I originally planned to write this blog on how parents and students can prepare for the “End of Year” activities. A major aspect of COVID-19 is the impact this will have on high school seniors. I honestly cannot fathom how high school seniors are processing on losing out on the best part of high school. […]
Friends are important parts of our lives because we choose to interact with them. For children, making and having friends is probably the most valuable experiences they can have. Looking back on my childhood, I can remember having amazing experiences with my friends. As I grew older, I was able to see how those friendships […]
In a previous blog, there was discussion related to “Alternatives to Time-Out” on how to effectively implement time out with children. In working with parents, especially those who are having trouble with their child’s behavior, there comes a time when you need a break. These difficulties are even more apparent now that parents and children […]
The world can seem like a scary place, especially when we are able to receive news updates almost instantaneously. It may be easier to distance ourselves from tragedies or major world events when these events are happening thousands of miles away. This becomes significantly harder when we are dealing with things that impact our way […]
Noncontingent Reinforcement Part 1: Overviewby Gabriel Gafner at ABA Connect Noncontingent Reinforcement (NCR) is the presentation of a reinforcer, independent of the presence of a specific behavior. The learner receives reinforcement on a set schedule instead of for a positive response. The classic example is of a student sitting in the front of the classroom, […]
Some children struggle in school academically, while others who are achieving academically may have struggles of being “overachievers.” While being an overachiever can develop one in many ways, it also came with me being anxious due to academic pressure. Children may feel defined myself by the grades they make, and it can impact overall mood. […]
This month we have created a fundraiser to contribute to a local Austin nonprofit group VELA. VELA helps families who have children with special needs by connecting them to community as well as providing educational support. We are selling ABA t-shirts, at cost here: https://www.bonfire.com/fund-raiser-for-vela/https://www.bonfire.com/fund-raiser-for-vela/ For every t-shirt purchased, ABA Connect is donating $10 to […]
Robert Koegel and Laura Schreibman developed PRT (Pivotal Response Training). It targets self-initiation of the subject’s preferred activities in a natural setting.. Fred S. Keller developed PSI (Personalized System of Instruction), a self-paced teaching method. Ogden Lindsley developed precision teaching which uses a semi-logarithmic chart also known as a Standard Celeration Chart. The chart has […]
Stimulus Salience refers to how obvious or prominent a stimulus is in a person’s environment. If a person has visual deficits, then visual stimulus will not have as much salience as auditory stimulus, for example. In order to notice stimulus, and for that stimulus to have salience, a learner must possess pre-attending skills necessary for […]
The quality / power of reinforcement can be determined with a reinforcer assessment. A variety of direct, data-based methods are used to present one or more stimuli contingent on a target response and then measuring the future effects on the rate of responding. Concurrent schedule of reinforcer assessment: pits two stimuli against each other to […]
Behavior is movement of an organism through space and time. It must past the “dead man’s test” which is to say, “if a dead man can do it, it isn’t behavior.” Behavior can only be done by a living organism and does not include movements due to physical pressures exerted upon that organism. For example, […]
Response Cost: Is a negative punishment that involves taking back tokens that have been earned. It can be thought of as a fine for unwanted behavior which, hopefully, creates a decrease in the future possibility of this behavior occurring. A token can serve as a Generalized Conditioned Reinforcer (GCR). That is, it has been paired […]
