Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy offers a variety of services for children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). We offer assessment and intervention for the following: language development, social skills, and play skills in children with ASD. Interventions include Verbal Behavior Training, Discrete Trial Instruction, Incidental Teaching, and Behavior Management—each of which are described below. Additionally, parent training workshops are also offered for parents interested in learning basics of behavior management.

  • This refers to eye contact, gestural communication, facial expression, babbling, sound imitation, and nonverbal communication that develops before verbal communication.

  • Utilizes child-initiated requests to teach and increase spontaneous use of language.

  • Incorporates different, research-based behavior management techniques to increase desired behaviors and decrease undesired behaviors.

  • Uses 1:1, distraction-free teaching environment to teach specific skills (imitation, receptive language, expressive language, and verbal behavior; incorporates the use of immediate reinforcement for correct responding, prompting for incorrect responding, emphasis on independent responding, increase in fluency of responding, maintenance and generalization of learned skills.

  • Training topics include a basic understanding of behavior,why it happens, what may occasion a behavior, and what may be maintaining a behavior; guidelines on proper use of reinforcement, punishment (such as time-out), token economy, behavioral momentum, behavioral contracts, incidental teaching, among many other techniques to increase desired behavior and decrease undesired behavior in the home and community settings.