There are seven dimensions of applied behavior analysis. Any type of ABA intervention should have solid evidence of each of the seven dimensions.

 

THE SEVEN DIMENSIONS of ABA:

  1.     APPLIED: The problem being treated is one of social significance to human beings
  2.     BEHAVIORAL:  Observable behaviors are targeted and measured
  3.     ANALYTIC:  The effect of treatment on target behaviors is demonstrated
  4.     TECHNOLOGICAL: Intervention is clearly described so others can implement it effectively
  5.     CONCEPTUALLY SYSTEMATIC: Treatment is comprised of empirically validated ABA technology
  6.     GENERALITY: Treatment effects generalize over time, environments, people and/or behaviors.
  7.     EFFICACY: The intervention produces a socially significant effect

COMPONENTS OF EFFECTIVE ABA TREATMENT:

The components of effective treatment for autism are consistent with these seven dimensions and they have been described in specific detail in the comparison studies that yielded the most effective outcomes in children.  Evidence of these components should be present in your child’s treatment program.

1.    EARLY:  Competently delivered ABA therapy is effective treatment at any age for individuals diagnosed with autism or developmental delays. However, the younger a child is when therapy begins, the greater their chances for making the most substantial improvement.

2.    INTENSIVE: Different levels of treatment intensity have been compared. In general, fewer than 25 hours per week of ABA therapy was not effective for most children with autism who were studied. The best outcomes occurred when children received 35–40 hours per week of ABA for at least 2 years, though many children required a longer term. Nevertheless, young children diagnosed with autism have a broad spectrum of needs and it is imperative that the intensity of ABA therapy be determined based on all of the individual needs of each child. The goal should be to provide treatment in the least restrictive environment, with the lowest level of intensity, in the most naturalistic and socially valid manner possible, while achieving the maximum effect practicable.

3.    ACTIVE: The most substantial outcomes occurred when children engaged in continuously reinforced responses, toward specified treatment objectives, at a rate of between 50 to 200+ responses per hour or 300-1000+ responses per day.

4.    COMPREHENSIVE: In studies that yielded superior outcomes, a variety of thorough informal and formal assessments informed the selection of treatment objectives and the development of ABA treatment plans. All developmental and behavioral needs were targeted (i.e., social interaction, receptive and expressive language, communication, fine and gross motor skills, cognitive skills, pre-academic and academic skills, self-care, eating, sleeping, and play skills, recreation, social skills and relationship skills and problem behaviors).

5.    COMPETENTLY DELIVERED: Board Certified Behavior Analysts BCBAs® experience in the assessment, design, implementation and oversight of effective ABA therapy for children with autism and other developmental disorders should over see your child’s program. An experienced BCBA should be able to describe the seven dimension of ABA and the effective components of effect treatment. The BCBA should also be able to maintain procedural integrity across the treatment team, which is essential for effective outcomes. It is important for parents to understand that board certification in behavior analysis does not involve assessing the individual’s capacity to competently deliver effective ABA therapy to children with autism.

6.    MEASURED BEHAVIOR:  Quantifiable aspects of target behaviors are measured prior to, during and after intervention (e.g., duration, frequency, number of occurrences, response latency, inter-response intervals, trials to criterion, percentages). Functional Behavior Assessments (FBAs) involving various methods (e.g., direct observations, rating scales, interviews, scatter plots, antecedent analysis, consequence analysis, and preference and reinforcer assessments) are used to assess what reinforcement maintains the target behavior and assess other variables that affect the behavior. Typically, functionally equivalent behaviors are targeted to replace problem behaviors.

7.    TECNOLOGICAL: Treatment objectives should have clearly written protocols that describe:

  • Required environmental arrangements, modifications and materials
  • The behavioral objective
  • The antecedent or “discriminative stimulus” and how to present it
  • Prompting and instructional procedures and how to use them
  • How to reinforce and correct the child’s response
  • The criteria to advance, repeat, back-up, terminate or change the procedure
  • Directions for scoring, data collection and graphing
  • How many times or how long to implement the procedure within a specific period of time
  • A program implementation record to insure consistent implementation of all programs
  • An ABA assessment and skills tracking system and curriculum guide [e.g., The Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills –Revised (ABLLS-R), The Verbal Behavior Milestones Assessment and Placement Program (VB-MAPP)].

8.    CONCEPTUALLY SYTEMATIC: Treatment is comprised of only empirically established ABA technology.  Reinforcement is the most important technology of effective ABA therapy because it increases and maintains behavior.Your child’s ABA program should involve:

  • Reinforcer and preference assessments
  • Functional assessments
  • Manding training to increase expressive and receptive language and communication skills by requesting specific reinforcement in a manner that is enjoyable and highly motivating
  • Pairing procedures involving presenting stimuli and reinforcement together
  • Continuous, immediate reinforcement during skills acquisition
  • Errorless procedures involving immediate prompts and reinforcement
  • Shaping procedures to reinforce gradual improvement of a response
  • Prompt fading procedures (e.g., prompt delay, stimulus fading, graduated guidance)
  • Discrete trial training: presenting an antecedent, followed by a response or prompting the response, reinforcement of the response, and an inter-trial-interval
  • Modeling and reinforcement
  • Task analysis and chaining procedures
  • Differential reinforcement to increase target behavior while decrease problem behavior
  • Extinction (withholding reinforcement) to decrease problem behavior (if appropriate.)

9.    GENERALIZATION: When children are very young, ABA therapy initially occurs in the home, but later takes place in classrooms and community settings to them generalize skills. Effective generalization procedures should be explicitly described. Generalization criteria should be based on the ability and needs of the child. Generalization protocols typically include the following:

  • A specific criterion for each step of skill acquisition
  • Multiple examples of the skill
  • Three or more settings or common conditions
  • Three or more people
  • Maintaining the skill and/or reduction of a problem behavior for three months or longer

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