Creating meaningful skill acquisition programs is fundamental to successful ABA therapy. These programs build independence, problem‐solving skills, and creativity, while also reducing maladaptive behaviors. As Dr. Stuart Ablom emphasizes, "Kids do well if they can." Skill acquisition programs focus on teaching the skills learners need to be able to do well.
The Importance of Skill Acquisition
Skill acquisition programs are central to ABA, targeting various developmental areas based on individual needs, family preferences, and funder requirements. These programs can focus on:
- Functional Communication: Equipping learners with communication skills to express needs and wants, reducing challenging behaviors and promoting independence.
- Adaptive Life Skills: Developing self‐care, hygiene, eating, dressing, and household skills to foster independence and reduce caregiver burden.
- Social Skills: Teaching turn‐taking, sharing, perspective‐taking, conversation skills, and understanding social cues to improve social interactions and relationships.
- Academic Skills: Addressing reading, writing, math, and problem‐solving skills, particularly when services are school‐funded or when academic deficits trigger challenging behaviors.
- Challenging Behaviors: Teaching functionally equivalent replacement behaviors to replace maladaptive behaviors with more appropriate alternatives.
The BCBA's Role in Skill Acquisition
BCBAs play a crucial role in developing and implementing meaningful skill acquisition programs:
- Conducting Assessments: Gather comprehensive data through observations, interviews, record reviews, and standardized assessments to understand the learner's skills, strengths, and needs.
- Setting Individualized Goals: Collaborate with families to set meaningful, functional, and achievable goals based on assessment results, prioritizing pivotal behaviors and behavioral cusps.
- Breaking Down Skills: Use task analysis to break complex skills into smaller, teachable steps.
- Selecting Evidence-Based Strategies: Choose appropriate teaching strategies based on research and the learner's individual needs (e.g., DTT, NET, PRT, shaping, chaining).
- Designing Data Collection Systems: Develop systems to track progress and make data‐driven decisions.
- Implementing and Monitoring Programs: Train and supervise the therapy team, collect and analyze data, and make program adjustments as needed.
- Collaborating with Families: Engage parents and caregivers in program development and implementation, providing training and support for generalization and maintenance.
- Planning for Discharge: Develop a plan from the outset to build independence and reduce the need for long‐term intervention.
Conducting Comprehensive Skills Assessments
A thorough skills assessment involves multiple data sources:
- Standardized Assessments: Use standardized tools (e.g., VB-MAPP, ABLLS-R, PEAK, AFLS, EFL, ESDM, Vineland-3, social skills assessments) to compare the learner's performance to normative data.
- Indirect Assessments: Gather information from parents, caregivers, and other professionals through interviews, questionnaires, and record reviews.
- Direct Observations: Observe the learner in natural settings to assess social interactions, task performance, strengths, and preferences.
Choosing Meaningful Goals: Prioritizing Pivotal Behaviors and Behavioral Cusps
Go beyond standardized curricula to identify truly meaningful goals:
- Pivotal Behaviors: Target key skills (e.g., imitation, joint attention, self-management) that have a broad impact on multiple areas of functioning.
- Behavioral Cusps: Focus on skills (e.g., reading, communication, adaptive skills) that open doors to new learning opportunities.
- Prerequisite Skills: Identify and address prerequisite skills needed to achieve pivotal behaviors and behavioral cusps.
Combine assessment data, pivotal behaviors, behavioral cusps, and prerequisite skills to develop individualized and impactful goals.
Selecting Effective Teaching Strategies
Choose evidence-based strategies based on the learner's individual needs and learning style. Common strategies include:
- Discrete Trial Training (DTT)
- Naturalistic Teaching Strategies (NET)
- Task Analysis
- Errorless Teaching
- Incidental Teaching
- Video Modeling
- Prompting and Prompt Fading
See our linked blog posts for more detailed information on specific teaching strategies.
Implementing and Monitoring Programs
Effective program implementation involves:
- Collaboration: Coordinate with the therapy team, families, and other professionals.
- Data Analysis: Regularly review data to monitor progress and make data‐driven decisions.
- Ongoing Assessments: Conduct regular assessments to evaluate skill acquisition and plan for next steps.
By combining comprehensive assessments, meaningful goals, evidence-based strategies, and effective data collection and monitoring, BCBAs can create skill acquisition programs that empower learners, promote independence, and improve their overall quality of life.