Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is a research-supported psychological therapy that focuses on helping children with autism and other behavioral difficulties. Some time ago, it was only used for autism, but its use has expanded based on research conducted over time. ABA is a methodology that teaches various basic and complex skills necessary for the child's functional development. It can range from brushing their teeth to learning social skills. Its application is broad and always depends on the needs of the child and their current learning stage. One of the most important advantages of ABA is the ability to individualize treatment and guide the child to more complex levels using a methodology that has been proven hundreds of times.
The ultimate goal of ABA is to achieve maximum independence in all of the child's skills and to generalize many of the learned skills to other areas of the child's life.
How do we know that ABA is being effective?
Behavior therapists constantly gather information about your child and their progress through data collected during each therapy session. This allows the supervisor to make adjustments to the treatment plan to achieve the objectives. It also ensures that you and your child can see that goals are being met, and if they are not, interventions can be modified to achieve them in the shortest time possible. When working with children, it is crucial to use effective methods that help them, as every day counts in a child's development.
Examples of behaviors addressed in ABA:
ABA has proven to be effective in addressing self-injury behaviors, difficulties in controlling impulsivity, challenging behaviors, basic skills for the child, and social skills, among many others.