What Is Applied Behavioral Therapy?

Sara Shrivastav • October 19, 2023

Applied Behavioral Therapy (ABA) is a therapeutic approach that focuses on using principles and techniques to improve and change behaviors in individuals. ABA is widely recognized and used as an effective intervention for individuals with various behavioral and developmental disorders, with a primary focus on autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, it can also be applied to address behavior-related challenges in other contexts, such as education, parenting, and mental health.

Key Components of Applied Behavioral Therapy

ABA is commonly used to address a wide range of challenges in individuals with autism, including communication deficits, social skills, self-care, and reducing challenging behaviors like aggression or repetitive behaviors. The process of ABA includes:

Behavior Analysis

ABA is rooted in the principles of behavior analysis, which involve systematically assessing and understanding behavior by breaking it down into smaller, observable components. This analysis helps identify the causes and consequences of behavior.

Individualized Assessment

ABA begins with a thorough assessment of the individual’s strengths, weaknesses, and specific behavioral challenges. This assessment helps create tailored intervention strategies.

Goal Setting

ABA sets clear, measurable, and achievable goals for individuals. These goals are based on the assessment and are designed to address specific behavioral issues or skill deficits.

Data Collection

A crucial aspect of ABA is ongoing data collection and analysis to track progress and make necessary adjustments to the intervention plan.

Behavior Modification

ABA utilizes various behavior modification techniques to teach new skills, increase desirable behaviors, and decrease undesirable behaviors. These techniques may include positive reinforcement, prompting, and prompt fading.

  • Positive reinforcement: Positive reinforcement involves rewarding desired behaviors to increase the likelihood of their recurrence. Rewards can be in the form of praise, tokens, access to preferred activities, or tangible items.
  • Prompting and prompt fading: Prompts are cues or hints provided to guide an individual’s behavior. Over time, prompts are faded to encourage independence.

Generalization

ABA aims to help individuals generalize newly learned skills and behaviors across different settings, people, and situations.

Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA)

This assessment identifies the function or purpose of a problem behavior, which helps develop effective interventions to address it.

Ongoing Evaluation

ABA interventions are continually evaluated and adjusted based on progress and individual needs. The goal is to promote long-lasting, meaningful behavior change.

Learn More

At Teach and Play ABA, we offer a full-day and partial-day ABA preschool program at our professional and comfortable clinic. We can help your child improve their language and communication skills, play and social skills, and school readiness skills.


The children at our clinic follow a structured schedule. In our ABA program, your child will enjoy:

  • Lunch and two snacks
  • Independent work periods
  • Circle time
  • Group activities and games
  • Science experiments
  • Free play
  • Community trips to local parks, splash pads, and other fun places

Contact Teach and Play ABA today to learn more about how our Applied Behavioral Therapy (ABA) services can help your child. If you have any questions about our ABA program, please don’t hesitate to ask. Our friendly and experienced staff is always happy to help.

Reducing Sensory Overload: School-Readiness Skills for Autistic Children

By Sara Shrivastav • December 21, 2023
The transition into school can be a challenging and overwhelming experience for any child, but for autistic children, the sensory demands of the environment can intensify these difficulties. Sensory overload, characterized by heightened sensitivity to stimuli in the environment, can lead to distress and hinder a child’s ability to engage in learning and social interactions. Therefore, preparing autistic children for school involves fostering specific skills that can help reduce sensory overload and create a more supportive learning environment.

How Applied Behavioral Therapy Can Help Children

By Sara Shrivastav • December 3, 2023
Applied Behavioral Therapy (ABA) is a therapeutic approach that has gained widespread recognition for its effectiveness in improving and changing behaviors in individuals, especially children. Originally developed as a treatment for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), ABA has evolved to address various behavioral and developmental challenges that children may face.