Autism Awareness Campaign - Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) Therapy

After getting a glimpse of behaviour issues associated with autism, now let us explore the Behaviour Therapies available to address these.

The most common method is Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA).  Today we will try to get an understanding of ABA.

ABA is a therapy based on the science of learning and behaviour.  Behaviour analysis helps us to understand (a) How behaviour works, (b) How behaviour is affected by the environment and (c) How learning takes place.

The objective is to increase behaviours that are helpful, and decrease behaviours that are harmful or affect learning.  ABA therapy programs are used to help (a) increase language and communication skills, (b) improve attention, focus, social skills, memory and academics (c) decrease problem behaviours.

The key concept of ABA known as A-B-C concept, helps us understand how ABA works. .

A for Antecedent - what occurs before the target behaviour, it can be a command or a request.

B for resulting Behaviour - This is the persons response or lack of response to the antecedent. It can be an action / verbal response / something else.

C for Consequence - This is what comes directly after behaviour. It can include a positive reinforcement for the desired behaviour, or no reaction for incorrect / inappropriate responses.

We have used ABA therapy techniques at home to help Pratibha improve / correct some of her behavioural issues.  For past many years Pratibha is making tea in the morning, and she is adamant that only she has to make the tea.  When she delays going to kitchen, we used to tell her that “look Pratibha, it is already 7 o’ clock now, please start making tea”.  Our telling this makes her aggressive and she starts throwing tantrums.  We analysed this behaviour.  Here the antecedent is, we telling her the time, and then asking her to go to kitchen and make tea.  We tried to modify the antecedent by telling her in couple of different ways the same.  When we did not use the “time component” in the request, she was perfectly ok and immediately listened to what we said.  We started telling her that “Look Pratibha, your grand parents are waiting for your tea, and your tea will make them very happy”.  She immediately would go to kitchen and make tea.  This is the resulting behaviour to the changed antecedent.  We have tested our assumption in few other situations also.  Whenever we specify time (like 7 o’clock, 9 o’clock etc.) she gets wild.  After getting to know this, we have changed our way of interacting with her in different situations without mentioning any ‘time’.  Understanding of ABA and applying it, has helped us reduce quite a few undesirable behaviours of Pratibha.  

I feel, there is mis-understanding of ABA with few parents of autistic persons.  Once one parent told me that, for his daughter they have completed ABA.  I asked again. “You completed ABA”?  He again said “YES”.   I have heard similar statement from a person who runs a special school, saying that they complete ABA in 2 years.  

My understanding of ABA therapy is that, it is an approach to analyse and bring changes in behaviours or help learning.  It can never ‘get completed’ for a person.  We have to continuously monitor and analyse the behaviours, and keep correcting them to whatever extent possible.  For this, parents have to get deeply involved.  Just depending on therapists alone may not yield desired results.