• Welcome to an ABA Classroom!

     

    What is ABA?                                                                                       

    ABA is Applied Behavior Analysis.  This is a research-based style of teaching that involves many strategies including positive reinforcement, Intensive teaching time (ITT) and discrete trials - breaking skills down into smaller steps to teach, prompts and prompt fading, and many more. ABA encompasses not just teaching one-to-one, but everything we do in the classroom.   

     

    How do we start?

    We begin by “pairing” with your child.  We use pairing to help him/her get used to the therapist/teacher and look forward to therapy/teaching sessions. We also determine what items/activities are reinforcing/motivating for your child, which we will use as reinforcement once we begin working on programs.

    We then use an assessment called the ABLLS-R(Assessment of Basic Language and Literacy Skills-Revised) or the VB-MAPP (The Verbal Behavior Milestones Assessment Placement Program)to determine what skills your child is able to do so we can see what areas we need to work on.  We then take the results and determine which skills need to be addressed first and develop them into programs that we work on in ITT (see below).  We also work on these skills throughout the entire day.  

     

    What is ITT?

    ITT stands for Intensive Teaching Time. We take a skill that is difficult for your child to perform or learn naturally and break it into several smaller steps.  We teach those steps one-on-one with your child.  As each step is “mastered,” we add on the next increasingly difficult step.  ITT will be done in the student's work area with either 1:1 student/staff ratio or a 2:1 student/staff ratio.  We will send home mastered lists so you can work on the skills your child has mastered at school to help him/her generalize them to other locations.  

     

    What is NET?

    Natural Environment Teaching.  This is where your child can generalize what he/she is learning in ITT into the natural environment.  This will be a small group of students working either together or independently based on the lesson.   This is a time to teach socialization skills, appropriate play skills, use verbal language and receive sensory input.   During NET (and throughout the day) we encourage students to use their language constantly.  This includes having the students “mand” (verbally request) for things/actions and “tact” (label) items/actions.