ABA and Evidence-Based Strategies

Hello and welcome to the first blog post of Tea's Teaching Solutions! Here in this blog we will learn about evidence-based teaching strategies based on current research within the applied behavior analytic field.

ABA is an ever-changing field that relies on research to find the most effective strategies to implement when wanting to see behavior change. It is widely accepted and is a clinically proven treatment practice for persons with developmental disabilities. It involves focusing on principles and teaching strategies to teach an individual new skills. ABA only uses teaching strategies that have been clinically proven to be effective. These teaching techniques are meant to bring about socially significant and meaningful change in behavior.

“Behavior analysis has been used to improve teaching and increase learning across content areas, grade levels, and student populations for over 60 years.” - Behavior Analysis Certification Board (BACB)

The National Professional Development Center on ASD and National Standards Project studied a variety of research-based ABA strategies for teaching students with autism to determine what makes ABA effective in its teaching methods. Specifically, they examined what ABA strategies are evidence-based practices that should be recommended/used when teaching individuals with ASD. They determined 27 evidence-based practices shown to be effective treatment strategies for working with individuals with autism.

A number of peer-reviewed studies have examined the benefits of combining multiple evidence-based strategies into comprehensive, individualized programs. "Comprehensive" refers to interventions that address a full range of skills using a combination of different evidence-based strategies. A comprehensive ABA program will utilize multiple strategies, but should only include interventions that are evidence-based.

27 Evidence-Based Strategies in ABA

1. Antecedent-based Interventions (ABI)

   1. ABIs can be used to decrease a problem behavior and increase engagement by making changes to the environment to prevent behavior from occurring. ABIs are most effective when implemented with the function of the target kept in mind. Check out these Antecedent-Based Interventions, according to function.

2. Cognitive Behavioral Intervention (CBI)

3. Differential Reinforcement of Alternative, Incompatible, or Other Behavior (DRA, DRI, DRO)

   1. Differential reinforcement of other behaviors means that reinforcement is provided for desired behaviors, while inappropriate behaviors are ignored. Reinforcement can be provided: (a) when the learner is not engaging in the problem behavior, (b) when the learner is engaging in a specific desired behavior other than the problem behavior, or (c) when the learner is engaging in a behavior that is physically impossible to do while engaging in the problem behavior.

4. Discrete Trial Training (DTT)

5. Exercise (ECE)

6. Extinction (EXT)

7. Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA)

8. Functional Communication Training (FCT)

9. Modeling (MD)

10. Naturalistic Teaching (NI)

11. Parent-implemented Intervention (PII)

12. Peer-mediated Instruction and Intervention (PMII)

13. Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS)

14. Pivotal Response Training (PRT)

15. Prompting (PP)

16. Reinforcement (R+)

17. Response Interruption/Redirection (RIR)

18. Scripting (SC)

19. Self-Management (SM)

20. Social Narratives (SN)

21. Social Skills Training (SST)

22. Structured Play Groups (SPG)

23. Task Analysis (TA)

24. Technology-aided Instruction and Intervention (TAII)

25. Time Delay (TD)

26. Video Modeling (VM)

27. Visual Supports (VS)