Some Basics

I've been asked to clarify some definitions.

ABA= Applied Behavioral Analysis. It is the most prominent treatment theory for autism today. It is based in teaching new skills through positive and negative reinforcement. It is based in empirical data and measured by observable results. At its most simple form, it diagnoses behavior through an ABC approach. "A" being the antecedent, the event or environment before a certain behavior occurs, "B" as the behavior, whether positive, negative, or neutral, and "C" as the consequence. In ABA, there is an antecedent for every behavior, and a consequence (whether positive, negative, or neutral) for every behavior as well. By controlling the antecedents and consequences, we can teach appropriate behavior and new skills to autistic children.

VB= Verbal Behavior Intervention. Originally developed by Skinner in the 1950's, this theory has been used to treat autistic children recently to "fill in the gaps of ABA." It is a continuation of ABA and often is referred to as ABA-VB. It is based on contriving the motive of the child to obtain language skills. It is based on the theory that people develop language as a means to obtain something that they want or need. VB breaks this down to observable, measurable language acquisition through following the motive (MO) of the child through reinforcement. For example, a VB therapist might approach a child with a toy, concealed in a paper bag and contrive the child's MO by saying, "I have something super fun in this bag," which is a subtle prompt for the child to ask "What?" When the child does ask "What?" then they are reinforced by being shown what is in the bag. This is called a "Mand for information" and is a very basic principle of VB.

BCBA- Board Certified Behavior Analysis. This is a post-master's degree certifying someone as a behavioral analysist.

I hope that clarifies some of the acronyms I have been using lately. I know that some of the things I have been writing about may only appeal to a specific niche, but I am very passionate about spreading the word about the research I have been doing. If this does not interest you but you know someone that it might interest, please pass it on to somebody who you think it might.

For those who do read this, thank you for your support. I feel this is an issue that needs to be addressed and I am thankful for the people who are speaking up about this with me.