Conducting a functional behavioral assessment (FBA) is the first step toward creating an ABA program. Observe the behavior, noting what causes the undesirable behavior and what response it receives. The goal is to define what purpose the behavior serves. If you don't understand the purpose you may unknowingly encourage or reward the very behavior you're trying to extinguish. For example, if a child gets aggressive on the playground during recess, we know the behavior is inappropriate, but why is he getting aggressive? Does it only happen at the slide? If so, maybe he's afraid to climb up the ladder. Does it happen during every recess or only when it's hot outside? (Indicating the problem is sensory related.) Or maybe he gets aggressive every time a certain group of children approach him because he doesn't understand what they want or how to play with them. Each situation requires a different plan for extinguishing the aggressive behavior. If time is not taken for a FBA, teachers may simply decide to keep him inside during recess as punishment. If he couldn't tolerate the heat or was frightened of the kids, then this "punishment" actually rewards his aggression because he gets what he needed or wanted. Additionally, an opportunity to teach social skills or motor skills for climbing may be missed.
Define the behavior to be changed as well as the goal (the desired behavior). Then identify the steps that must be taken to reach the goal. Each step should be specific and measurable so that anyone can follow the plan and keep records about their session. Describe what will be done to teach each step, what behavior receives a reward, create the reward system, and develop a data collection sheet.
Punishment can be used to change behavior but rewards recognize the positive and are more motivating. The reward that is chosen should be relevant to the child's interests. Rewards should be given consistently every time the desired response is achieved. As progress is made, replace the immediate reward with a chart or token system that requires more successful responses to be made before the reward is given.
Repetition, consistency, and a regular schedule are keys to a well implemented plan. Prompt the child to perform the task and either reward an accurate response or prompt again. The prompts must be repeated until the desired behavior is achieved and the entire process must be repeated until each step is mastered. As competence is obtained, the prompts should be gradually reduced until they're no longer needed. A regular schedule and consistent implementation needs to be maintained regardless of who is working with the child that day.
Keeping and analyzing data may be tedious but it plays an important role in ABA. Copies of the data collection sheet should be readily available and easy to use. After every session, information should be recorded such as how many prompts were required, the number of successful responses, how long it took, and any other information relevant to the task. This information should be reviewed as often as necessary---even daily if need be---so that there is continuous feedback about how well the plan is working.