By: Cristina Martínez
M.B.A, M.S, BCBA, LBA
For a century and a half, the field of psychology has developed different theoretical constructs, schools of thought, and paradigms from which explanations of phenomena are produced. Practical procedures and methods of the field are built with the ultimate goal of understanding the human psyche and contributing to the development of people and their environments. Thus, as part of these diverse methods, we find Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), a young field which already has extensive and rigorous practical evidence.
ABA works on the development of communication and social skills, as well as on the improvement of attention processes. Particularly, aims to understand and modify people's behavior with the intention of reducing or eliminating problematic behaviors and replacing them with positive alternatives. To do so, it starts from a functional analysis; in other words, it seeks to identify the functional relationships between Behavior, its Antecedents, and its Consequences (A-B-C).
Let us see what these variables refer to:
- Antecedents (A): What occurs before the behavior; the situation which triggers the behavior, and the motivational components associated with it.
- Behavior (B): The behavior itself.
- Consequences (C): What happens immediately after the behavior is performed or what is achieved as a result.
In a way, these consequences can be understood as the purposes of the behavior, and ABA has identified the following as the fundamental functions that drive all behaviors:
In a way, these consequences can be understood as the purposes of the behavior, and ABA has identified the following as the fundamental functions that drive all behaviors:
Self-stimulation or automatic. This function is particularly identifiable in people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and explains much of the stereotyped and repetitive behaviors, which seek to generate pleasant or stimulating sensations at the sensory level. For example, a child continuously waves his hand because it is pleasant or helps him to calm down in certain circumstances.
Attention-seeking. We are all familiar with children's tantrums because we have all experienced them in some way. This is a clear example of negative behavior that seeks attention from adults.
To obtain a preferred item or activity. An apparently negative behavior exhibited by a child with communication deficits may be to grab an iPad from the hand of a peer. The function of this behavior may be as simple as playing with the object he wants, and his communication limitation prevents him from using other appropriate behavioral mechanisms to obtain it.
Escape or Avoidance. When a child tries to avoid a situation, a task, or the company of a particular person, they may engage in behaviors that contribute to delaying the fulfillment of that demand or that remove them from the circumstance or person that make them feel uncomfortable.
Once the function (or functions) of the behavior, the root or the reason for it, is understood, an intervention plan can focus on the modification and/or development of that behavior, without distorting the function that mobilized it.
This is one of the mysteries of human psychology that ABA has tried to unravel. This field’s contribution to treatment for people with disabilities or ASD has been extremely valuable and promises to continue to be so.
