Your Guide to ABA Therapy Terminology

What Is ABA Therapy?

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy is a dynamic and evidence-based approach to understanding and improving behavior for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). It focuses on teaching meaningful skills to help them build independence and improve their quality of life. While ABA therapy is a powerful tool for growth, it also comes with a unique set of terms and techniques that can feel overwhelming for parents, caregivers, and professionals who are new to the field. That’s why we created this A-Z guide to break down common ABA terms into simple, everyday language so you can start understanding the concepts behind your child’s care. 

ABA Therapy Alphabet Guide 

A

• Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Therapy: This is a type of behavioral therapy that provides evidence-based intervention for children with autism to promote positive outcomes. ABA therapy empowers children with autism spectrum disorder to acquire new skills and achieve greater independence, ultimately fostering a higher quality of life. 

• Antecedent: The event, actions, or circumstances that occur immediately before a behavior. These are important aspects for BCBAs to recognize and observe to better understand a child’s behaviors. 

B 

• Behavior: An action that is observable and measurable. If a dead man can do it, then it’s not a behavior. This is called the Dead Man’s Test. 
  • For example, if a parent asks a child to sit in a chair, the child performing the act of sitting is the behavior. 

• Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA): A licensed and certified expert in behavior analysis. The BCBA assesses behavior, develops personalized treatment plans, and guides therapy sessions to help children build important life skills like communication, social interaction, and daily routines. 

C 

• Consequences: This is an object or event that follows a behavior. There are two types of consequences: reinforcement and punishment. Both are defined by their future effect on behavior. 

D 

• Differential Reinforcement (DR): This procedure is used to help replace challenging behavior with a more desirable behavior. When using DR, the Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) or BCBA  reinforces a desirable behavior and withholds reinforcement when challenging behavior occurs. 

E 

• Extinction: This practice involves withholding reinforcement of a behavior that has been previously reinforced. Extinction is never used alone and always used alongside appropriate replacement procedures. 

• Errorless Teaching: This is an approach to teaching children where the BCBA makes a prompt before an error can be made. The clinician will gradually stop using prompts until the child is successful and independent.  

F  

• Function: This is the theory that the function of a certain behavior is the reason why the individual performs said behavior.
  • The four functions of behavior are: 
    • Avoidance/Escape 
    • Access to tangible items 
    • Attention from other people 
    • Automatic/Sensory 

• Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA): This type of behavioral assessment is used to gather detailed information such as the purpose of a specific challenging or problematic behavior. 

G 

• Generalization: The ability for a child to apply learned skills and behaviors across various situations, settings, and people. 

H 

• High-probability request sequence: This is a strategy where you ask a child to do a few easy or preferred tasks first, which helps increase the chances they’ll follow through with a more challenging or less preferred task that comes next. 

I 

• Intraverbal: A conversation in which the child verbally responds to the therapist’s speech. 
  • For example, The therapist asks,  What is your favorite movie?” and the child responds with; “Lilo and Stitch.” 

J 

• Joint Control: This technique plays a pivotal role in communication and language development and occurs when two things happen in the brain at the same time, and they work together to achieve a task. 
  • For example, a teacher tells a child to underline the word “tomorrow” in a paragraph of words. They repeat the word while simultaneously scanning the paragraph. When they read the word ‘tomorrow’ while simultaneously saying ‘tomorrow’, they engage in the behavior of underlining the word ‘tomorrow.’ 

L 

• Least to Most prompting: A teaching strategy that uses prompts to assist children while learning a new skill, ranging from least intrusive to most.  

M 

• Manding: This is a request for something that a child wants or needs (item, action, attention, information, or discontinuation/removal of any of these).   
  • For example, a child sees a jar of cookies on the counter and says “cookie,” – indicating that they would like someone who can reach the jar of cookies to get them one. 

N 

• Natural Environment Teaching (NET): This is regular instruction and practice of skill that occurs in a learner’s natural environment throughout a session while engaging in activities.
  • For example, teaching a child the function of a chair, sitting, the RBT could use a doll house during a play segment and ask how a doll can sit at a table. If the child chooses the chair, they have shown they understand the function of a chair. 

O 

• Observation: This is a crucial aspect of ABA therapy. BCBA’s and RBT’s observe behavior that is able to be seen, counted, and tracked in order to craft and adjust treatment plans based on the child’s needs. 

P 

• Pairing: This is the process of helping the learner connect the therapist with positive and enjoyable experiences. The idea is for the child to see the therapist as someone who brings good things, making them more motivated and willing to work together during therapy. 
  • For example, if a child picks a ball to play with, the RBT may say, “Wow, a red ball. That looks fun. I love playing ball.” 

Q 

• Quality of Life: ABA therapy focuses on meaningful, socially significant improvements in a person’s everyday life. 
  • For example, helping a child develop communication skills can help them better connect with their family and peers. 

R 

• Reinforcement: This is a concept where a behavior is strengthened after an event that increases the likelihood that the response will happen again under similar circumstances. Reinforcement can be classified as both positive and negative. 
  • For example, giving a child a favorite toy after they complete a task is considered positive reinforcement. When a child says “no” to eating their vegetables and the parent removes them from the plate, this would be considered a negative reinforcement. 

• Registered Behavior Technician (RBT): A trained and certified ABA professional who works directly with the child receiving ABA therapy. Under the supervision of a BCBA, the RBT helps teach new skills while reducing challenging behaviors following a personalized treatment plan. 

S 

• Shaping: A learning procedure where small steps are reinforced until the student can complete the entire process.  

T 

• Tact: When someone uses expressive language including vocal, sign language, or augmentative and alternative communication (ACC) to narrate what they see, hear, smell, taste, or touch. 
  • For example, a child in a moving car sees a cow down the road and yells out, “Cow!” 

U 

• Unconditioned Stimulus: Something that happens in the studied environment, physical or chemical, that produces a response without prior training. 
  • For example, a loud noise could provoke a startled response. 

V 

• Validity: This is the measurement of behavior that represents a trustworthy measurement. There are several types of validity within ABA therapy. 
  • Social Validity 
  • Measurement Validity 
  • Internal Validity 
  • External Validity 

W 

• Whole Interval Recording: A type of behavior recording method in which the time of an activity is divided into smaller sections. At the end of each section, the RBT records whether the behavior occurred during the whole observation period. 

X 

• X-Axis: When reviewing a graph, this is the horizontal section. In ABA therapy, the x-axis typically indicates time passing. 

Y 

• Y-Axis: When reviewing a graph, this is the vertical section. In ABA therapy, the y-axis typically indicates the data collected. 

Z 

• Zones of Regulation: While not exclusive to ABA therapy, this concept helps children identify and regulate emotions through color-coded “zones.” 
  • For example, visual cues can help children identify and regulate their emotions by using visual cards and calming strategies. 

Understanding ABA Therapy 

There are many other terms you may come across during your child’s ABA therapy journey, but we are here to help. At Surpass Behavioral Health, we’re here to guide you, answer your questions, and make sure you feel supported every step of the way. Contact us today to learn more or get started.