1. Learning to Implement a Home-Based ABA Program
Understanding aba

2. Introductions
Chrissy McNair, Mom

3. Introductions
Melinda Henson, BCBA

4. Session overview
Gain Understanding of ABA Outcomes, Theories, Principles, and Guidelines
Learn How to Assess Your Child’s Needs
Understand How to Set Goals for Your Child
Learn Methods for Prompting, Reinforcement, Generalization
Learn the Importance of Data Collection and Different Collection Methods

5. TODAY’S SESSION PART ONE PART TWO PART THREE Principles of ABA
ABA Overview
Types of ABA Programs
PART TWO
Principles of ABA
Diving into ABA Components
PART THREE
Designing Your Own Home Program

8. ABA Facts & myths Myth fact ABA is an intervention.
ABA is actually a theory that encompasses many specific interventions based on principles of Behaviorism.
ABA Facts & myths

9. ABA Facts & myths Myth fact ABA is specifically for autism.
ABA is used in a variety of fields to help change behaviors.
Examples: gambling, smoking, weight loss, teaching new skills
ABA Facts & myths

10. ABA Facts & myths Myth fact ABA is discrete trial training.
Discrete trial training is one specific type of intervention that is based upon principles of ABA.
Examples of other interventions based in ABA: video modeling, incidental teaching, PRT, activity schedules
ABA Facts & myths

11. ABA Facts & myths Myth fact ABA is based on punishments.
ABA focuses on the use of reinforcement.
ABA Facts & myths

12. ABA Facts & myths Myth fact
Principles of ABA promote simple, robotic skill development.
Principles of ABA can be used to teach complex behaviors that generalize across situations.
Examples: toileting, problem solving, dressing, social skills, language
ABA Facts & myths

13. ABA Facts & myths Myth fact
Principles of ABA are used only to reduce negative behaviors.
Principles of ABA are used to teach new skills and reduce negative behaviors.
ABA Facts & myths

14. ABA is….
Scientific approach for discovering environmental variables that reliably influence socially significant behavior
(Cooper, Heron, & Heward, 2007)

15. ABA is More than Dtt ABA Discrete Trial Training Behavior Verbal
Visual Prompting
Modeling
Language, Social Skills, Behavior
AND MORE!
Generalization

16. Using aba at home
Structured Programs-Supervisors, Staff, Parents as Managers or Teachers
Dinner Table ABA
NEED GOALS, PROTOCOLS & PROCEDURES, ANALYSIS

17. PART 2 ABA 101
REINFORCEMENT
PROMPTING
BEHAVIOR SHAPING
DATA COLLECTION
VERBAL BEHAVIOR
GENERALIZING SKILLS

18. Reinforcement Reinforcement is KEY!
Preference Assessment (daily or weekly)
Differential Reinforcement
Continuous vs Intermittent
Fading Reinforcement

19. Reinforcement and ASD
Many times, children with autism’s behaviors are not reinforced by naturally occurring consequences, or the naturally occurring reinforcement for negative behaviors outweigh those of positive behaviors
For this reason, we must sometimes use tangible items to reinforce specific behaviors
Add some examples of tangible or

20. Reinforcement
Reinforcement is what makes the behavior more likely to occur in the future.
Should immediately follow the behavior you want to strengthen.
Tips for strong reinforcement:
Conduct a preference assessment to see what your child/student enjoys
Vary reinforcement to prevent satiation
Provide higher levels of reinforcement for new responses and lower levels for more firmly established behaviors
Remember the definition of reinforcement!

21. Things that affect reinforcement
Deprivation: To keep toys, foods, and activities fun, save them for therapy or when you want to teach a difficult or new skill. Think: Absence makes the heart grow fonder….
Immediacy: Deliver reinforcement within a ½ second or you run the risk of them thinking that you are reinforcing anything that happened within the delay.
Size: Do not expect your student to work for an hour for a M ‘n’ M. The reinforcer should match the level of work that was done. Would you willingly work for a company that paid you less than you deserve?
Contingency: The reinforcement should be contingent on a behavior you want to see more of.
For example, a child labels basketball correctly, and by the time you get around to reinforcing, he has his finer up his nose. Do we really want to see more of that behavior?

