Autism in Early Childhood

An On-line Course of The Julia Institute

• Julia Group Home
• Course Syllabus
• Introduction
  • About You
• What is Autism
  • Characteristics
  • The Spectrum
  • Classic Autism
  • Rare Disorders
• Social Skills
  • Social Interaction
  • Teaching Skills
  • Social Intake
  • Child's View
• Communication
  • Language Disorders
  • Learn More
• Repetitive Behavior
  • What to do
• Distress
• Intervention
• Applied Behavior Analysis
  • How it works
  • Limitations
• Social Stories
  • Assignment
  • Comic Strips
  • Assignment 2
• Sensory Integration
  • SI Problems
  • What to do
• Environment Changes
  • Sensory Changes
  • More Changes
  • Seeing Limits
  • Triggers & Teaching
• Virtual Field Trip
• Your View
• Forum

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA): How it Works

Obviously, we cannot train you to be a certified therapist on a website. However, here is a very brief outline. Start with the ABC model. This stands for

Antecedent - what comes before a behavior

Behavior - what the child does

Consequence - what happens as a result of the behavior.

I say, " Eat your food." (Antecedent)

The child moves her plate to the side, pulls the entire cake towards her and mashes it up with her hands. (Behavior.)

I say, "No, you need to use a fork." I take the cake away, wash her hands and she gets no cake. (Consequence.)

If she really wanted the cake, this is a negative consequence and next time she may do something else.

If she hates cake and likes washing her hands, next time she will repeat this behavior.

If the child cannot speak, how can you tell if the consequence is positive or negative? The simplest way is to see if the child repeats the behavior.

Applied Behavior Analysis: Limitations