Conference "Competencies and Capabilities in Education" Oradea 2009

TERAPIA ABA PENTRU COPIII CU TULBURRI DIN SPECTRUL AUTIST

ABA THERAPY FOR AUTISTIC SPECTRUM DESORDERS CHILDREN
Ramona Bota1, Valeria Colesnicov1, Florentina Cordea1
Abstract
This paper work approach some theoretical and practical aspects of ABA therapy
which is Applied Behavior Analyses. This behavior therapy is an reeducation process, its
theoretic bases including the major ideas in the studies regarding conditioning and learning.
ABA therapy is the science of applying experimentally derived principles of behavior
to improve socially significant behavior. Applied behavior is the third of the four domains of
behavior analysis, the other three being, behaviorism, experimental analysis of
behavior and professional practice of behavior analysis.
Typically developing children learn without our intervention that is, the typical
environment they are born into provides the right conditions to learn language, play, and
social skills. Children with autism learn much, much less from the environment. They are
often capable of learning, but it takes a very structured environment, one where conditions are
optimized for acquiring the same skills that typical children learn naturally. ABA is all about
the rules for setting up the environment to enable kids to learn.
Behavior therapy is a process of reeducation and learning which has been developed
as a protest form from psycho-analysis point of view and his theoretical bases includes the
most important ideas about conditioning and learning.
This therapy form is centered in present and recomands the change of the symptom
behavior using reproductibil techniques based on real assumptions about human behavior
(Dafinoiu, Varga, 2005).
In comportamental intervention we can identify three types of learning :
classic conditioning
operant conditioning
learning through observation
From all of this, operant conditioning is the principal method of learning, in school
and at home.
Applied Behavior Analysis therapy was first developed in the 1960s by psychologist
Ivar Lovaas. ABA therapy for autism makes use of the idea that when people affected by
autism are rewarded for a behavior, they are likely to repeat that behavior. It is ocuppied
with behaviors that operates with the enviroment and has consequenses that effects the
future performances (Kazdin, 1994). The relationship between behavior and enviroment is
described by the principals of operant conditioning. This has three components:
a) Antecedents : is the stimulus that happens before the behavior could be demonstrated
Example: somebody waves the hand towards a friend
b) Behaviors : is the act realised by a human being
Example : a friend is aproching
c) Consequences : is the event that follows the behavior
Example : talk to him
In addition to a relation being made between behavior and its consequences, operant
conditioning also establishes relations between antecedent conditions and behaviors. This
differs from the S-R formulations (If-A-then-B), and replaces it with an AB-because-of-C
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Centru colar pentru Educaie Incluziv Nr.1 Oradea

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Conference "Competencies and Capabilities in Education" Oradea 2009

