Applied behavior analysis, or ABA, is a strategy for changing social behavior, specifically among children with autism, though there are many benefits to using this on a grander scale.
Behavior
Applied behavior analysis
Applied behavior analysis, or ABA, is a strategy for changing social behavior, specifically among children with autism, though there are many benefits to using this on a grander scale.
The main goal of ABA in any setting is to improve a child’s social and communication skills. This involves certain techniques that anybody can use, even without ABA therapy certifications. With this in mind, here is a guide to using ABA in the classroom.
Education resources
What is ABA?
ABA is a broad approach that encompasses a range of individual techniques, all of which aim to help children further develop their social skills. Because of this focus, it’s particularly popular as a therapy for autistic children who may struggle with social environments. However, you could also use the ABA method to help any child with this, especially as health psychology programs recognize it as an essential ability.
Five ABA classroom techniques
There are many individual ABA techniques, but five, in particular, might be especially helpful for a classroom setting. These include:
1. Contingent observation
Contingent observation involves removing a child from an activity if they display inappropriate behavior – this allows them to observe the right behavior and hopefully emulate it. This is similar to a normal timeout and is usually reserved for those in daycare or preschool. The time between removing the child from a situation and returning them is typically quite short, as the aim is to show them the correct behavior and not to punish them. This still teaches the child that disruptive behavior leads to them not being allowed to participate in group activities.
2. Pivotal response treatment
Pivotal response treatment uses positive reinforcement to incentivize good behavior and targets key areas of development. That includes starting a conversation with somebody and continuing it or just answering a question. If they successfully navigate the situation, they get something they want- a toy or a fun activity – with this motivator often depending on the child’s age. PRT gives children a way to practice different types of social interaction and internalize this information with the promise that it leads to a positive outcome, such as gaining or retaining friends.
3. Naturalistic teaching
Naturalistic teaching works at the child’s unique pace and focuses on how developing one skill helps boost the others. The teacher or therapist tries to relate learning opportunities to the child’s life, which helps to contextualize the lessons and skills while further engaging the child. Naturalistic teaching covers several key techniques, including incidental teaching – where a teacher sets up the environment to encourage students to ask for something they need. For example, if you give your class a cutting-out activity, you might not hand out any scissors, which will incentivize them to ask for some.
4. Token economy
Implementing a token economy is a common way of incentivizing good student behavior, typically with merits and stickers, and serves as another type of positive reinforcement. These might not have much material value, but they often mean a lot to children, showing them that their performance and behavior deserve praise. Small gifts such as stationery are also potential tokens, but it’s best to save these for significant milestones. Behaviors that you might want to encourage include: tidying up after an art lesson, answering the most questions in a given week, or finishing their assigned homework on time.
5. Discrete trial teaching
Discrete trial teaching breaks skills into smaller sub-skills, which the teacher tackles individually. For example, if a child struggles with talking to people, discrete trial teaching might help them with active listening, non-verbal cues, open-ended questions, and showing empathy. This helps the child to absorb significant skills without becoming overwhelmed slowly. DTT takes the form of one-on-one sessions, where the teacher gives the student a prompt, and the child replies in a way that demonstrates a sub-skill. Depending on their answers, the teacher might reward or correct them, with the former incentivizing them to perform well.
The benefits of applied behavior analysis
By integrating these techniques into your classroom, you could see remarkable benefits – and can easily boost your students’ performance and school experience. Various specialized organizations approve of using ABA for autistic and non-autistic children, meaning this approach has scientific backing and is accessible to all. The main benefits you may notice after some time using these methods include the following:
- A sharp improvement in class cohesion, as the students will be able to get along better and understand how to interact with one another constructively.
- Children undergoing ABA may then use this cohesion to start conversations and make friends, allowing them to develop a greater range of social skills.
- Fewer behavioral issues in the class, as the children know good behavior is rewarded and won’t want you to remove them from a group activity.
- Prepares your students for conversations outside the class, granting them skills they can carry for years and giving them the fortitude to socialize with peers.
- Better grades in class, as some of these abilities may help pupils articulate their points and make compelling arguments in their written assignments.
- ABA methods are adaptable to suit each child’s individual needs, as everyone learns in their own unique ways and has to develop different skills.
Applied behavior analysis allows you to change and improve your classroom on a fundamental level, teaching them useful skills that will stay with them for years. Even if the class only has one or two pupils that seem to need ABA, everyone in the cohort could easily benefit from developing their social skills further.
