ABOUT
Autism and ABA
WHAT IS AUTISM?
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Autism are both general terms for a group of complex developmental disabilities. These disorders are characterized in varying degrees, by difficulties in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication, and repetitive behaviors.
There is no known single cause of autism, but increased awareness and early diagnosis/intervention and access to appropriate services/supports lead to significantly improved outcomes.
Autism is four times more likely to affect boys than girls, and is found in all racial, ethnic, and social groups.
Autism is characterized by significant impairments in social interaction and communication skills, as well as by the presence of extremely challenging behaviors. Such behaviors include, repetitive motor behaviors, insistence on sameness, resistance to change, and in some cases, aggression or self injury behavior.
WHAT IS ABA?
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is a scientifically proven intervention approach for young individuals with disabilities, including autism. The main goal of ABA is to help shape the behaviors by antecedent events and consequences in the environment. Positive reinforcement is one of the principles used in ABA, which consists of providing some sort of reward when a desired behavior is obtained, thus increasing the likeliness of such behavior to be repeated.
The principles of behavior analysis have been used since the 1960's in many different aspects and for different type of learners, including children on the spectrum of autism.
