ABA Therapy Course (Applied Behavior Analysis)

HISTORICAL FOUNDATIONS

The Psychology of Learning studies the mechanisms through which we are able to learn, that
is, how we can modify our behavior permanently as a consequence of experience.

According to behaviorism , behavior is learned through reinforcement and punishment,

proposing a kind of "laws of behavior" and rejecting the existence of mental processes. In turn,
cognitivism mediates between stimuli and behavior a series of mental processes such as
attention, memory or thinking that allow the generation of behavior.

Initially this intervention model was developed by the laws of classical conditioning, by Pavlov,
and the formulation of Thorndike's law of effect. However, based on research and monitoring,
Skinner implements the laws of behavior. Behavior must be explainable, predictable and
modifiable taking into account the antecedent and consequent environmental functional
relationships.

Later, the intervention is based on applied behavior analysis (ABA) , the only treatment
modality supported by numerous empirical studies in the field of autism and pervasive
developmental disorders since Dr. O. Ivar Lovaas published his work in 1987.

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) with autistic children has seen a return in popularity since
1993. This renewed interest may be due in large part to the publication of Catherine Maurice's
book "Let Me Hear Your Voice," which chronicles the treatment of autistic children. Like many
professionals and parents, Mrs. Maurice had a very limited intervention in the intervention of
behavior considered negative and inflexible, but over time she verified that the intervention
could be positive due to its high degree of flexibility and because new ideas could be generated.
skills in controlling inappropriate behaviors, focusing on reducing or extinguishing excesses and
increasing or promoting deficits; For this reason, the intervention proved to be highly effective.

This story of Mrs. Maurice gave hope to many parents who had believed that their children would
remain affected by their condition, for this reason they began to implement programs in schools,
foundations, and other areas where they want to improve both the quality of life of the child like
that of his family.

Even though the high popularity of ABA is very recent, it is not a new procedure.
 ABA has been shown to be efficient in teaching commonly deficient skills, such as complex social
communication, games and self-help skills. In early 1973 Lovaas and his colleagues published a
comprehensive study that demonstrated that ABA is effective and effective in treating multiple
behaviors with diverse children.

The treatment is made up of a series of strategies and/or "work programs" . The

programming is global and comprehensive and covers all areas of development: social skills,
play, imitation, attention, language, motor skills, habits of personal autonomy and academic
skills.

All the behaviors and skills worked on are socially significant, that is, they make sense in real
life. We teach so that the child integrates into his community and acquires the skills appropriate
to his age.

In cases of autism, ABA is used to promote behaviors related to self-care, communication,

interaction and behavior; For example, learning to wash your hands, get dressed, maintain eye
contact, stop moving your hands repetitively, stop self-harm, respond to a verbal command, say
hello, etc.

Although Doctor Lovaas's work is the most frequently cited, there are others that show that ABA
can be substantially beneficial. Many studies have also concluded that ABA techniques can
produce improvements in communication, social relationships, language or imagination.

In the study done by Dr. Lovaas with a group of 20 children, it was proven that 45% of the
children involved in the study have recovered.

All this can only happen if the 3 basic conditions are met:

 Let the child start therapy at an early age (between 2 and 3 years).
 That the family's involvement in the therapy process be active, that they help the child to use
the skills learned in the therapy sessions, and generalize them in a different and as natural
environment as possible.
 Specialists have to design individual interventions appropriate to the needs of each child.
A series of recent studies confirm that ABA techniques are used in many integration programs,
and that they are effective in developing important life skills for adolescents and adults with
autism. They can help you successfully transition to independent living and also to working life.

When we talk about ABA, we refer to a behavior modification method whose objective is to
promote change through psychological intervention techniques to improve people's behavior.
 The design and application of the method is based on intervention, which allows the control of
behavior to facilitate adaptation, well-being, satisfaction and personal competence; seeking both
the development of potential and the available opportunities to optimize the environment.