formulation. In other words, the relation between a behavior(B) and its context(A) is because
of consequences (C), more specifically, this relationship between AB because of C indicates
that the relationship is established by prior consequences that have occurred in similar
contexts (Moxley, 2004).
Operant behavior is that which is selected by its consequences. The conditioning of
operant behavior is the result of reinforcement and punishment Operant conditioning applies
to voluntary responses, which an organism performs deliberately, to produce a desirable
outcome.
Strategies wich can be used in ABA therapy:
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is based on the idea that by influencing a response
associated with a behavior may cause that behavior to be shaped and controlled. ABA is a
mixture of psychological and educational techniques that are utilized based upon the needs of
each individual child. Applied Behavior Analysis is the use of behavioral methods to measure
behavior, teach functional skills, and evaluate progress (Cooper, Heron, Heward, 2007).
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) techniques have been proven in many studies as the
leading proven treatment and method of choice on treating individuals with autism spectrum
disorder at any level. Ultimately, the goal is to find a way of motivating the child and using a
number of different strategies and positive reinforcement techniques to ensure that the
sessions are enjoyable and productive .
In ABA treatment, the therapist gives the child a motive, like a question or a request to
sit down, along with the correct response. The therapist uses attention, praise or an
actual incentive like toys or food to reward the child for repeating the right answer or
completing the task; any other response is ignored (Lovaas, 1981).
The therapeutic program in ABA is based on a well structured enviroment, to a daily
routine, to a complete set of rules and to a rigurous and attentive observation of the
progresses. ABA therapists work with applied behavior analysis techniques in order to teach
children
with
autism
through intensive
one-on-one
therapy
sessions.
Specific targets of the interventions are chosen based on the child's individual
problems and disorder. Children with autism often exhibit behaviors such as their
unwillingness and a reduction in these behaviors is often the first intervention target. After
behavior problems are controlled, the intervention aim can shift to dealing with other
aspects of autism, such as improving communication and social interaction. Goals in an
intensive behavioral intervention program will also change as the child improves or when
there is a change in the environment.
Treatment is based heavily on functional assessment, information, and family input.
Children work on 25 different skill areas that include such skill areas as receptive language,
expressive communication, visual performance, mathematics, and other academic and life
learning skills. Behavior modification and socialization skills are incorporated into a child's
program if and when necessary.
Basic principles of behavioral and educational intervention approaches
Therapists use reinforcement and other behavior modification techniques during the sessions
to slowly shape a child's behavior. The same principles are also used to reduce negative
behavior. A reinforce is an event or a pleasent thing that can be gave or received in exchange
of what an individual can do, but it doesnt mean that it will grow the frequences of the
behavior. If it is pozitive or negative the reinforcement is always growing the frequences of
behaviour. Examples of possible reinforcers for young children may include verbal praise,
or offering the child a desired toy.
A punisher is a consequence that decreases the probability or frequency of that
response. Possible punishers for young children may include verbal disapproval or
withholding a desired object or activity. The term "punisher" is a technical term used in
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Conference "Competencies and Capabilities in Education" Oradea 2009

behavioral therapy and does not imply the use of physical abuse such as hitting,
slapping, spanking, or pinching.
Reinforcers and punishers are different for each child. Part of operant conditioning
approaches is to perform a functional assessment of possible reinforcers or punishers to
determine which are most effective in shaping a child's behaviors. While all behavioral
therapies have some basic similarities, specific behavioral techniques vary in several ways.
Some techniques focus on the prior conditions and involve procedures provided before a
target behavior occurs.
Behaviors that can not be reinforced , are learned by using the shaping method.
Through shaping the final behavior is realised by reinforcement the little steps or
approximation of the final answer (Kazdin, 1994). This method is used in shaping the verbal
behavior. Shaping involves gradually modifying the existing behavior into the desired
behavior. If the student engages with a dog by hitting it, then he or she could have their
behavior shaped by reinforcing interactions in which he or she touches the dog more gently.
Over many interactions, successful shaping would replace the hitting behavior with patting or
other gentler behavior.
Another method is chaining . This is used to teach new behaviors that cannot apear
and cannot be reinforced. Is the task divided in equal individual parts that can be teach to the
kid by reinforcement, one at time. The skill to be learned is broken down into small units for
easy learning, then the others and when this two are acquisitioned he would have to execute
alone what he learned. For example, a person learning to brush teeth independently may start
with learning to unscrew the toothpaste cap. Once they have learned this, the next step may be
squeezing the tube.
If some behaviors are used in excess and they need to be reduced, we ca use
inadequaced behavior methods that are based on the same theory like operant conditioning.
Extinction is the technical term to describe the procedure of a previously reinforced behavior
resulting from the decrease of the behavior. The behavior is then set to be extinguished
(Cooper, Heron, Heward, 2007). Extinction procedures are often preferred over punishment
procures that are frequently deemed unethical and in many states prohibited.
Teaching strategies in ABA
In therapeutic activities of the children with special needs is used the discreet
attempt like a teaching unit that uses the theory of operant conditioning. The concept of
teaching in distinctive units reffers to the creations to a series of opurtunities of learning that
have a begging and an end.
In this way :
the meetings take place in short series, with the child sit at the table, far away from
divertive stimulus
every child is assisted by a teacher that has an individual intervention program
the reinfrocements and the ability target are identify for every child
puting the teaching materials specially created for each child enables a consistency and a
fluid manner
So, through the discreet unit of teaching we understand :
behaviors can be manipulate and changed sistematicaly
the child knows what we except from his part
recording the data is easy
to maintain the consequence all the time we teach
the evaluation of the progress can be realized with objectiveness
The oportunities of learning in the frame of a meeting are structured in four essential
bases an these are :
1.
to acquire the attention of the child
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Conference "Competencies and Capabilities in Education" Oradea 2009

