Understanding Applied Behavior Analysis: An Introduction to ABA for Parents, Teachers, and Other Professionals

by Albert J. Kearney

Understanding applied behaviour analysis is a book that I have been waiting for, for quite some time. It is easy to read, factually correct, scientifically rigorous, and not to long (116 pages, including index). I enjoyed reading it and I will be recommending it to my students.' - British Journal of Social Work Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is based on the premise that behavior can be influenced by changes in environment and by the reinforcing consequences of that behavior. This introductory guide to ABA demystifies the basic terminology, the underlying principles, and commonly-used procedures of ABA using accessible, everyday language. Albert J. Kearney explains the kinds of learning and reinforcement processes that form the basis of ABA programs. Having covered these essential principles, he describes how the science of behavior analysis can be effectively applied to real life behavior problems. He looks at how behavior is assessed and various intervention techniques that are often employed with children who have autism and other special needs. Having laid these essential foundations, Kearney touches on more advanced the applications of ABA in behavioral education, such as precision teaching and programmed instruction. Clear, accessible, and with a structure that is easy-to-follow, this book is an essential introduction to the discipline of ABA and its applications for parents and professionals.

Genres: Education, Nonfiction, Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Psychology

117 pages, Paperback

First published June 21, 2015

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was recommended by my Learning Principles professor in a School Psychology program as an easy read glossary for the course/ABA. I agree completely. Explanations and examples were provided for the key terms of Applied Behavior Analysis and connections were made for application by parents, teachers, and professionals. I will keep this on my bookshelf and recommend to those I work with in the profession - teachers and other professionals, with expectations they would share their knowledge with parents. I would not necessarily recommend to parents due to the style of writing, technical terms in a glossary format.

[Michael Burnam-Fink · Rating 2 out of 5]

Understanding Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is a decent, if somewhat dated-feeling glossary of ABA jargon, and a primer on the fundamentals of ABA. ABA is a widely used approach for caregivers working with autism and ADHD symptoms. Since it has a foundation in the behavioral psychology of B.F. Skinner, there is a lot of jargon: Discriminative stimulus, establishing operation, positive and negative feedback, and various types of reinforcement schedules. The practice of ABA is also inspired by Skinner. Usefully, having defined a vague unwanted category such as "aggression" into a specific behavior, like "throwing paper airplanes at the teacher when she is writing on the blackboard", the child's caregivers set up a system of monitoring, reward, and punishment to shift the behavior in a normative way.

So what is good is that this is a short (164 page) book which will equip you, as a parent, with the words to not be blustered by various disability professionals, and to demand the assistance that you need. Staring at about 100 pages of ABA reports for my own kids, having a place to start to cut through the boilerplate and figure out what the hell is going on is useful. And I also agree that as a rule, you get what you measure, so clarifying "be good" into discrete behaviors and consistently tracking them is necessary, but not sufficient.

What I am much less convinced of is the validity of ABA as a human practice. I deleted the word 'therapeutic' from earlier in this review because ABA is not therapy. It is dog training. I'll agree there are some behaviors that should be managed, that are so disruptive or self-harming that the needs of the caregivers for order outweigh the needs of the child for expression. But by and large, we should try and approach our children as human beings, and work with them to develop a shared understanding of how to grow up as a flourishing human. ABA is not something you'd do to anyone you want to flourish.

And on a second note, Albert Kearney is a senior scholar with a long record in the field, who has committed one of my personal pet peeves for senior scholars writing books, in that he recommends further reading based on when he finished his dissertation in the 1970s. I love books, I love old books, and there are fields where foundational work was done decades ago and has not been surpassed. Parenting advice is not one of those. Please recommend something written this decade.

[Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just skimmed this looking for something a classroom aid could read as an intro to ABA. It reads like a textbook but an engaging textbook and is a good intro to ABA terms, if that is what you are looking for. Some of it was a little too old school ABA for me but still a lot of good information, clearly explained.

[Cheryl Duffy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Special Education teacher getting my masters

This book.is an excellent basic guide to ABA and its principles. Worth the purchase price for sure, it us clear and understandable.

[Virginia Settles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very easy to understand

[Michal Strick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sets the foundation and addresses terms that are complicated in a well layout out and easier to understand. Great book for students and parents.

[Sophia Menke · Rating 4 out of 5]

great but long read

I loved this book however it felt as though it dragging at parts and that some of the terms they should describe more clearly. Overall, Fabulous worked really

[Jason Braatz · Rating 5 out of 5]

While reading on this subject isn't fun for any parent of a child with ASD, the Author does a great job of breaking down the concepts, vernacular and spins it with some "dad humor" throughout so that it's not a dry exposition of Psych. terminology. What's perhaps the most valuable section of the book is that he lists all of the "deeper" books that one can easily find online (Amazon, openlibrary, etc) or borrow from a library. In other words, if you are reading about ABA, or need a place to begin, START HERE as the author does a great job of going over all of the more developed concepts from a 30,000 foot view and then writes out where the reader can go get super deep & clinical-level information on specific territories of ABA. (This is necessary since the field is quite wider than I thought.)

[Eddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I admit that this book wasn't what I was looking for. It doesn't go into WHAT to actually do. It is however a good reference for understanding the different components that may be used in learning ABA. I think most helpful for what I was looking for is the last 5 pages. It gives a summary of what to do, and a bunch of references of what I was actually looking for.

That said, it was still a valuable read, the author did a great job with the material and it was much less dull than I would have expected. It is a great book for what it is intended to be, it just wasn't what I was intending it to be.

[Danielle · Rating 2 out of 5]

A basic primer on the principals behind ABA. I enjoyed the author's sense of humor; however, the book still read too much like a textbook for it to hold my attention for more than short periods of time.

[Lindsay Lock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative, but still pretty technical (reads like a text book). Has good examples, but the text-bookish way it's written makes it a hard read.

[Huda Fel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Presents ABA in an informative friendly words, easy read.
But it's definitely NOT the best book to read if you're new to the concept or looking DEEP.

[Therapisttee]

very good book for parents of children with autism wanting to learn about the tools therapists use for kids on the spectrum.

[Andrew Maddox · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great primer / glossary for ABA nomenclature.

[Rhiannon Schade · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just a book of definitions, really. it doesn't explain very much at all. Disappointing.

[Susan Krafcheck · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won't ever really "finish" this book, because it will always be used as reference.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

easy and informative read. the basics.