WHAT DOES EFFECTIVE BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION INTEND ?

This technique focuses on Shaping .

It is a means or procedure in which successive approaches to a behavior are reinforced to reach
the goal, that is, reinforcement occurs when there is any object or event that increases the
probability of the behavior that precedes it. This being so, what reinforcement will do is
strengthen the probability of the behavior with respect to which it is contingent.
Shaping is a psychological strategy that aims to increase the frequency of a behavior in an
individual who does not perform it or who does not do it as frequently as would be desired. It
serves to establish complex behaviors that do not yet exist in the behavioral repertoire of an
individual.
It consists of reinforcing, in successive approaches, behaviors that the subject emits
and that resemble the target behavior .
Shaping is used when the subject (frequently children or people with mental disabilities) does
not know how to perform the behavior because it is complex for them. Therefore, positive
reinforcement is not offered when they manage to do the action. Instead, the behavior is broken
down into its simplest parts and its learning is staggered, taking the most basic ones first and
moving towards the more complex ones. This is how they are reinforced one by one, first the
elementary ones, and progressively the more complicated ones supported by the previous ones.
Thanks to this strategy, the patient gradually learns a behavior that was originally very complex
and outside of his or her repertoire. Thus, behavior is an operant whose consequence is
reinforcement.

THE DETAILED OBJECTIVES IN ABA

The objectives are:

 The extinction of maladaptive behaviors.

 Teach appropriate behaviors.
 Facilitate integration into normal education.
 Train parents to be able to interact effectively with the child.
 Maximize independence in all areas of development.
 In order to reach the maximum potential of each child, large objectives are divided into
smaller tasks, so that all areas of the child's functioning are exercised and a positive
response is obtained.
 The ABA technique, or applied behavior analysis, is a technique or procedure with a group of
interventions based on learning theory that aims to promote, strengthen and maintain
adaptive skills that promote independence in different areas of functioning (home, school,
etc.). community), and discourage those that affect the quality of life or coexistence. The
most important thing is to replace negative behaviors with positive ones to improve the
functioning of the family, the child and their community.

However, there are other benefits that can be obtained from behavioral therapy:

 Deal with stress and frustration.

 Setting goals to replace negative patterns of behavior with positive ones.
 New forms of learning and self-help techniques are reinforced.
 Increased self-esteem.
 Improve performance at school, at home and in social situations.

WHO IS QUALIFIED TO OFFER ABA INTERVENTION?

ABA programs must be designed and supervised by qualified professionals, including

psychologists, social workers and counselors, as well as special education teachers.

Basically the ideal is to teach new skills, promote their generalization and reduce unwanted
behaviors through systematic reinforcement.

For example, when a behavior is followed by some type of reward it is more likely to be
repeated, which is why the most important principle of behavioral therapy is positive
reinforcement.

Finally, another of the most important objectives of this therapy is to make learning in a
pleasant way for the child through support and positive interaction.

Treatment must be evaluated both experimentally and clinically and socially.

WHAT PROGRESS CAN BE EXPECTED WITH ABA?

To decide how many hours of therapy should be scheduled per week, we must observe the child
one day, and try to make a reasonable balance between intensive therapy and periods of less
intense activities, which at the same time are structured and established activities for the child;
always keeping in mind that we must give periods of time and freedom to both the child and his
family, since the family is a very important factor within this therapy.

In addition to one-on-one (therapist–child) teaching hours, we must consider the quality of

teaching and the level of structure provided outside of formal therapy hours.
The introduction of play dates will be necessary to generalize skills and provide learning
opportunities through observation. Once your child is spending a large part of the day at school,
it may be recommended to reduce the hours of therapy at home.

The ABA technique helps to notice significant changes in many areas of functioning .
However, changes do not usually occur overnight, nor do they usually occur as quickly as is
generally thought. Rather, most people with autism need intensive therapy, 25 to 40 hours a
week, which builds step-by-step progress towards recovery.

