THE ABA PILOT PROJECT: A PROGRAM FOR EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN USING BEHAVIORAL AND SOCIAL LEARNING THEORIES AND TECHNIQUES
The program that is discussed in this paper is the ABA Pilot Project for Autistic Children. Information about this program can be found at: http://www.mfeat.ca/index.htm which is the website for the Manitoba Families for Effective Treatment of Autism (MFEAT), an organization of families in the province of Manitoba, Canada who promote and support treatments proven to be effective for autism and related disorders.
Regarding the ABA Pilot Project for Autistic Children, ABA stands for Applied Behavioral Analysis which, according to Cohen (2002) utilizes both behavioral and social learning principles to remediate several of the symptoms and behaviors associated with autism as well as to teach children new and more desirable behaviors. According to Hamilton (2000) the ABA perspective of autism is based on learning theory and holds that autism is a syndrome of behavioral deficits and excesses that have a neurological basis, but are nonetheless amenable to change in response to specific, carefully programmed, constructive interactions with the environment.
Review of the ABA program reveals several behavioral and social learning theory methods discussed here. First, the program relies heavily on shapingö which involves the delivery of positive reinforcement of behavior already in the repertoire of the child which approximates a desired behavioral goal (e.g. playing a simple game with another children), often while simultaneously using operant extinction for other behaviors to establish the new learning (see: Schunk, 2003).
Essentially, what the ABA Project does is focus on teaching autistic children small, measurable units of behavior; the purpose being to build childrenÆs behavior to a point where they acquire all of the skills that typically children with autism do not demonstrate. These include skills ran...