Introduction to Applied Behavior Analysis
Presented by Ilene Schwartz
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Meet your instructor
Ilene Schwartz
Dr. Ilene Schwartz is a professor in the Area of Special Education at the University of Washington and the Director of the Haring Center for Research and Training in Education at UW. She earned her Ph.D. in child and developmental psychology from the University of Kansas and is a board certified behavior analyst…
Chapters & learning objectives
1. What is Applied Behavior Analysis?
Applied behavior analysis (ABA) is the application of behavioral principles to the solve socially important problems. It has been used successfully to work with clients with ASD and is the instructional approach with the most evidence supporting its use. This chapter will provide information about the basic definition of ABA, provide a brief history of the use of ABA with clients with ASD, and describe how ABA is used in multiple contexts across therapy, education, and in general society.
2. Using ABA with Clients with ASD
ABA has a long history of successful application with clients with ASD. Behavioral strategies have been used to teach communication, motor, cognitive, and social behaviors to clients with ASD. This chapter will provide learners with examples of how ABA has been used with clients with ASD and provide examples across developmental domains of how simple implementation of behavior principles into therapy sessions can help clients with ASD be more successful.
3. Basic Principles
ABA studies behavior and the effect that the environment has on behavior. Understanding the relationship of what happens before a behavior (e.g., the antecedent) and what happens after a behavior (e.g., the consequence) is essential to effective use of behavioral strategies.
4. Using Positive Reinforcement
Positive reinforcement is the presentation of a stimulus that increases the likelihood of that behavior happening again. Contingent use of positive reinforcement is the most powerful of all behavior principles and the cornerstone of behavioral intervention for clients with ASD.
