Applied each child (kalmeyer, n.d.). although there are

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is anintensive one-on-one teaching program first developed by B. F. Skinner in 1938. Itis used to shape everyday behaviors through reinforcement. Using repeatedtrials, children are presented with a command such as “ Look at me”. When thechild responds correctly, he/she is given positive reinforcement for theiractions, whereas incorrect responses are ignored. At the beginning of theprogram, the expectations of what the child responds to are lower.

Responsesthat are close to the desired response are rewarded, but as time goes on andthe child perfects the desired response, the child is expected to give acorrect response (Kalmeyer, n. d.). ABA involves the ABC’s, which are Antecedent, Behavior, and Consequence. The antecedent is the initial trigger that leads tothe behavior. The behavior is the observable behavior that occurs in responseto the antecedent.

The consequence is the outcome that reinforces the behavior(“ What is Applied?”, n. d.). These three aspects of ABA are closely examined andstudied to plan therapies for various clients. Usually, an ABA program consists of40-hour sessions each week of intensive teaching for at least two years, butthe length of the sessions can vary for each child (Kalmeyer, n.

d.). Althoughthere are many programs within ABA, the most common one is Discrete TrialTraining (DTT). With this technique, complex skills are broken down and childrenwork on them one by one, instead of learning them all at once.

Children areable to develop simple skills this way by working on small tasks individually. Errorlesslearning is another technique widely used in ABA programs. Children are nottold “ no”, but instead are directed towards the desired response (“ What is ABA?”, n. d.). ABA programs record detailed data to determine the needs of the child aswell as analyzing the progress each session to determine the strengths andweaknesses of the program and what lessons should be taught next.

ABA programscan begin in the household or in a clinic, with the ultimate goal of generalizationoutside of the home or clinic. The role of the Speech-LanguagePathologist in an ABA program is to select an appropriate ABA program for eachchild. Every child will have different needs, and one ABA program that worksfor one child may not necessarily work for another. An SLP can help determine anABA program that will most benefit the child. Another role of the SLP is to collectdata and analyze it in order to determine what the child needs to work on next.

The SLP also teaches expressive language in ABA therapy through labeling, requesting, repeating words or phrases, and conversing with the clinician. TheSLP incorporates generalization strategies to make certain that what the childlearned in therapy is carried across various settings and situations. (Esch andDyer, n.

d.)In conclusion, ABA aims to helpindividuals effectively emit important responses that are used in everydaylife. Accurate measurements and data collection is vital in order to developspecific ABA therapy plans and to determine what each session should look like(Cooper, 1982).