Mental Health Blog

Could a child’s difficult behavior be communicating a need an adult has not identified? Behavior carries information. A behavior intervention plan, or BIP, turns assessment into support. It discusses what occurs before, during, and after behavior. Proactive support has an impact on discipline data. Students with disabilities were 17% of K–12 enrollment in 2021–22. Yet they represented 29% of students

Could reinforcement help reduce behavior that disrupts learning, safety, or daily routines? Differential reinforcement is a well-established ABA approach. The one major evidence review of the differential reinforcement included 58 single-case-design studies. Participants included children from early childhood to young adulthood. DRO or Differential Reinforcement of Other Behavior targets times when a specific behavior does not happen. Reinforcement occurs when

How can parents tell whether ABA therapy is focused on meaningful progress rather than simply completing activities or collecting data? The 7 dimensions of ABA provide an important part of that answer. They explain the characteristics of applied behavior-analytic services that make goals meaningful, behaviors measurable, decisions about treatment evidence-based, procedures transparent, and useful skills transfer beyond therapy. The seven

Who helps a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst review data, coach behavior technicians, support families, and keep a child’s ABA program moving forward? In many treatment teams, that professional may be a Board-Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst, commonly called a BCaBA. The credential is a trained behavior analysis professional who can provide significant clinical support but must do so under the guidance of

Discriminative Stimuli in Everyday Learning A green traffic light signals that driving forward is currently appropriate and likely to allow continued travel. This is an example of a discriminative stimulus, or SD, and helps explain what an SD means in ABA. These environmental signals are all around us and we learn what signals are associated with when a response will

Which autism symbol should a parent, school, or care provider use when the puzzle piece now shares space with rainbow and gold infinity signs?  Symbols define the autism community, identity, support and belonging. A picture that is meant to convey caring can seem comfortable to one reader, and antiquated to another. There are no right or wrong answers, and meaning

Introduction What if a difficult part of your child’s day could become easier before frustration begins? A confusing instruction, sudden transition, noisy room, or task that feels too long may reliably come before distress, avoidance, or unsafe behavior. Antecedent interventions in ABA change those circumstances that precede them, increasing the ability for communication, participation, and independence. This proactive stance is

How does a child learn a new skill when the full task feels confusing or overwhelming? Discrete trial training provides an answer to that question by dividing up learning into small, clear opportunities that can be practiced and measured. During an ABA session, parents may hear terms like prompt, reinforcement, mastery, and generalization, but not see the connection between the

Have you seen a child notice an airplane and say, sign, or select “airplane” without asking for it? This may be a tact. A tact is a verbal operant that is made when someone describes or names something they see or hear, feels or tastes or smells or experiences internally. The response is usually followed by social acknowledgment, such as