22. Levels of Reinforcers Edibles Tangible Activities Social Approval
Primary Reinforcers
Secondary Reinforcers
Generalized Reinforcers
Edibles
Tangible
Activities
Social Approval
Praise
Exchangeable

23. Primary REINFORCERS
Primary reinforcers automatically fill some biological human need without learning
Examples:
Food (edibles), Water, Oxygen, Warmth
Advantages/Disadvantages of Edible Reinforcement:
Being fed is an basic need to survive & can be highly effective
Avoid if secondary or generalized reinforcers are equally effective
Check for food allergies and choking hazards
Avoid giving too much food before meal times
May not be effective if child is not hungry

24. Secondary Reinforcers
Secondary reinforcers acquire their value through learning (through association with primary reinforcement)
Examples:
Tangibles, Activities, Social Approval, Praise
Advantages/Disadvantages of Secondary Reinforcers:
Disadvantages of edible reinforcement is avoided
More choices available
Social approval & praise is always available and reflects more natural/real-world reinforcement
Tangibles/activities may not be reinforcing every time they are presented

25. Generalized Reinforcers
Generalized reinforcers have been paired with a variety of previously established reinforcers
Exchangeable Reinforcers/Token Systems:
Tokens are earned that can be exchanged later for access to reinforcement (e.g. money, stickers, points)
Token is given immediately following behavior, but actual reinforcing activity or item is given after a certain number of tokens are received.
Advantages/Disadvantages of Generalized Reinforcers
Tokens themselves are not initially reinforcing
Student must be able to delay reinforcement/understand that tokens add up to larger reinforcer

26. Schedules of Reinforcement
A schedule of reinforcement determines how often the behavior should be reinforced
Continuous Reinforcement:
Reinforcing the desired behavior every time it occurs.
Used to teach and strengthen behavior.
Examples: Vending machine, ATM
Intermittent Reinforcement:
Reinforcing the desired behavior some of the time it is observed.
Used to maintain behavior.
Time-based or response-based

27. Intermittent Reinforcement
Advantages of Intermittent Reinforcement
More resistant to extinction
Results in relatively high rates of responding
More closely approximates natural reinforcement conditions
Less reinforcement from the outside allows for intrinsic motivations to begin to maintain behavior as competency increases
Less likely to create satiation
More cost effective

28. Automatic Reinforcement
Automatic reinforcement occurs when behaviors have an immediate affect on their environment which in turn reinforce the behavior.
Visual, Auditory, Gustatory, Olfactory, Tactile
These can be tough to compete with because they do not require social interaction – but we can figure out how to control some of them and present the child with these experiences during social interactions and exchanges.

29. How to use reinforcement
Better reinforcement for better responding
Provide higher quality reinforcement for:
Unprompted responses
Faster responses
Better articulated responses
Proper tone is used
Correct response required a less intrusive prompt
No problem behavior occurring

30. What about praise? Early learners may not work for praise
ALWAYS pair praise with back-up reinforcers
Eventually praise will become valuable
Gradually thin the use of back-up reinforcers
Advanced learners
Might work well for praise most of the time
Continue to sprinkle in back-up reinforcers

31. Variety, Novelty, & Choice
Including a variety of reinforcers helps decrease the chance of satiation
Novelty is often exciting to students
New things
Not knowing what is going to happen
When choice is given, the chances increase that the preferred item is really preferred at that time

32. How Often Should I Reinforce?
Each target behavior will be reinforced EVERY TIME until child/student shows that s/he can perform this behavior in a variety of environments without mistakes!
Generally, prompted behaviors should result in praise, while independent responses should result in praise + tangible, edible, etc…
Continuous Reinforcement:
Reinforcing the desired behavior every time it is observed
Used to teach and strengthen behavior
E.g. “Every 3 or 4 times” or “Every 4 minutes in circle time with appropriate behavior”

33. Tips for Reinforcement
Give choices
Always keep a box of reinforcers next to you when working for quick access
Have a reinforcer in hand to immediately give to him
Give child/student multiple reinforcers from which to to choose
Place reinforcers in a “surprise grab bag” so child is surprised each time
Vary the reinforcement to avoid satiation

