Common ABA Terms for Parents to Know

Why Families Benefit from Knowing the Terms

When parents know the same terminology used in therapy, three key benefits emerge:

• Empowered communication: You engage with the team more confidently.
• Consistency across settings: Home, school, and clinic use the same language and strategies.
• Enhanced progress recognition: You can more accurately see when new skills appear and tasks transition from prompted to independent.

Key ABA Therapy Terms You Need to Know

Here is a breakdown of essential ABA terms you may come across in therapy sessions and how they impact your child’s development:

1. A-B-C (Antecedent-Behavior-Consequence) 

• Definition: A framework that identifies the sequence of events influencing behavior: the antecedent (what happens before the behavior), the behavior itself, and the consequence (what happens after the behavior).
• Why It Matters: Understanding the A-B-C pattern helps identify triggers and responses, allowing you to modify the environment to encourage positive behavior and discourage undesirable ones.

2. Reinforcement

• Definition: Reinforcement is the practice of providing a reward or positive outcome to increase the likelihood of a behavior being repeated.
• Why It Matters: Reinforcement is the core of ABA therapy and it helps teach children new skills and strengthen positive behaviors, ensuring they continue learning and growing.

3. Positive Reinforcement

• Definition: A method of reinforcing a behavior by adding something desirable, like praise or a small treat.
• Why It Matters: This motivates your child to engage in positive behaviors by associating them with rewards.

4. Negative Reinforcement

• Definition: Negative reinforcement involves the removal of an undesirable stimulus following a behavior, which strengthens the behavior.
• Why It Matters: This helps children learn to avoid negative situations by engaging in behaviors that make them go away, such as following a command to stop a bothersome sound.

5. Generalization

• Definition: The ability to apply learned skills across various settings, people, and situations.
• Why It Matters: Generalization ensures that the skills learned in therapy transfer to everyday life. For example, a child should be able to use communication skills not just in therapy, but also at school, at home, and with friends.

6. Prompting

• Definition: A prompt is a cue that helps a child perform a behavior. It could be verbal, physical, or visual.
• Why It Matters: Prompts help children who may struggle with independence and guide them toward the desired behavior. Eventually, prompts fade as the child learns to perform tasks on their own.

7. Echolalia

• Definition: The repetition of words or phrases that a child hears, often without understanding the meaning.
• Why It Matters: Echolalia is a common phase in language development, and its use can provide insight into how a child is processing language.

8. Behavioral Intervention Plan (BIP)

• Definition: A written plan designed to address challenging behaviors using positive strategies and supports.
• Why It Matters: A BIP provides a structured framework to reduce undesired behaviors and replace them with more appropriate ones through consistent reinforcement.

9. Shaping

• Definition: Shaping involves reinforcing successive approximations of a target behavior until the behavior is achieved.
• Why It Matters: This method helps break down complex behaviors into smaller, more manageable steps, providing children with opportunities to succeed and build on their progress.

10. Extinction

• Definition: Extinction refers to the process of removing the reinforcement that is maintaining an undesired behavior, thereby decreasing the frequency of that behavior.
• Why It Matters: Extinction is important for reducing challenging behaviors that have been reinforced over time. By stopping the reinforcement, the behavior will eventually decrease.

Collaboration in Action: Practical Strategies

Collaboration doesn’t just happen, it’s something that needs to be nurtured and worked on over time (Mastermind Behavior). Here are some effective strategies to make collaboration a success:

• Define Clear Roles: Everyone involved must understand their responsibilities. Parents should know what they are expected to do at home, while therapists should keep the family updated on progress and needs.
• Keep Communication Flowing: Regular check-ins, progress reports, and clear documentation ensure that no information slips through the cracks. This also helps everyone stay on the same page.
• Set Shared Goals: All team members should be working toward the same end result. Whether it’s improving communication, social skills, or self-care, aligning the goals helps reinforce what’s being learned in therapy.
• Consistency Across Settings: ABA therapy doesn’t stop when therapy sessions end. Parents should reinforce strategies learned during therapy in everyday life at home and school.
• Engage Parents as Partners: Families should feel empowered to be part of the process. By making them active collaborators, it encourages more successful and consistent implementation of therapy strategies.

Learn as You go

Knowing these ABA terms not only improves communication between you and your child’s therapist but also helps you understand the strategies being used to help your child. Familiarizing yourself with these terms equips you to support your child’s growth both in therapy and at home, ensuring a more successful and fulfilling journey. When everyone on the team, parents, therapists, and specialists, uses the same language, your child has the best chance to thrive.

Why Choose Autism Pediatric Therapy & Learning Center

Parent Education

At Autism Pediatric Therapy & Learning Center, we believe that parents are the key to unlocking their child’s potential. Our focus is not just on therapy within the clinic, but on empowering you with the knowledge and tools to continue your child’s growth at home. Parent education plays a crucial role in ensuring the techniques your child learns in therapy are carried over into everyday life. Through our tailored programs, you’ll gain a deep understanding of the therapies your child is receiving and how to best support their development at home.

Collaborative Therapy and Parenting Approach

Our team works hand-in-hand with parents to develop personalized strategies that are consistent both at home and in therapy. We guide you through the specifics of your child's treatment plan, teaching you how to reinforce the skills learned in therapy and incorporate them into daily life. By fostering a collaborative approach, we make sure you feel like an integral part of the therapy process, empowering you to be your child’s most effective advocate and support system.

Parent and Family Empowerment

We don’t just stop at initial education, we provide continuous learning opportunities to ensure you stay informed as your child grows. As your child progresses, we offer ongoing workshops, regular check-ins, and updated resources tailored to your child's evolving needs. Whether it’s learning new techniques to manage challenging behaviors or understanding developmental milestones, we are here to ensure you always have the knowledge and tools necessary to support your child’s journey.