This is a system of reinforcement in which a learner “earns” conditioned reinforcers such as coins, tickets, or plastic chips to name a few examples immediately after performing a desired behavior. These tokens can be then used to “buy” something that the learner truly wants.
Decreasing the demands put upon the learner in an effort to avoid or decrease frustration levels which then facilitates overall task completion.
This is the process of breaking up a skill or a behavior into smaller, teachable steps. For example, brushing teeth as a behavior may be broken down into, say, 7 clear steps that can be taught: get toothbrush, squeeze toothpaste on the brush, brush left side teeth, brush center teeth, brush right teeth, rinse mouth, rinse toothbrush.
This is the behavior of interest designated to be increased or decreased.
A tact is the name or description of an item that is present in the speaker’s environment. For example, a commercial airplane is flying overhead while you and your son are out in the park. Your son looks up and says, “airplane.”
Loosely referred to as “stims.” These “stereotypies” are self-initiated, highly repetitive movements that can be vocal or motor in nature. Determining the function(s) is important if the goal is to place the behavior under management.
Also called “labeled praise.” Instead of just saying “Good job!” when a learner just wrote his name much better than the last time he wrote it, say “I like the way you wrote your name today.” This technique is a good way to clearly inform the learner the exact behavior that you are teaching him.
A loose term which refers to imitative vocal behaviors. For example, a young child reciting an entire radio commercial or a few lines from a movie can be a form of scripting.
Term used to describe the weakening effect of a reinfocer on a behavior due to its “over-use.” It is best to have a selection of reinforcers to use in ABA programs to avoid satiation.
A rule is a verbal description of a behavior contingency in which a learner does not need to experience the consequence of breaking the rule. For example, the rule “Do not run while you are on the playground structure” is a pretty good rule to follow for a young child so he can avoid the likelihood of falling off the structure and hurting himself when he breaks the rule. The opposite of rule-governance is learning by directly coming into contact with the consequence of the contingency. In our example, this will be the boy that ignores the rule, falls off the structure, with the boy no longer running in future visits to the park. Hence the saying “learning something the hard way.”
April is Autism Awareness Month and an excellent opportunity to promote and draw attention to the tens of thousands facing an autism diagnosis each year. #lightitupblue
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