Applied behaviour analysis

Domain II · Behavioural & cognitive · Baer, Wolf, Risley · 1968

What it is

Applied behaviour analysis is not a single therapy but an applied science and service framework derived from Skinner's radical behaviourism. Baer, Wolf & Risley (1968) defined it by seven dimensions: applied (socially important behaviour), behavioural (observable and measurable), analytic (a…

Format

• ABA services are usually described as either comprehensive (many skill domains, high weekly hours, historically EIBI) or focused (one or a few target behaviours, e.g. severe problem behaviour). PFA/SBT is a focused, problem-behaviour pathway that can sit inside a comprehensive programme.
• Format: one or more meetings with caregivers and, as far as possible, the learner.

Who practises it, and how they are trained or regulated

• Version followed: contemporary assent-based, trauma-informed ABA as set out in Hanley's Practical Functional Assessment and Skill-Based Treatment (PFA/SBT; Practical Functional Assessment and Treatment Notebook, rev. March 2018) and Hanley (2020) "happy, relaxed, engaged" (HRE), with the BACB Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts (2020, in force 2022), Taylor, LeBlanc & Nosik (2019) on compassionate care, and Breaux &…
• Scope note for psychotherapists: in many jurisdictions designing and supervising ABA programmes is a regulated activity (e.g. BCBA certification in the US; front-line staff work as registered behaviour technicians under supervision). BACB Code 2.01 limits practice to services within one's education and training. Use this guide to understand, collaborate with, or (if credentialed or supervised) deliver the…

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Is there physical contact? Was it explained beforehand, and do you feel free to say no or stop at any point?
• Does it involve fasting, a special diet or 'detox'? Have you discussed this with your doctor?
• Is it a group, retreat or community? How do they respond if someone wants to leave or raises a concern?
• Does it use a device, heat, cold, water or a physical procedure? Has a medical professional checked that it is safe for you?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• DRO alone teaches no skill; prefer DRA.
• sabotage that frustrates rather than motivates.
• steps too large for this learner; split them further.
• raising the criterion too fast produces frustration and withdrawal.
• antecedent changes that remove all learning opportunities; pair with B1 to B3.

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.