5 Things You Should Know About ABA

This post was written by Carisa Ruiz MA, RBT and edited by Kellie Syfan, M.Ed., BCBA

There are things that you should know about ABA. Let’s start at the beginning:

When people ask me what I do for a living, I have a hard time describing my job without sounding like

1) I track down serial killers,

2) I manipulate people for a living, or

3) I am a glorified babysitter.

Using phrases like “analyzing contingencies” and “evidence-based practice” also tends to make people’s eyes glaze over. So I thought to myself, how do I make the science that I love so dearly exciting, or at least interesting, for other people? The answer: make a listicle, of course. Everything and anything worth reading is automatically more interesting when it’s in a listicle, right?

Check out the top 5 things that ABH wants you to know about applied behavior analysis and see for yourself…

This blog post may contain affiliate links. If you click the link and make a purchase, we may get a small commission. This costs you NOTHING and allows us to provide more free and low cost options to you and other families. Thank you for your support!

#1 WE FOCUS ON WHAT CAN BE SEEN

This is something you should know about ABA: If ABA is a science, what would we call its subject? Behavior seems like the obvious answer. Another way that behavior analysts like to frame it is: anything that a person does that can be observed and measured is fair game.

So, when deciding whether or not something counts as a behavior, the checklist is pretty simple…

Can the behavior of interest be observed by at least one person?
Can I count how many or how long or how quickly the behavior occurs?

If the answer to both of these questions is yes, there’s a good chance that applied behavior analysis can be used to change it. A lot of people assume that things that happen privately like thinking and daydreaming don’t count as behavior, and therefore can’t be touched by ABA. But most of these mental processes still pass the behavior checklist.

For example, the act of thinking can be observed by the person doing the thinking. You can also count how many times a certain thought occurs. So thinking—and other mental activity—is absolutely fair game for ABA. We might just have to get a little bit more creative about how we observe and measure.

#2 MISSION: EMPOWERMENT

The goal of ABA is to help you achieve your goals, that’s something you should know about ABA. There is no ABA man behind a curtain determining what the ultimate goal of life is. As the person, family, or company receiving ABA services, you are in the driver’s seat.

You get to decide what goals you want to reach, what behaviors are important for your life, and we use science to help you get there.

One of the common phrases that behavior analysts use is, “Our goal is to work ourselves out of a job.” Rather than micromanaging a client’s life, we build a strong foundation of skills that empowers them to reach their goals by themselves.

Consider keeping a journal so that you know your goals inside and out. You can get this one for under $10 on Amazon.

#3 INDIVIDUALIZATION IS KEY

Individualization is a vital component of successful ABA because no two people are alike. People have different experiences, values, priorities, and learning styles. That means goals and the journey to reaching those goals can look extremely different from client to client. See below for some real-life examples of goals that ABA can help you achieve:

Teaching a person to try (and hopefully enjoy) new foods
Reducing the number of times someone hits snooze in the morning
Teaching siblings how to borrow each other’s belongings without fighting

#4 IT’S ABOUT THE JOURNEY AND THE DESTINATION

One of the hallmarks of ABA is constant evaluation. The reason that behavior analysts are so keen on recording, graphing, and hoarding data is because it lets us know how we’re doing—are we on track to accomplishing your goals in the best way possible? Trying to change behavior without evaluation is kind of like driving during a blizzard without using your wipers; you know you’re going somewhere, but that could be onto the freeway or into a ditch.

Data and graphs give us a clear windshield, so we know which direction we’re headed. So, if we ever happen to be moving 30 miles below the speed limit or headed into a ditch, we know right away and are prepared to make an adjustment to get back on track.

Another great thing about constant evaluation is that it allows for changes. Perhaps you thought that the most important thing you wanted in life was for your kids to sleep longer. A few weeks into working on that goal, you realize that what you actually wanted was just for them to occupy themselves in the morning instead of waking you up.

Worry not!

The process of constant evaluation means that you don’t have to be rooted to your initial goals. Life happens. Goals change. And behavior analysts have the tools to make modifications that accommodate to life’s curve-balls as well as your needs. That’s a very important thing you should know about ABA: it moves with you.

#5 ABA IS A BALANCING ACT

Haven’t had enough yet? If you ever want to talk about how ABA could help you or your family, you can send us an email with your questions or schedule a free Discovery Call to get some in-depth personalized advice.

Applied behavior analysis, like a lot of things in life, is a fine balancing act. Every day, behavior analysts work to maintain balance.

A balance of reducing challenging behaviors and teaching appropriate behaviors.

A balance between how a child best learns and how their school expects them to learn.

A balance between letting a kid just be a kid and teaching them important life skills.

Bottom line, behavior analysts recognize that behavior is complex and messy because life is complex and messy. And we aren’t here to tell you the right way to do something or to claim that your behavior can be neatly packaged into XYZ categories. We simply want to make finding and maintaining that balance a little bit easier.

Want more free resources? We will send you free tips, tricks, and resources once a week to your inbox. Sign up now!