What's a Behavioral Approach?
What is a Behavioral Approach?
Behavior Analysis as a science is the study of the behavior of all organisms. Behavior follows natural patterns and rules much like other natural sciences (biology, chemistry, physics, etc.). Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is the application of behavioral science with clients in their natural environments.
ABA is often thought to be synonymous with autism treatment, but there are actually many applications in our society such as assessment and treatment of aberrant behavior, instructional design/ learning theory, organizational behavior management, organizational safety consulting, traffic safety, environmental/ sustainability consulting (see
www.bsciclimate.org and
coolpointebx.com), animal training (check out the life saving rats at
Apopo.org), and many more.
It takes a professional with specialized masters level training to achieve the desired behavior change; always ask for verification of behavior analysis license or board certification if inquiring about mental health services, and ask for a copy of the professional's resume. Services completed by individuals who are not adequately trained could result in the opposite of the desired outcome and could potentially put clients at risk for physical and emotional harm. For more information on what behavior analysis is, check out the following websites (www.abainternational.org/about-us/behavior-analysis,
www.bacb.com/about-behavior-analysis/,
https://www.apbahome.net/page/aboutba) and to learn more about accredited behavior analysis university programs take a look at
www.abainternational.org/vcs/directory.aspx.
