1. Introducing Applied Behavioral Analysis Strategies to Parents
How to get parents on board with behaviors!

2. Goals of this presentation
To define and understand the principles of applied behavior analysis.
Develop an understanding of how to educate parents on introducing Applied Behavior Analysis into their home as a way to mold behaviors.
This is not a presentation to teach you how to run an entire ABA program in a home. This is to show you some strategies that you can teach parents to incorporate into their home.

3. Outline What is ABA Challenging Behavior Open Questions Definition
Natural Environment Teaching
Misconceptions
Uses
Behavior Intervention
Why get parents involved?
Behaviors
Levels of ABA
Antecedent
Behavior
Consequences
Data
Keys to making ABA successful
Reinforce

4. Open questions…
Is anyone currently using Applied Behavior Analysis strategies in their classroom or at home?
What do you currently know about Applied Behavior Analysis?
What do you hope to learn form this presentation?

5. What is Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)?
ABA is the science of behavior which focuses on the application of behavioral principles in real-world settings such as clinics, schools, and the work place with the aim of improving socially significant behaviors such as behavior problems and learning (Baer, Wolf, & Risley, 1968).
More simply put: introducing behavioral principles into everyday situations to increase or decrease targeted behaviors over time.

6. Misconceptions of ABA
ABA can only be used on students diagnosed with Autism
ABA can only be applied to behavioral problems
ABA is only successful when used on younger students
ABA can only be done one on one while working at a table
ABA is harmful/uncomfortabl e for a student
ABA creates “Robot” children
ABA only uses candy to reward students
ABA only works on intellectually delayed students
At some point we will all hear, “My child is not a dog!” Fair enough… Although these principles were created from Skinner’s research while training his dog, they are proven techniques to manipulate behaviors in people as well. Ask them to please keep an open mind while you explain the information before they make any decisions.

7. What can it be used for? To put it simply… almost anything!
As long as it is an observable behavior, there are ABA principles that can either increase or decrease that behavior.

8. What else?
ABA can also be used with socially significant behaviors such as:
communication
adaptive living skills:
social skills
such as gross and fine motor skills
academics
toileting
eating
reading
personal self-care
However, today we will focus on the use of ABA to control behaviors. When meeting with the parents let them know that there are other ways this technique can be used and tell them you would be happy to review those with them if they so choose.

9. What is the function of behavior?
There are 4 main functions of behaviors:
Escape
Attention Seeking
Seeking Access
Sensory Stimulation
Point out that ANGER is not on the list.
What is this a clip of?
Was the behavior reinforced?
What do you think will happen next time?

10. Why get the parents involved?
They know the child the best
They see them in everyday activities
Collaboration with parents will create a more unified approach for dealing with behaviors.
This opens the door for more DATA!
The best way to succeed in ABA is by having excellent partnerships with everyone involved in the students life. This will ensure that everyone is on the same page and following the same procedures.

11. What every parent needs to know…
The basics

12. Levels of ABA Antecedent (Environment) Behavior Consequences
What triggered the behavior?
Behavior
What did the student do?
Consequences
What was the result of the behavior?

13. Antecedent What triggered the behavior? This can include:
Giving a demand at the table/ away from the table
Asked to transition
Removing a preferred item from the child

14. Behavior This is anything the student does while in behavior.
This can include:
Verbal refusal
Screaming
Crying
Throwing things
Whining
Hitting/kicking

15. Consequence
The applied reinforcement or punishment after the behavior to alter the probability of the behavior again.
This can include:
Positive Practice
Time out
Keep Demand
Removal from preferred activity
Ignored Behavior

16. Keys to making ABA work:
Set detailed expectations.
How can a child know what to do if they were never told?
Reinforce! Reinforce! Reinforce!
Data! Data! Data!
Emphasize that a behavior does not define a child. Don’t dwell on what happened yesterday, think of how to alter it for tomorrow.

17. Reinforcements Positive Reinforcement: Negative Reinforcement:
The key to this being successful is choosing a reinforcer that is child specific. Not every child likes stickers!
Negative Reinforcement:
This is the removal of an undesired stimulus.
For teachers it is sometimes difficult to know what motivates a student. However, when talking with the parent they will instantly have something in mind. Examples include: favorite book, IPAD, video games, stickers, and edibles.
Emphasize that negative reinforcement is removal of something, not verbal reprimanding.
Punishment/Consequence:
Can include time out from a preferred activity, loss of token, and overcorrection

18. Where to go from here…
The fun stuff!

19. Dealing with Challenging Behavior
Complete an assessment
What is the child getting from the behavior?
Attention, Access, Escape, Sensory
Extinction- stop providing it
Show them another way of getting what they want.
“Use your words to get mommy’s attention”
Don’t focus on the negative
Refrain from saying NO! Instead use a positive.
Example: We could hurt someone if we throw books.
These are all topics that you will have to review with the parents. Most children hear No so much that they learn to ignore it. Give more examples of using a positive instead of a negative.

