What Is ABA & IBI - Autism treatment, autistic child education, behavioural services.

Applied Behaviour Analysis involves the breakdown of all skills into small, discrete tasks, taught in a highly structured and hierarchical manner. Central to the successful application of this method is the art of differential reinforcement. That is, the therapist, parents, or caregiver learn how to systematically reward or reinforce desired behaviours, and ignore, redirect, or discourage inappropriate behaviours. Also central to any well-run behavioural program is the therapist's close monitoring of what is working and what is not" (Maurice, 1996 p. 8). IBI is exactly the same as ABA except that the child participates in an intensive number of hours of therapy per week, usually more than twenty.

Applied Behaviour Analysis involves a "comprehensive program for teaching skills across all domains, from the linguistic; to the cognitive; to the social; to the mundane tasks of getting dressed; brushing one's teeth; and so on" (Maurice, 1996 p. 9).

Over thirty years of research suggests that ABA is the most effective intervention for children with Autism. While this same research shows that children make the most substantial gains when participating in 20 hours per week or more of therapy, many children do make significant gains with far fewer hours. An individualized assessment will help determine the optimal number of hours of intervention for each individual child.

Maurice, C. (1996) In C. Maurice, G. Green and S. Luce (Eds.), Behavioural Intervention
for Young Children with Autism. Austin, Texas: Pro-Ed.

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