vocabulary
• When it's used: Building functional communication, teaching children to use language purposefully

Types of Verbal Operants:

• Mand: Requests ("I want cookie")
• Tact: Labels ("That's a dog")
• Echoic: Repeating what's heard
• Intraverbal: Conversational responses ("What's your name?" → "John")

Incidental Teaching

Learning through naturally occurring opportunities:

• What it is: Capitalizing on child-initiated interactions to teach language and social skills
• How it works: When a child shows interest, the therapist creates a learning opportunity
• When it's used: Increasing spontaneous communication, teaching in natural contexts

Example: Child reaches for a snack → Therapist prompts "I want crackers" → Child says it → Receives crackers

Behavior Support Techniques

Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA)

Understanding why behaviors occur:

• What it is: A systematic process to identify the purpose or function of a behavior
• How it works: Gathering information through observation, interviews, and data analysis
• When it's used: Before developing behavior intervention plans

Common Functions of Behavior:

• Attention: To get attention from others
• Escape: To avoid something unpleasant
• Access: To obtain something desired
• Sensory: For automatic reinforcement (feels good)

Antecedent Interventions

Preventing problems before they occur:

• What it is: Modifying the environment or circumstances to prevent challenging behaviors
• How it works: Changing what happens before behavior occurs
• When it's used: Proactively reducing behavior problems

Examples:

• Visual schedules to prepare for transitions
• Offering choices to increase cooperation
• Modifying task difficulty to prevent frustration
• Using first-then boards ("First work, then play")

Differential Reinforcement

Reinforcing appropriate behaviors while reducing challenging ones:

• DRA (Differential Reinforcement of Alternative Behavior): Reinforcing a specific appropriate alternative
• DRI (Differential Reinforcement of Incompatible Behavior): Reinforcing behavior that can't occur at the same time as the problem behavior
• DRO (Differential Reinforcement of Other Behavior): Reinforcing the absence of problem behavior

Example: Instead of hitting to get attention (problem), teaching the child to tap a shoulder (appropriate alternative) and reinforcing that.

Extinction

Reducing behaviors by removing reinforcement:

• What it is: No longer providing the reinforcement that maintains a behavior
• How it works: The behavior decreases when it stops working
• Important note: Must be used carefully and ethically, often combined with teaching alternatives

Caution: Extinction can initially cause an "extinction burst" where behavior temporarily worsens before improving.

Prompting and Fading

Types of Prompts

Prompts are hints or assistance to help a child respond correctly:

• Physical prompts: Hand-over-hand assistance or gentle guidance
• Gestural prompts: Pointing or other gestures
• Verbal prompts: Telling the child what to do
• Visual prompts: Pictures, written words, or demonstrations
• Positional prompts: Placing correct items closer

Prompt Fading

Gradually reducing assistance for independence:

• Most-to-least: Start with full support, gradually reduce
• Least-to-most: Start with minimal support, add more only if needed
• Time delay: Wait before prompting to give the child a chance to respond independently

Reinforcement Strategies

Types of Reinforcement

• Primary reinforcers: Things naturally motivating (food, sensory experiences)
• Secondary reinforcers: Learned reinforcers (tokens, praise, privileges)
• Social reinforcement: Attention, praise, interaction
• Activity reinforcement: Access to preferred activities

Token Economies

Structured reinforcement systems:

• Child earns tokens for target behaviors
• Tokens are exchanged for backup reinforcers
• Teaches delayed gratification
• Can be faded over time

Data Collection and Analysis

Why Data Matters

• Tracks progress objectively
• Guides treatment decisions
• Identifies what's working
• Demonstrates outcomes

Common Data Methods

• Frequency/rate: How often behavior occurs
• Duration: How long behavior lasts
• Latency: Time between instruction and response
• Percentage correct: Accuracy of responses
• ABC data: Antecedent-Behavior-Consequence recording

Choosing the Right Techniques

A BCBA will select techniques based on:

• Your child's learning style and preferences
• The specific skills being taught
• Assessment results and baseline data
• Where skills need to be used (generalization)
• Your family's values and priorities

Modern ABA Emphasizes:

• Combining structured and naturalistic approaches
• Following the child's interests and motivation
• Teaching functional, meaningful skills
• Respecting the child's emotional wellbeing
• Involving families in the process

Understanding these techniques helps you participate more effectively in your child's therapy and ask informed questions about their treatment plan.