On the other hand, progress varies considerably from person to person depending on age,
intensity of therapy, level of functioning, family goals... and of course the format of therapy.

THERAPY FORMAT

This therapy format is aimed at managing teaching , since teaching is a process that changes
over time, initially the duration of time invested in the formal teaching of the discriminated task
will constantly increase as the child becomes feel comfortable and comfortable within the
intervention area.

In later stages, the activity time in teaching tasks will decrease, largely because the child
becomes involved and responds according to the established activities, since he already follows
the instructions and develops the activities.

Behavioral therapy , in some ways, can be beneficial for all children with disabilities, whether
they have specific behavioral problems or not.

Therapy will focus on extinguishing challenging behaviors and teaching new adaptive behaviors.

For children with developmental disabilities without specific behavioral problems, behavioral
therapy can help motivate children toward specific therapeutic goals.

The general structure of the therapy will remain the same.

The intervention will be a combination of programs designed to increase communication, games,

socialization and self-help skills as personality development.

Each child's program should be individualized; children typically work one-on-one with a trained
professional.
 The following is an example of how time may be distributed in a typical three-hour therapy
schedule:

 20 minutes: structured games (indoors).

 80 minutes: language ability, small breaks along the way.
 30 minutes: self-help skills.
 30 minutes: structured outdoor games.
 20 minutes: compilation and summary of the work.
Any part of this distribution may be increased or decreased depending on the child's age,
therapy and requirements.

STUDY PLAN

The content of the study plan must include a whole series of skills or strategies that the person
needs to develop satisfactorily and enjoy a full life. It is in this phase where the child must be
included teaching skills that most children do not They need to be taught how to play and
imitate.

All children need to play. Not only because they have a good time, but because it is essential for
the good development of their personality. They learn to know themselves and what surrounds
them. They learn to manage their body and use different materials to achieve goals.

Children without problems have the capacity to learn to play on their own, without the help of an
adult (although it is better for them to play a lot with their parents); and they can even play with
little specific material.

However, children with special needs do not usually have that initiative of their own and need to
be helped from birth. Given their physical and mental conditions, they have difficulties learning
to play.

The time, effort and enthusiasm will be compensated when you discover that, little by little, you
are able to carry out your own activities with initiative and creativity.

It will be necessary for the adult to guide the child and teach and facilitate the use and
enjoyment of the material offered. By copying your gestures, the little one learns how to express
his feelings, creating the first bond with his environment. Imitation is a mental process that
allows social learning and is responsible for the propagation of behaviors and culture based on
the observation of a model.
 The curriculum is based on placing a strong emphasis on the development of speech and
conceptual and academic skills.

The study or work plan must be developed sequentially so that the concepts and skills developed
are easier, and in this way they are taught first; so that more complex activities are not
introduced until the child learns the simpler skills. However, there should be no rigid
preconceived idea of the order in which the child should learn. For example, although it is not a
common pattern, some children may learn to read before they can speak.

It is very important to build success in the child and expand the use of existing skills, as well as
give him the necessary value to develop new skills or abilities.

To do this, a whole stimulation process is carried out in various areas that we will study in the
following lessons.

AREAS TO STIMULATE
Language as a communication process provides the child with the necessary skills that allow him
to communicate with words or sounds.

Early stimulation consists of games-like exercises, which are performed repetitively in order
to enhance these areas.

Help children have the following profile:

 Independent and self-confident.

 Make the most of your learning and development capabilities.
 Respect the rules of coexistence that govern society.
 Be sensitive to your needs and those of others.
 Have a high level of tolerance and patience.
 Solve challenges by analyzing possible solutions and their consequences.
 Be competitive and stand out within a social nucleus.
 Have good self-esteem and respect the people around you.

The language area allows the child to learn and understand receptive language and the
messages that others try to communicate to him; that the child learns to use expressive
language; that the child learns, understands and uses gestures and non-verbal language.
This is achieved through a stimulation process, whether through songs and rhymes, stories,
riddles, games with instructions, etc...

