ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis)
When people hear ABA, they think therapy is boring or stressful—but it’s really a way to help our kids learn skills and manage behaviors.
- In my life: ABA helped my child communicate wants without meltdowns. Every small success, like saying “water” instead of crying, was celebrated—and that made learning fun.
Pairing
This one changed everything for us. Pairing is all about building trust and making learning fun before expecting anything.
- In my life: Before asking my child to do a task, I’d play with their favorite toy or snack for a few minutes. Over time, my child started to associate therapy with fun, not stress, and they actually wanted to participate.
Reinforcement
ABA works by rewarding good behavior so it happens again.
- In my life: When my child followed a simple instruction, I’d give praise, a high-five, or a sticker. Positive reinforcement makes learning exciting instead of scary.
Prompt
Sometimes, our kids just need a little hint to succeed.
- In my life: While teaching handwashing, I guided their hand once or showed the steps. Gradually, I faded my help as they learned—step by step.
Task Analysis
Big skills can feel overwhelming. Breaking them into small steps makes it easier.
- In my life: Brushing teeth became a 5-step process: pick up toothbrush, put toothpaste, wet brush, brush teeth, rinse. Celebrating small steps kept motivation high.
Generalization
A skill isn’t fully learned until it works everywhere, not just at home.
- In my life: My child learned to ask for a snack at home. With generalization, they could do it at school, at grandma’s house, or therapy sessions.
Data Collection
Keeping track of progress is key.
- In my life: I would write down every time my child used words instead of gestures. Watching those numbers go up was motivating for both of us.
Motivation
Kids, like all of us, need reasons to do things.
- In my life: My child loves bubbles. Using bubbles as a reward for completing a task made them so motivated—suddenly learning felt fun!
Behavior
Everything our children do is behavior, good or challenging.
- In my life: When my child had a tantrum, I didn’t just see “bad behavior.” I looked for the reason—was it frustration, hunger, or trouble communicating? Understanding the cause made all the difference.
Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA)
This is a tool to figure out why behavior happens and how to fix it.
- In my life: My child used to yell when asked to clean up. The FBA helped me see it was because the task felt too big. Breaking it into smaller steps solved it—and tantrums disappeared.
From My Heart to Yours
I know ABA terms can seem overwhelming at first, but trust me: when you see them in action, it’s all about connection, understanding, and celebrating small wins. Every little step forward is a victory for you and your child.
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