2.
3.
4.

to present the briefing

to hear the child answer
to offer consequences
Once the skills are teached to the child in a well structured situati situation of therapy
it is necesary that we generalize them. That means the child is capable to demonstrate a
learned behavior an other conditions. These conditions could be when the language is
different, the medium changed or the materials used in another way.
The generalization is an essential part of learning for the child to understand and use the
abilities that he learned. Generalization can occur across people, places, and materials used
for teaching. Once a skill is learned in one setting, with a particular instructor, and with
specific materials, the skill is taught in more general settings with more variation from the
initial acquisition phase. For example, if a student has successfully mastered learning colors at
the table, the teacher may take the student around the house or his school and then generalize
the skill in these more natural environments with other materials. Behavior analysts have
spent considerable amount of time studying factors that lead to generalization (Alberto &
Troutman, 2006 ).
The fields in which the children need to generalize the skills they learn are :
Stimulus - the child has to demonstrate the understanding of the concept in the presence of
any stimulus which is
Example: if the child learns the concepts big, little with a big cup and a little one, is
necesary that he is capable to identify this asscociated concepts and the indentical or nonidentical items ;
Enviroment the child has to demonstrate his abilities in different places on the same room in
which was teached, then slowly the ability is transfere in other rooms in the same house or in
another enviroment, like the school ;
Differential Stimulus (S.D.) when to a child is teached concepts, the instruction are very
simple and they dont include a language that can be used in another enviroment ; the child
has to be teached to understand the different ways in which
could be offered a different instruction ;
Example: - if the child was teached to follow the rule stand up, he needs to be teached to
you can stay up, or stand up , please , stand up, now, please;
Distance the child needs to become capable to participate to receive the information and to
respond, witout any problems regarding person in the room ;
Example : the teacher needs to stand up in front of the classroom or in another part ;
Reinforcement : because the child learns a certain ability with the help of reinforcement, is
necesary to be reduced slowly, so the child doesnt need this to demonstrate his abilities .
In all ABA programs, the intent is to increase skills in language, play and
socialization, while decreasing behaviors that interfere with learning. The results can be
profound. Many children with autism who have ritualistic or self injurious behaviors reduce
or eliminate these behaviors.
They establish eye contact. They learn to stay on task. Finally the children acquire the
ability and the desire to learn and to do well. Even if the child does not achieve a best
outcome result of normal functioning levels in all areas, nearly all autistic children benefit
from intensive ABA programs.
In conclusion, through therapeutic activities of ABA the children with special needs
could learn to realize independent and functional behaviors and they can improve
concentration capacity, the atention , the involvement rate in the task and the wish of social
interaction .

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Conference "Competencies and Capabilities in Education" Oradea 2009

Bibliograpy:
1. Alberto & Troutman (2006). Applied behavior analysis for teachers (7th Ed.). Upper
Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education
2. Cooper JO, Heron TE, Heward WL (2007). Applied Behavior Analysis (2nd ed.).
Prentice Hall.
3. Dafinou, I., Varga J. L (2005) Psihoterapii scurte- strategii, metode, tehnici, Editura
Polirom, Iasi
4. Kazdin, A.E. (1994). Behavior modification in applied settings (5th ed.). Pacific
Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.
5. Lovaas, O. I (1981) Teaching Developmentally Disabled Children : The Me Book
6. Moxley, R. A. (2004). Pragmatic selectionism. The philosophy of behavior analysis.
The Behavior Analyst Today, 5, 108-125
7. Pantazi, I., Cazacu, M (2007) Suport de curs Tehnici cognitiv- comportamentale
n terapia copilului cu dizabiliti, Oradea

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