The purpose of these games is to help them develop articulation, expression and comprehension
skills. It is important that its difficulty is adapted to each age.

The cognitive area allows the development of reasoning, understanding and the ability to
react. This is where the child manages to understand and express his or her emotions, and also
where he or she learns to see different perspectives and usually has different ways of thinking
and acting.

The motor area and/or motor skills: The necessary control and coordination over your muscles
is developed. In this way, the child will freely make changes in body position such as sitting
without support, crawling and walking. Likewise, you will coordinate your vision with your hands,
which will allow you to manipulate objects.

The child develops his fine motor skills to be able to have precision, oculomotor coordination,
laterality, body scheme and body image.

And it develops its gross motor skills to be able to have good general dynamic coordination,
static and dynamic balance, and flexibility.

EXERCISES TO STIMULATE MOTOR SKILLS

Crawling and crawling : freely around the room, at home or outdoors.

Swinging: using a "see-saw" or swings.

With ball : in a group or alone; kicking it, throwing it with your hand, throwing it, etc.

Jump rope: at ground level or in motion, individually or in groups.

Mimic games: for the child to discover or perform actions, animals, etc.

Stringing games: make necklaces or bracelets with noodles, seeds, etc.

Target shooting : shooting at a specific point or object.

Molding games : using plasticine, dough, clay, etc.

 The objective is for them to acquire greater physical maturity and better control their body.

EXECUTIVE AREA AND ACADEMIC SKILLS AREA

Executive area:

Develops the ability to concentrate and pay attention. This skill is essential to have an effective
learning process and for the integration of the child.

The child manages to learn to implement development strategies where he has the ability to
memorize, retain information and access it after a while. This ability facilitates the child's
subsequent possibility of using notions already acquired at the times when he needs it.

You may also be able to understand and make jokes.

Academic Skills Area:

They are academic methods or strategies within which are:

 Let the child learn to write.

 Let the child learn to read.
 Let the child learn mathematical skills.
 That the child can make a summary about something heard.
 That the child is able to talk about general knowledge of the world.

HOW SHOULD BEHAVIOR THERAPY BE PROVIDED?

An evaluation or functional analysis must be carried out to determine where the behavioral
problem is coming from and thus look at why the problem occurs.
 Develop an intervention plan based on the functional evaluation and the management of how
the intervention process is developing in the child. The objective is for the child to modify his
behavior and teach him appropriate behaviors.

Teach caregivers, special educators, and training teachers to implement the intervention
plan .

It is known that therapy must be provided to detect and analyze the cause-origin of
inappropriate behaviors, for their modification by appropriate behaviors. This behavioral process
is developed through daily training and exposure of users to different experiential scenarios
focused on providing communicative, social, adaptive and behavioral responses.

The social area focuses on the interactions, balance, cooperation and order of processes
between actors, their relationships and integrations.

It is here where the child learns to:

 Develop social language, ask questions, be able to maintain a conversation, etc.

 Interact socially, be able to introduce yourself, ask for help, say hello when you arrive at a
new place, etc.
 Respect social rules, understand what social norms are in various situations.
 Interact appropriately with the group, integrate and participate actively within it.
 Generate empathy, in order to understand your own emotions.

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE FAMILY?

It is of great importance to involve the family in the therapeutic process , and in one
way or another in the treatment process; No one knows the child better than his
mother/father/person who is by his side and cares for him.

Parents frequently provide direct therapy to their child. However, as parents well know, living
with an autistic child with learning or behavioral problems today takes a great emotional toll,
and coordinating the treatment team is not easy; Therefore, when possible it is advisable to use
contracted therapists to be part of the intensive therapy. This allows parents to have a break
and make the free time to spend with their child more pleasant, productive and enjoyable.
 Routine activities such as going to the bathroom, eating, dressing, and feeding serve to generate
new learning in the child. Playing with the cat, for example, can be a daily routine for the child,
and can serve as an opportunity to teach. In this way, the entire day becomes part of a therapy
process, and parents become an essential, integral and important part of the teamwork. It is
important to involve the child in the daily routines of life, as this avoids pushing him into
isolation.

