Applied Behavioural Analysis

ABA is uses the principles of a psychological approach called learning theory and applying it to the context of learning acceptable social behaviours in a variety of contexts including home. The intervention is then put in place and evaluated.

The use of learning theory

A main assumption of learning theory is that all behaviour is learned. Learning theorists assume all of our behaviour is learnt and therefore a product of our environment. Change the environment and you can shape the behaviour. Another assumption of the learning approach is that all animals (including humans) learn in the same way and there is a strong emphasis on learning by either the association or reinforcements we receive. The approach is also known as the behaviourist approach because of its focus on actual behaviour rather than mental processes. The term conditioning is used by behaviourists to describe the process of learning. Behaviourists believe that learning only occurs under specific conditions hence the term conditioning. The two main types of conditioning are classical conditioning and operant conditioning. In the case of Asperger's there are some things which cannot be changed. The neurological structures, the genes, the environmental triggers which cause the Asperger's to develop cannot be changed – Autism and Asperger's cannot be “cured” and because there are differences in the was autistic people process social communication the normal pathways of learning social behaviour are disrupted in young children. However, using re-enforcers, to help learn the acceptable response, behaviours can be shaped which will enable Asperger's infants grow into people who will have a choice about how to engage with the world. Some of the behaviours which can be modified by using the main tools of learning theory include: • Keeping clothes shoes on • Improved eating • Using the lavatory • Better sleeping patterns • Accepting adult direction The key to working using ABA and learning theories is to step outside our model of the world where we are motivated by a smile, hug, compliment and attempt to understand that Asperger motivation and reward. Understanding different motivation Abraham Maslow, back in 1947 constructed a hierarchy of needs from the basic “food, shelter, sex” through seven stages to the top which he called “self-actualisation” now, although not all of these stages fit easily in our current context of seeking to modify behaviours of people with Asperger's, he understood motivation well. He wrote that a satisfied need no longer motivates, understand the need, and use it as a reward will motivate. If a person with Asperger's is rewarded by “things” could be a sticker on a chart, a toy, watching a favourite cartoon, stimming, then this can be used to re-enforce desirable behaviour. There are two key tools in the learning approach which can be used to modify young children's behaviour and these are: • Classical conditioning • Operant conditioning Classical conditioning assumes learning is passive and is based on reflex behaviours that all organisms have. It involves learning to associate a stimulus which naturally brings about a response with a new stimulus so that it also brings about the same response. For example, a puff of air in the eye (stimulus) naturally brings about a blink (response), however a buzzer does not. If we were to pair the buzzer with the puff of air, eventually the buzzer would lead to a blink by itself. So behaviour is learned and can therefore be unlearned e.g. through extinction where the association just fades away. Ivan Pavlov, whilst experimenting on dogs, noticed that if a buzzer/bell was played at the same time as the dogs were fed, they would salivate merely at the sound of a buzzer/bell. This idea has been applied to humans to explain how certain behaviours are learned. For example, it is argued that phobias can be explained using classical conditioning. A person may have a phobia of horses because they once had a frightening experience with a horse and now they associate horses with this frightening experience. In some of Pavlov's famous experiments with dogs he paired a neutral stimulus – a buzzer (called the conditioned stimulus) with food (this is called the unconditioned stimulus). The buzzer was played at the same time as the food was presented. Eventually presentation of the buzzer on its own came to produce the same response (salivation) that food had elicited even without the presence of food. The salivation to the sound of the buzzer was called the conditioned response whereas the salivation to food was called the unconditioned response. The dogs had “learned” to expect food when they heard the buzzer. So how is this applied to modifying behaviour in young children with HFA and Asperger's? It needs a parent to understand what the unconditioned stimulus is (a haircut, unpleasant texture, using the lavatory) and pair it with a neutral stimulus (a sweet, favourite toy, sensory experience) so that it becomes the conditioned stimulus and modifies the behaviour. It is not a reward because it is given at the same time as the case of Jack below illustrates. “Jack hated having his hair cut and by the time he was 3 years old had been banned from several hairdressers. Mum was in despair and Jack looked like some hippy child. She knew about classical conditioning but had never thought to apply it to this context but in desperation she gave it a go. Jack was given a Curly Whirly and while his hair was being trimmed he sat and ate it ignoring the scissors which usually caused him to scream, shout and wriggle out of the chair. So for the next 3 years each time Jack was given a CW and associated it with the hairdressers. When he was about 6 the pairing stopped because Jack saw the benefit of having neat hair which didn't bob down in front of his eyes and didn't need the CW anymore” Operant conditioning is a form of learning due to the consequences of behaviour, through reinforcement and punishment. Operant conditioning is what most parents use when they are trying to get their children to change a behaviour - sticker charts etc.… but with a child with HFA or Asperger's the rewards and punishment may have to be modified slightly. There are several types of re-enforcer: • Positive re-enforcement happens when a required behaviour is rewarded with something pleasant. This reinforcement will strengthen behaviour. This is shown in Skinner's experiments where he rewarded the animal for pressing the lever with a food pellet. In the case of children rewards can be tangible or intangible – a sweet or praise. • Negative reinforcement also strengthens behaviour but this time involves something unpleasant being removed. In operant conditioning this refers to the removal of an unpleasant stimulus to encourage a certain type of behaviour. For instance, Skinner would run a small electrical current along the bottom of the Skinner box, until the lever was pressed, which would turn the shock off. In the case of children this could be changing a dirty nappy or not being wet because they can use the lavatory • Punishment is an unpleasant consequence which is given after behaviour we wish to stop. Within Skinner's experiments he used punishment to stop the animal pressing the lever, by sending an electrical current along the bottom of the box whenever they pressed the lever making the animal less likely to press the lever again. This in neurotypical children could be using the “naughty step” for bad behaviour. In children with HFA and Asperger's this should be used with absolute caution because things which neurotypical children find punishing, may not be for an Asperger's child – being sent to your room, sitting on the naughty step may be a reward rather than a punishment.