Discrete Trial Teaching

In discrete trial teaching (DTT), specific instructions or cues are given, a specific response is taught, and that response is then rewarded. One trial consists of the discriminative stimuli (the instruction), the response, and the reinforcement (the reward). For example, an instruction might be given, “Touch your head.” The child would then touch his/her head, either independently or with a prompt from the therapist, and the therapist would then deliver the reinforcement. The same skill will be practiced throughout a session and across session days until the child has met pre-determined mastery criteria and is able to demonstrate this skill in a naturalistic setting. ABA programs, such as the programs implemented by ABC, continue to change based on new research, results of routinely-conducted assessments such as the VB-MAPP, and the ever developing needs of the child and their family. To avoid rote responding, we place an increased emphasis on generalization of skills and emergence of spontaneous skills within naturalistic settings.

Natural Environment Teaching

In natural environment teaching (NET), skills are taught in a natural setting. Often, this involves setting up sessions to revolve around the child’s interests. Using natural cues and situations, the therapist teaches goals as they are relevant to what a child finds motivating. For example, the client may be a young child who enjoys the park. The therapist would plan a trip to the park with the child and would use this opportunity to practice relevant skills such as requesting a trip to the park, putting on shoes, following instructions, initiating conversations with peers, answering questions, and taking turns playing games.

Verbal Behavior

Verbal Behavior is a theory developed by B.F. Skinner that states that language is a behavior that functions like all other behaviors. Language is thus learned based on the purpose it serves. We focus on teaching language according to these different purposes (aka, the “functions”). We teach different domains of language including requesting (“mands”), labeling (“tacts”), listening (“receptive”), repeating sounds/words (“echoics”), and conversational skills (“intraverbals”). We use the principles of ABA to teach these different domains through the use of prompting and reinforcement.

While we provide programs with a heavy emphasis on communication skills, we also target skills across other domains such as social skills, self-help skills, and reducing behaviors. The majority of our ABA programs include a combination of DTT and NET though the exact proportion of each teaching method used depends on the specific needs of the child.