DISCRIMINATED TASKS

Although there are many techniques used as part of the treatment, the primary method of
instruction is the teaching of discriminated tasks.

This discriminated task teaching is a specific method for developing most skills, including
cognitive, communication, play, and social and self-help skills; Additionally, this strategy can be
used for all ages and populations.

Teaching tasks allows:

 Break a task into small parts.

 Teach a subskill until it is mastered.
 Repetitive practice over a defined period of time.
 Provide help and taper it off.
 Use reinforcement procedures.
 Provide concentrated instruction.
 Use reinforcement procedures.
In teaching discriminated tasks, the student is presented with a very small unit of information
and an immediate response is expected.

Some techniques to use when using this method:

 Instructions should be simple and concise, as this helps avoid confusion.

 It must be ensured that the discriminated stimulus (instruction) is appropriate for the task.
 Give the student approximately 3 to 5 seconds to respond. This gives you a chance to
process the information.
 If there is no response within the time limit, treat the inactivity as a failed task.
 The best learning occurs when the student is paying attention. If the student demonstrates
poor attention, it is necessary to focus on developing better attention skills.
 Be sure to reinforce desirable spontaneous behaviors such as making eye contact, sitting
well, or speaking spontaneously.

THE ORGANIZATION SYSTEM - TOKEN ECONOMY

" It is a psychological technique of behavioral modification that is

based on the principles of operant conditioning, frequently used with
children to promote and reinforce the emissions of certain socially desirable
behaviors, selected and operationally defined at the beginning of the
program. Generally these are behaviors that the child (or the subject)
would not perform spontaneously, at least not as frequently as those who
educate him or wish to modify his behavior expect. " (Wikipedia).

That is, token economy programs are procedures aimed at establishing

strict control over a certain environment, in order to control the behaviors
of a person or a group of people.
Token economy programs frequently appear in everyday life, for example when suppliers give
points to their regular customers so that they can exchange them for a coffee machine, etc...

STAGES OF THERAPY

As the child progresses in therapy, he learns, and his learning will be even more effective over
time, but for this he must go through a series of stages or phases :

Initial stage: this phase includes all the child's knowledge; Here the child is more critical, more
participatory, he learns to process information and provide feedback, he learns to be
cooperative, to understand cause-effect, he manages to learn new concepts and skills...

Middle stage: Emphasizes continuous but specific learning of communication, play, self-help
and social skills; which implies having a series of more complex concepts that are divided into a
series of steps that are taught systematically, that is, abstract concepts are translated into
concrete examples.

It is at this time where the child should be exposed to game events and other social activities,
since the ideal is to increase their learning skills and enable them to function in natural
environments.

They are usually introduced to the school environment during this stage.

Advanced stage: work focuses on socialization, play, affective, cognitive, and communication
skills; are the primary objective of this stage.

Try to get the child to integrate and cooperate in natural learning environments, for example at
school.
 GENERAL FACTORS INVOLVED IN THE PROCESS OF OBTAINING GOOD RESULTS

 Coherence inside and outside of therapy.

 Minimum two hours of weekly supervision.
 Parents and the entire team must actively participate in the meetings.
 Training of new personnel should be prior to establishing treatment.
 Appreciation of the group of therapists by parents.
 Pleasant work environment.
 They don't compare to children.
 Problems are discussed with the supervisor in a separate space.
 It does not compare to the work staff.
 Appreciation of different styles of therapists.
 Flexibility in schedule.
 Open communication within team members.
 Creative questions, activities focused on the comprehensive and personal development of the
child, promoting creativity and providing answers to the solution to the problem.