Behavior modification is the more general term. It refers to all of the many ways in which teachers, therapists, family members, and other adults reinforce behavior they want to see the child exhibit. Applied behavior analysis is a subset of behavior modification. We use ABA when we work one-on-one with children. ABA is most often used with children who have autism and those who have mental retardation.
Behavior Modification and Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) are two different forms of behavior managment. (Behavior Modification is also an expired label for ABA). I’ve sourced several scientific journals in the bibliography section of a glossary I’ve written on Behaviorism here: http://voices.yahoo.com/a-glossary-terms-used-behaviorism-behavioral-12462420.html?cat=4.
(The vocabulary below are quoted from my glossary article):
- Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is an Antecedent-Based Intervention (ABI) which is the application and practice of the scientific theory to learning, including Operant and Classical Conditioning…. As an Antecedent-Based Intervention (ABI), the goal of ABA is to prevent behavior from reoccuring and teach alternative ones.
- Behavior Modification [is] the use of consequences, such as reinforcement and punishment, to alter behavior without tackling the antecedent. The practice also had a long history of using aversive punishments, such as spanking and electrical shock treatment. An old term for ABA, several authors of scientific journals officially revised the name in 1998.
- Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention (EIBI) [is] a collection of ABA-based teaching inteventions used for autistic and developmentally delayed children under the age of 5 for over twenty-five hours a week.
Behavior Modification is an expired label for ABA. They are two different forms of behavior management. Behavior Modification used consequences and aversive punishments to change behavior. ABA is the application of Operant Conditioning which uses antecedents and consequences to change behavior. The goal of ABA is to assess and evaluate behavior to teach alternative ones and prevent maladaptive behavior from reoccuring.
A common misconception is that ABA is the same thing as Discrete Trial Teaching (DTT) and is only used as an early intervention for autism. ABA has grown into a professional practice and is used anywhere from treating substance abuse and breaking smoking habits to organizing people in the work force to decreasing school violence to training canines. It is, however, proven to be most effective when used as an intensive, early intervention for austic children and consists of many breakthrough, evidence-based teaching strategies for that population.
Behavior Modification is an expired label for ABA. They are two different forms of behavior management. Behavior Modification used consequences and aversive punishments to change behavior. ABA is the application of Operant Conditioning which uses antecedents and consequences to change behavior. The goal of ABA is to assess and evaluate behavior to teach alternative ones and prevent maladaptive behavior from reoccuring.
A common misconception is that ABA is the same thing as Discrete Trial Teaching (DTT) and is only used as an early intervention for autism. ABA has grown into a professional practice and is used anywhere from treating substance abuse and breaking smoking habits to organizing people in the work force to decreasing school violence to training canines. It is, however, proven to be most effective when used as an intensive, early intervention for austic children and consists of many breakthrough, evidence-based teaching strategies for that population.