What Does an ABA Therapy Session Look Like?
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy sessions are structured and tailored to meet the individual needs of each client, typically focusing on addressing behaviors and skills relevant to their development. Individualized treatments are designed around skills acquisition relevant to age and ability, and also focus on decreasing challenging behaviors, especially those behaviors that may make daily routines difficult to get through. ABA has been shown to be an effective form of therapy for individuals on the autism spectrum as well as enhancing skill acquisitions among other populations.
The fundamental principles behind an ABA therapy session are as follows….
1. Antecedent Behavior Consequence Model – Understanding the antecedent and consequences of a behavior, a BCBA comes to understand the factors influencing behavior.2. Positive Reinforcement – provide rewards to increase the likelihood of repeating desired behaviors versus attempting to prevent the instances of undesired behaviors through punishment procedures. Good ABA practitioners rarely would include a punishment procedure in therapy planning.3. Prompting and Prompt Fading – Therapists use prompts to help pass along new skills and gradually fade prompts with proficiency.4. Task Analysis – Breaking down complex tasks into smaller tasks, making more manageable steps to facilitate learning.5. Generalization – Aiming to ensure skills are learned in more than one setting and within the context intended, not within the context of a single person or setting.
A detailed description of an ABA Therapy might look like this…
Pre-Therapy session Planninga. Initial Assessment and Goal Setting – a BCBA performs a skills assessment and parent interview to determine skills and behavior baseline to create a treatment plan and behavior intervention plan for a therapist to followb. Session Preparation – a therapist may make materials and learning aids. Some may also be purchased.
Pairinga. Introduction and Engagement – typically early sessions will involve what looks more like playing and getting to understand the individual child. This will also allow the therapist to collect baseline behavior data while the child gets comfortable in their presence. This goes towards building a positive environment for skill building.
Therapya. Targeted Skill Acquisition – The bulk of a therapy session should focus on teaching and practicing specific skills. Over time the skills will build on one another and focus around building a manageable age-appropriate routine and rarely focus on academics though BCBAs may find ways to Incorporate academics into generalized skill acquisition.b. Behavior Management – If challenging behaviors arise, the BCBA will have provided the therapist with a behavior intervention plan or BIP. The therapist will also attempt to redirect, teach replacement behaviors, or modify the environment to prevent triggersc. Data Collect and Analysis – The therapist should be constantly taking data on behaviors and skill acquisition. Data on behavior will include details on intensity, frequency, and duration while data on skill acquisition will help the BCBA master targets and add new skills.d. Prompting and Reinforcement – This is a technique utilized to support an individual’s learning new skills. The therapist starts with prompting and as the skill builds, prompting is faded while continuing with a positive reinforcement schedule to strengthen those skills and continue to motivate progress.e. Generalization and Maintenace – Therapists and family members should be constantly looking for ways to incorporate ABA therapy goals in daily life and a BCBA should be looking for ways to incorporate daily life into therapy goals. As therapy goals are mastered they are moved into maintenance where they are systematically recalled as part of the ABA therapy sessions.
Collaborationa. Feedback - Open communication between the therapist, individual, caregivers, and other relevant stakeholders should be maintained. Feedback is provided regularly, highlighting progress and areas for further development.b. Caregiver Involvement and Training – Caregiver involvement is crucial to the success of ABA. A BCBA should be planning and coordinating training sessions to involve the family and other people close to the child. In some instances, it may be appropriate for a therapist to even prompt a caregiver to reinforce therapy goals.
ABA Therapy sessions are structured toward individualized interventions focused on teaching new skills, reducing challenging behaviors, and promoting positive outcomes for individuals with diverse needs. Because of the individualization of programs not all ABA therapy sessions may look the same because the treatment may have a different focus that could be shifted as therapy goals are reached. Through the application of evidence and data-based principles and techniques, ABA therapists strive to maximize the potential for growth and development with their clients by employing these principles, empowering them to lead fulfilling and meaningful lives.
The fundamental principles behind an ABA therapy session are as follows….
1. Antecedent Behavior Consequence Model – Understanding the antecedent and consequences of a behavior, a BCBA comes to understand the factors influencing behavior.2. Positive Reinforcement – provide rewards to increase the likelihood of repeating desired behaviors versus attempting to prevent the instances of undesired behaviors through punishment procedures. Good ABA practitioners rarely would include a punishment procedure in therapy planning.3. Prompting and Prompt Fading – Therapists use prompts to help pass along new skills and gradually fade prompts with proficiency.4. Task Analysis – Breaking down complex tasks into smaller tasks, making more manageable steps to facilitate learning.5. Generalization – Aiming to ensure skills are learned in more than one setting and within the context intended, not within the context of a single person or setting.
A detailed description of an ABA Therapy might look like this…
Pre-Therapy session Planninga. Initial Assessment and Goal Setting – a BCBA performs a skills assessment and parent interview to determine skills and behavior baseline to create a treatment plan and behavior intervention plan for a therapist to followb. Session Preparation – a therapist may make materials and learning aids. Some may also be purchased.
Pairinga. Introduction and Engagement – typically early sessions will involve what looks more like playing and getting to understand the individual child. This will also allow the therapist to collect baseline behavior data while the child gets comfortable in their presence. This goes towards building a positive environment for skill building.
Therapya. Targeted Skill Acquisition – The bulk of a therapy session should focus on teaching and practicing specific skills. Over time the skills will build on one another and focus around building a manageable age-appropriate routine and rarely focus on academics though BCBAs may find ways to Incorporate academics into generalized skill acquisition.b. Behavior Management – If challenging behaviors arise, the BCBA will have provided the therapist with a behavior intervention plan or BIP. The therapist will also attempt to redirect, teach replacement behaviors, or modify the environment to prevent triggersc. Data Collect and Analysis – The therapist should be constantly taking data on behaviors and skill acquisition. Data on behavior will include details on intensity, frequency, and duration while data on skill acquisition will help the BCBA master targets and add new skills.d. Prompting and Reinforcement – This is a technique utilized to support an individual’s learning new skills. The therapist starts with prompting and as the skill builds, prompting is faded while continuing with a positive reinforcement schedule to strengthen those skills and continue to motivate progress.e. Generalization and Maintenace – Therapists and family members should be constantly looking for ways to incorporate ABA therapy goals in daily life and a BCBA should be looking for ways to incorporate daily life into therapy goals. As therapy goals are mastered they are moved into maintenance where they are systematically recalled as part of the ABA therapy sessions.
Collaborationa. Feedback - Open communication between the therapist, individual, caregivers, and other relevant stakeholders should be maintained. Feedback is provided regularly, highlighting progress and areas for further development.b. Caregiver Involvement and Training – Caregiver involvement is crucial to the success of ABA. A BCBA should be planning and coordinating training sessions to involve the family and other people close to the child. In some instances, it may be appropriate for a therapist to even prompt a caregiver to reinforce therapy goals.
ABA Therapy sessions are structured toward individualized interventions focused on teaching new skills, reducing challenging behaviors, and promoting positive outcomes for individuals with diverse needs. Because of the individualization of programs not all ABA therapy sessions may look the same because the treatment may have a different focus that could be shifted as therapy goals are reached. Through the application of evidence and data-based principles and techniques, ABA therapists strive to maximize the potential for growth and development with their clients by employing these principles, empowering them to lead fulfilling and meaningful lives.
