ABA Therapy in the Classroom: Practical Techniques for Special Education Teachers

As a special education teacher, chances are that you will hear the phrase ABA therapy several times during your career. However, there is quite a big gap between being aware of the concept of ABA and applying it in class. When it comes to aba therapy in the classroom, the transition from theory to practice is much smoother than most teachers expect. Fortunately, ABA therapy can be a relatively easy thing to introduce into your practice since there are many techniques which can be implemented seamlessly into daily teaching activities.

What Is ABA Therapy?

First, it is essential to define what ABA means. Abbreviated from Applied Behavior Analysis, this methodology uses a scientific knowledge of behavior to understand why individuals act the way they do and teach them skills that will bring a positive change in their performance. Initially applied to assist autistic children, ABA became increasingly popular and is currently used in almost all special education classrooms where different types of difficulties need to be addressed.

The concept behind ABA is rather simple – behaviors that are reinforced occur more frequently.

Reasons for the Effectiveness of ABA Therapy in School Setting

In fact, schools happen to be among the best places where ABA therapy can be applied. What makes them suitable? The reason is that school classrooms are structured and have routines.

Here is how ABA is effective in schools:

●     The student spends most of his/her time in a consistent setting

●     Progress is easily monitored through data collected at regular intervals

●     Socializing with peers is an automatic process

●     Routine helps to incorporate lessons into daily activities

ABA techniques used by teachers usually improve students' focus, communication, and behavior.

ABA Techniques That Can Be Used in the Classroom

Not all educators who implement ABA approaches are BCBA certified. Below, several simple yet effective ABA techniques are discussed that teachers can implement right away.

Positive Reinforcement

This is a fundamental tenet of ABA treatment. As soon as the child exhibits desirable behavior, reward him with an incentive he will enjoy receiving. This could be praise, a sticker, additional leisure time, etc.

How to use positive reinforcement:

●     When praising someone, be cautious to be specific: "Wonderful! You held up your hand before responding to the query. rather than just "Good boy!"

●     Reward the child immediately after he has performed the desired behavior

●     Identify incentives that really motivate children; rewards do not work if they are not appreciated by students

●     Taper off tangible rewards as soon as the student begins exhibiting the required behavior regularly

Discrete Trial Training (DTT)

DTT involves breaking down skills into manageable components. A discrete trial consists of three steps, including a prompt by the instructor, the child's reaction, and feedback or correction. DTT is highly beneficial in teaching basic skills such as color identification, object matching, or following simple directions.

Steps in conducting an easy DTT lesson

●     Identify one particular skill you wish to teach

●     Present a consistent directive (for example, "Touch the red button.")

●     Wait for the student to react

●     Offer rewards after each appropriate response

●     Encourage children to repeat the process after a mistake

Visual Supports and Schedules

Students who have difficulty learning through verbal language may benefit from using visual cues. Visual supports decrease stress levels, promote independence, and assist learners in comprehending their environment.

●     Simple visual aids that can be used in classrooms

●     A daily schedule board with picture prompts

●     Visual task cards that depict multiple processes

●     First-Then boards: "Do your homework first, then go outside."

Prompting and Prompt Fading

When we talk about prompting, it means providing students with additional assistance to ensure success at completing a task. Prompts can include physical assistance, gestures, visual cues, and verbal cues. The critical aspect of using prompts is fading the process until students do not depend on them anymore.

Examples of different types of prompts (from the highest to lowest level of assistance):

●     Total physical guidance

●     Partial physical guidance

●     Gestural prompt (gesture like pointing or nodding)

●     Verbal prompt

●     Independent performance (no prompt)

It is always important to use the minimum number of prompts necessary for the child to perform successfully.

Token Economy Systems

The token economy system is a way to reinforce positive behavior by giving students tokens as rewards and allowing them to trade the accumulated number of tokens for some kind of prize later. This technique is an excellent classroom management tool and helps develop patience and delayed gratification in children.

Simple set-up of a token board:

●     Choose one specific behavior to be rewarded

●     Choose the required number of tokens to be traded for a reward

●     Ask the student what he or she would like as a prize

How to Handle Challenging Behaviors Using ABA

The ability of ABA to provide insight into why challenging behaviors occur is perhaps one of its greatest strengths. After all, each behavior has an underlying reason behind it – it may be used by the child to gain attention, escape from an undesirable task or activity, or express some feelings.

Behavior support steps:

●     Observe – When does the behavior take place? What triggers it?

●     Determine the function – What does the child need or try to avoid through his/her behavior?

●     Intervene appropriately – Replace the problematic behavior with another that fulfills the same purpose

●     Record and evaluate the success of your intervention – Keep track of your observations

For instance, if throwing materials away helps a child escape from a hard-to-do task, punishment and removal will not help. Instead, you should teach the child how to politely request a break using words or a picture board.

Working with BCBAs and Support Staff

If your school employs a BCBA or provides access through support staff, take advantage of this asset. Special educators and behavior analysts make great partners. BCBAs can assist you in developing personalized interventions, performing standardized assessments, training you in various ABA methods, and analyzing data to modify your approach. Without a BCBA, many of the core strategies outlined above are safe, effective, and easily implementable by special educators.

Closing Thoughts

Adding ABA techniques to the classroom doesn’t necessarily involve changing the way you teach your entire class immediately. Rather, it requires becoming more conscious about what inspires your learners, chunking tasks into more manageable parts, rewarding positive behaviors, and being able to respond constructively when necessary.

Experiment with one technique at first. Stick with it. And soon enough, you’ll realize how much of an impact even that little change can make in both their lives and your role as a special educator.