20. DATA
Since we are trying to shape behaviors we must first understand them. This is done through taking data.
Use an ABC data sheet for the child you are wanting to mold behaviors.
Develop a scatterplot using that data to show multiple days together and visualize any similarities.
Use this time to show the parent an example of the data and/or scatterplot you have for their child.
Yes, this is a lot of work for a parent. Offer to help them in the beginning. Often times they are seeing the same behaviors at home that you see at school; helping them = helping yourself.

21. Examples of ABC data sheets
Antecedent: What happened immediately before the behavior?
Behavior: Describe the
behavior in observable terms (e.g., kicked a peer)
Consequence: What happened immediately after the behavior?
Possible Function: What is the "payoff"? Why is the behavior happening?
Date:
Time:
Length of Behavior:
Pass out the blank ABC data sheets with 3 lines open (same as above)
Ask for volunteers from the audience (6 are needed, 3 sets of 2)
Tell audience they will need to fill out the ABC data sheet as the actors demonstrate.
Get 2 chairs from the audience, grab doll for 3rd example
Give volunteers a copy of the next slide and tell them which day they will be reenacting.
1st: Mommy and child doing homework
2nd: Dad asks child to take a shower
3rd: Mom sits next to sibling on the couch. Sit 2 chairs next to each other (give “mommy” baby doll)

22. Mom says it’s time to do homework Child falls to the floor
Date
Time
Length of Behavior
Antecedent
Behavior
Consequence
Possible Function
6-Apr
6:00
1 minute
Mom says it’s time to do homework
Child falls to the floor
Ignored Behavior
Escape
6:10
20 minutes
Mom sits at the table and asks Mark to join her
Throws book
Time Away
Escape/Attention Seeking
7-Apr
9:25
33 minutes
Dad asks Mark to go take a bath
Mark crouches down so dad can't see
Ignore behavior/ Kept Demand
8-Apr
9:35
15 minutes
Mom sits on couch with younger sibling
Mark pulls on moms arm
Ignored behavior
Attention Seeking
9:43
Continuation of above behavior
Mark crawls over sibling to get to Mom’s lap
Kept Demand/Mom warns him to be gentle
9:50
Mom tells Mark to be gentle
Mark shoves sibling
Kept Demand/Time Away
Does your sheet look like this?
If not, what did you put down? Are there often times more answers that are acceptable? Yes! You will not always agree with the parents way they responded. The important thing is that they gave you the information and you can help review other options with them.

23. DATA Summary Help parents use ABC sheets to create a scatterplot
Notate frequency of behavior
Use information to work with the parents to create a behavior intervention plan
Draw a base line after the last day before you initiated the BIP
Graph the data after the BIP is in place
This will show the family rather quickly if the BIP is working.
If the behaviors do not decrease than start over
If you write the BIP with the parents, they are more likely to use the same techniques at home. This will also allow them to see the behaviors come full circle.

24. SCATTERPLOT EXAMPLE

25. Natural Environment Teaching
Also known as:
Incidental Teaching, Pivotal Response Teaching
To put it simply:
Teach in the natural environment
Don’t move them to another room or remove them from a store. Especially if the behavior is to escape
Let the child initiate
Prompt the correct behavior
Reinforce it
Often times parents will complain that their child goes into behavior while at a store or restaurant. Explain to the parents that this strategy only works while they are in the situation. This means that they will have to go out with their child more often so that they can shape the behavior. Plus, this will also show them what triggers they behavior in the store. Often times it was a behavior that was reinforced along the way.
Use an example of putting a toy on a top shelf.

26. Behavior Intervention Elements:
The parent needs to first teach what is acceptable behavior
Focus on dealing with their environment (bright lights, loud noises)
Manipulate the antecedents and/or consequences
Utilize positive practice
Begin Interventions with reinforcers
Token System
The token system has been very successful in ABA. This is also easy to use at home for the parents and fun for the child. You should have a token sheet printed for them to take home. It will be best if it is the same one you currently use in the classroom. Let the parent know that when the student has a behavior that you would like to reinforce, they can move a token. If the student has a behavior that needs to be corrected then they can remove a token. This will allow the child to know there are consequences for their actions.

27. Why start ABA now?
With autism diagnosis on the rise, we need to get every person on board with ABA strategies so that they can be successful in the future.

28. References:
Cooper, J. Heron, T. AND Heward, W. (2007) Applied behavior analysis (2ND ED.) Pearson.
Baer, D., Wolf, M., & Risley, T. (1968). Some current dimensions of applied behavior analysis. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 1,
Taurozzi, S. (2015). What is Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)? Retrieved from:
ABC Data Sheets:
target-behaviors-function/

29. References:
autism/treatment/applied-behavior-analysis-aba
analysis
aba.html