Often associated with a treatment for autism disorders, ABA is a science, which owes no affiliation with a particular intervention. Rather, it is a problem-solving approach aimed at producing socially significant behavior changes for the purpose of improving the quality of life for individuals, families, and communities.

ABA operates under seven interconnected dimensions: generality, effective, technological, applied, conceptually systematic, analytic, and behavioral. Should there be 8?

Breaking functions or reasons for behavior into four categories can be helpful for analysis and intervention. Of course, behaviors often occur for multiple reasons and these reasons may change over time.

ABC data looks at what occurs before (antecedents) and after (consequences) the behavior of interest and is intended to help us determine why a behavior occurs rather than how often a behavior occurs. Both are important questions to ask and to answer. For the purposes of understanding under which conditions the behavior occurs, descriptive data is the best route.

Likely, the most well-known application of applied behavior analysis is its use with individuals with autism. But, the umbrella of ABA is much broader. Since the 20th century, ABA has been pivotal in helping us to identify and achieve socially-significant change. The past has been powerful; the future is still unwritten...