What is Applied Behavior Analysis?

Behavior Analysis is the scientific study of behavior. Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is the application of the principles of learning and motivation from Behavior Analysis, and the procedures and technology derived from those principles, to the solution of problems of social significance. Many decades of research have validated treatments based on ABA.

ABA methods are used to support students in at least six ways:

• to increase behaviors (eg reinforcement procedures increase on-task behavior, or social interactions);
• to teach new skills (eg, systematic instruction and reinforcement procedures teach functional life skills, communication skills, or social skills);
• to maintain behaviors (eg, teaching self control and self-monitoring procedures to maintain and generalize job-related social skills);
• to generalize or to transfer behavior from one situation or response to another (eg, from completing assignments in the resource room to performing as well in the mainstream classroom);
• to restrict or narrow conditions under which interfering behaviors occur (eg, modifying the learning environment); and
• to reduce interfering behaviors (eg, self injury or stereotypy). ABA is an objective discipline. ABA focuses on the reliable measurement and objective evaluation of observable behavior.