APPLIED BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS
But which is better? Should a child receive services in
a clinic, or should he/she receive services at home?
Honestly, this question comes down to the quality
of programming. Does your child’s programming of-
fer the “BATCAGE” of services? Meaning, does it hold
all seven core dimensions of ABA (Baer, Wolf, Risley,
1968): behavioral, analytical, technological, concep-
tually systematic, applicable, generalizable, and ef-
fective?
Let’s take a closer look at these dimensions and see if
the home or clinical approach is the right fit for you,
your child, and the whole family.
BEHAVIORAL
ABA focuses on acceptable behaviors. Meaning, the
programming is based on behavioral learning con-
cepts.
Is the teaching of “skill acquisition” based on decreas-
ing behaviors and increasing skills? Home program-
ming and clinical setting approaches should both
be behavioral in nature. Each should have a focus on
increasing socially appropriate skills and decreasing
maladaptive behaviors. Home programming may
offer a larger option in developing household skills
that a child may not have an opportunity to practice
meaningfully in a clinical setting. A clinical approach
may allow for the practice and learning opportuni-
ties but may not produce an increase in skills in the
natural environment. Quality programming should
offer an opportunity to practice these new behavior-
al skills across settings and across people.
It is highly recommended that ABA programming
should be overseen by a board certified behavior
analyst (BCBA). Not sure what a BCBA is? A great re-
source is to look into the Behavior Analyst Certifica-
tion Board at the www.bacb.com.
What are the contact hours between the supervising
BCBA and client? Home and clinical programming
should have a supervising BCBA who regularly vis-
its, analyzes, assesses, and makes programming de-
cisions with the family, and in some cases, the client.
Clinical programming may have more opportunities
for BCBA supervision on site. Home programming
may lack fidelity in supervision, depending on the
approval hours given. This should be a consideration
when looking at programming.
TECHNOLOGICAL
These are the directions or instructions for deliver-
ing programming and precise instructions for imple-
mentation. A good way to understand this concept
is to think of it as the “lesson plan” for skill targets.
These instructions should be clear and concise so
anyone reading them will understand them and be
confident with delivering the instructions.
Home and clinical programs should have these in-
structions for all skill acquisition targets and should
be open to the family. Home programming may offer
a data book that stays in the home, is the property of
the family, and can be looked at whenever the family
chooses. Clinical programming should offer the same
concept so families can understand the delivery of the
programming and its reinforcement strategies.
ANALYTICAL CONCEPTUALLY SYSTEMATIC
A quality ABA program is data-driven. Data should
be what guides the decision-making for your child’s
programming. Good questions to ask when evaluat-
ing the right program for your child are: Does your home or clinical program use these terms
when describing procedures and programs? Interven-
tions should be consistent with the principles seen
in empirically validated research. Anything done in
an ABA program should be from research-related
behavior analytic concepts. Programming should be
thoroughly enriched and guided with concepts such
as positive reinforcement, shaping, prompting, and
even errorless instruction.
• How is data taken, graphed, and analyzed?
• Is data being taken every day?
• Is data being analyzed regularly for program
changes and interventions?
• Who is the person analyzing this data and
making program decisions?
Can they tell you why they are doing what they are do-
ing and have the research to back it up? ABA therapy is
an empirically supported treatment that has close to
50 years of research.
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