Home
| Frequent Questions | About ISADD
Services Provided | Service Delivery Process
Intervention Strategies
| Intensive
Service
Books and Resources
| Newsletter
Chatroom | Contact Information
What is Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA)?
It
is a term which refers to applying, for therapeutic
purposes, information gained from the careful examination
(analysis) of what a person says or does (behaviour) in a
given situation or set of circumstances. Learning Theory has
demonstrated that how a person behaves is largely determined
by various factors (called antecedents) involved in the
situation in which he or she is, and the results (called
"consequences") of his or her behaviour on previous
occasions. By knowing and understanding what these
antecedents and consequences are, strategies can be put in
place to change them, and thus change the person's
behaviour.
Go
to top of page
What is Discrete Trial Training (DTT)?
It
is a strategy or technique derived from Applied Behaviour
Analysis. It is a powerful method for teaching any number of
skills- from Language to Maths, to Social Skills. It is a
very structured method, and usually involves teaching in a
one-to-one situation. Tasks to be learned are presented to
the learner in a series of separate (discrete), brief
sessions ("trials") during which he or she is expected to
focus solely on the task. Successful attempts are rewarded;
unsuccessful attempts are corrected through prompting.
Go
to top of page
The
Lovaas Approach is really just another name for the use of
the techniques of Applied Behaviour Analysis and Discrete
Trial Training in developing skills in children with Autism.
It is named after O. Ivar Lovaas (see below) who first
demonstrated the efficacy of this approach.
Go
to top of page
O.
Ivar Lovaas was a professor of Psychology at the University
of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). His early work involved
teaching language to non-verbal, autistic children. He did
this using principles derived from Learning Theory, using
what is now commonly called Applied Behaviour Analysis. He
later used a similar but more refined approach to teaching a
range of functional (academic and social) skills to
pre-schoolers with Autism. Almost half of the children who
were treated achieved normal levels of functioning and the
rest showed significant improvement. Prof. Lovaas, who is
originally from Norway, has now established the Lovaas
Institute for early intervention in Autism in Los
Angeles.
Go
to top of page
Does ABA/DTT therapy cure autism?
It
cannot be said that ABA/DTT therapy "cures" autism, the term
some use is "recovery". The evidence is that some children
(40-50%) can make a full recovery from the symptoms of
autism, while all others will make gains that could not be
otherwise expected - they will make a partial recovery.
Go
to top of page
How much therapy does a child with autism need?
The
answer to this will be different for every child. In
general, however, the answer is "the more hours the better",
and the earlier in the child's life that it starts, the
better. Our experience is that in order to maximise the
gains a child can make, a minimum of thirty hours a week,
over a two year period is necessary.
Go
to top of page
Does ABA/DTT work with other disabilities?
Yes,
but the improvements in functioning are not usually as
dramatic as is often seen in children with autism.
Go
to top of page
What is Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA)?What is Discrete Trial Training (DTT)?
Does ABA/DTT therapy cure autism?