34. Hand Over Hand & Gestures
Prompting
Hand Over Hand & Gestures
Physical
Pictures & Written
Visual
Verbal

35. 3-Step prompting Compliance Building 1. Tell 2. Show 3. Do
Must be consistent with follow-through and be willing to implement step 3 if needed

36. Behavior Shaping
Reinforcing even a slight approximation to the desired behavior
After that behavior is being replicated, only reinforce a closer approximation
Advantages
Used to teach new behaviors
It is a positive procedure
Can be combined with other procedures (fading, chaining, etc.)
Disadvantages
Time consuming
Progress is not always linear
Implementer needs some skill 36

37. Collecting daTA
Must have all variables defined Must be consistent across all collectors Consider what variables you want to track

38. WAYS TO ANALYZE DATA What do the scores tell you?
Visual interpretation better in graph vs. table form

39. VERBAL BEHAVIOR VB MANDS LISTENER TACTS ECHOIC PLAY SOCIAL
INTRAVERBALS
IMITATION

40. GENERALIZING SKILLS Across Environments Across People
When to Generalize?
Building a Maintenance Schedule

41. Programming for Generalization
Generalization occurs when behaviors learned under one set of circumstances occur:
At other times
In other places
With other people
For different stimuli

42. Programming for Generalization
Natural maintaining conditions
Practice the skill in naturally occurring situations and make sure it maintains during natural contingencies (antecedents & consequences)
Train sufficient exemplars
Teach the behavior to occur in the presence of many examples of stimuli that include the critical stimulus features
Train loosely
Prevent stimulus overselectivity by teaching in various settings, with various stimuli, in various forms

43. Programming for Generalization
Program common stimuli
Include as many of the physical and social elements that exist in the “real life” setting into the practice setting
Mediate generalization
Teach self-instruction techniques

44. Fluency
Fluency is performing a behavior smoothly, rapidly, correctly, and with ease.
Taught with repetition
Target speed & accuracy
Remember to include fluency in your goal as appropriate
Fluent skills maintain better across time

45. What contributes to poor maintenance?
Maintenance is the ability to continue the behavior after intervention has ended.
What contributes to poor maintenance?
Ending reinforcement too soon
Reinforcement of unwanted behaviors
Punishing the behavior

46. Interspersing Maintenance
When conducting trials, it is best to intersperse maintenance trials.
Alternate acquisition (learning) trials with learned concepts to:
Build momentum
Increase success & reinforcement
Increase practice of learned skills
Maintain skills over time

47. Programming for Maintenance
Minimize unwanted behaviors during initial learning (errorless teaching)
Be sure the behavior is fluent before ending intervention
Teach self-management strategies
Self-recording
Self-reinforcement
Asking for reinforcement

48. Programming for Maintenance
Fade reinforcement slowly and transfer to natural contingencies
Fade antecedents from structured to natural
Adjust schedule, quality, & quantity of reinforcement
Increase criteria for reinforcement
Set up peer supports for reinforcement

49. Part three building your own home program
Set Goals
Child’s Needs
Family’s Needs
Sibling’s Needs
Language/ Behavioral/ ….or Both

50. Start small Determine Motivators—Reinforcement
Immediate Reinforcement (toys, tickles, etc)
Longer Term Reinforcement (trips out in community)
Reserve these reinforcement objects ONLY for instruction time!

51. Develop Programs for week
Choose 4-6 Areas to Focus On
Motor Imitation
Following Directions
Tacting
Behavioral Skill
Social
Etc

52. Write procedures & protocols
Make definitions as specific as possible
Write exactly what instructor needs to do
Define desired response from child
Define Mastery

53. Develop Data Sheet for EACh program
Consider amount of learning opportunities needed to achieve mastery and fluency
Establish and follow steps to mastery!
Develop own sheets
Download
Copy from manual

54. Data Sheet Data FP = Full prompt Delay 0 = 0-s
PP= Partial prompt 2 = 2-s
I = Independent 4 = 4-s
E = Error N = No prompt

55. First Response Data Sheet

57. Curriculum Guides

58. Assessments & Curriculum Guides
Verbal Behavior – Milestones Assessment and Placement Program
Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills