Applied Behavior Analysis Paper

Thank you for your considering my application to the Applied Behavior analysis program. For all of my life I have known that I was going to help people. It could be said that it is in my DNA. I just never suspected what the capacity would be. On December 15thI graduated from Albright college, I began working at Melmark on December 16th. My first thought, on that first day was “Oh no, I can’t do this, I need to quit” That was over two years ago, and I have gone to work every day, with a smile on my face. While working at my first position, out of college, I discovered my passion. My passion, I find, is working with children and adults with autism and with people who suffer from addiction. Watching the smiles on their faces, the determination when they work to complete a goal, and just the progress makes every hardship worth it, I love it. Each day, in my position as an ABA, I run behavior support plans, IEPs, teaching plans and other protocols, and each day I truly wish that I could have contributed to these plans, protocols, and IEPs. I ponder the recommendations that I could come up with, I wonder that if I had been able to participate in these conversations to create these plans could I have brought something else to the table, a different viewpoint. Affecting the way that the plans are written and in turn ran, I feel that I could make a big difference in the lives of the children and their families also. Every two weeks each child’s team meets to discuss his or her

Applied behavioral analysis (ABA) is the leading scientific method that helps patients with Autism to overcome their condition. In order to improve their condition, ABA specialists focus on a system of reward, which encourages positive actions like speech, social activity and life skill improvements. This works mostly with children as they are more likely to absorb and accept new challenges; this is commonly referred to as "positive reinforcement" in the literature and has become one of the leading directions for treatment. ABA therapy was devised and implemented by Dr. O. Ivar Lovaas at UCLA in 1987. Since then, ABA therapy has become a leading branch of psychology - behaviorism.

Pursuing a career in applied behavioural analysis is motivated by my focus and interest in working with people. A Board Certified Behavior Analysis (BCBA) commonly work with children to alter behaviour, which I do find an interest in due to my love for children. Initially, I do wish to use my training to help children in need of behavioural changes by working in schools for special

Applied behavior analysis (ABA) can be applied to different settings, which may range from helping individuals with phobias to training a dog to sit. ABA is the process of scientifically applying interventions to complex or basic situations (Baer, Wolf, & Risley, 1968). ABA is founded on the values of learning theory in order to develop and comprehend specific target behaviors (Baer, Wolf, & Risley, 1968). Such work emphasizes the understanding of behavior. ABA aligns itself with natural sciences as opposed to the social sciences. ABA places its concentrations on observable behavior and its relationship to the environment (Baer, Wolf, & Risley, 1968). ABA can be used to learn what is causing the problem

Since Skinner’s time there has been much research done and many new techniques made in ABA especially in regards of teaching people how to increase behaviors associated with learning and decreasing those that may inhibit learning. These new techniques have been used to help successfully treat or improve the lives of several people with various degrees and types of disabilities and learning disorders. These techniques have been adapted from being used exclusively on adults and modified for children. These techniques can be formally initiated, meaning that they are done in a classroom or a behavioral analysts’ office, or they can be taught to parents or caretakers and are often used to develop skills such as learning theory of mind, eye contact, social skills, and other necessary skills (Renna, 2004).

The Malone family is an intricate network that includes parents, siblings, and extended families. The focus of this question however is about Sara. The first theory of development that I am going to use to help explain the behaviors going on, is Bandura and the Theory of Human Agency. According to this theory, both internal and environmental components are considered.

Parenting skills are typically developed on the job. Although most caregivers learn what works through trial and error, there may be times when more explicit instruction is needed. Fettig, Schultz, and Sreckovic (2015) suggests that understanding these social dynamics that occur between caregivers and children with challenging behaviors is the starting point for finding the appropriate interventions. This may be especially true for the caregivers of children with disabilities who exhibit these challenges. Lecavalier, Leone, and Wiltz (2006) suggest that families of children with challenging behaviors experience a myriad of trials which may result in financial, social and emotional issues that are associated with increased levels of caregiver

The Boston Marathon bombing is instructive in regard to automated behavior analysis. Had a system existed with the capacity to detect when the Tsarnaev brothers placed their devices and walked away, flag it as an unusual event and alert observers to this occurrence, law enforcement personnel could have been notified and the area cleared. Additionally, after being alerted to this suspicious behavior, authorities could have actively tracked their movements and directed law enforcement to their location, resulting in a manhunt measured in hours rather than days. Although automated behavior analysis may not have outright prevented the bombing, the benefit of increased public safety, via casualty reduction and quicker suspect apprehension, is difficult to refute.

All of my psychology degree has led me to this point-from talking about different careers in Psych 101, to learning about child psychopathology, to discovering behavior modification, to meeting my boss at an internship fair, to receiving and accepting a job offer at Utah Behavior Services, and to love it so much that I’ve decided to start my career in this work. The BYU psychology program has helped me see the benefits of ABA, as well as learn about the struggles of children and their families when they receive an autism diagnosis. I’m grateful for BYU, for the psychology program, and for this internship class that has helped me feel even more comfortable in pursuing a career in ABA therapy as a

Prior to working with Peter, I was trained to use teaching methodologies based on the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis. Peter has an Individualized Education Program (IEP) which is a written tool that describes students’ desired personal outcomes and how these outcomes will be met through the involvement of professionals, services and support. It outlines goals and the steps to follow to meet those goals.

Applied Behavior Analysis analysts are required to know the steps that are needed and necessary for behavior modification. This type of modification requires a clear definition of the behavior needing modification (target behavior), how this will benefit the individual in need of the modification, a clear plan of modification, and consistent data gathering to determine the effectiveness of the proposed behavior modification plan. In order to achieve a successful modification plan, the ABA professional first needs to gather information about the individual either by direct or indirect means. The modification must always been in the best interest of the individual, or those closest to the individual, and it must be a functional modification that can be carried out in the absence of the analyst. The ABA professional needs to understand the needs of each client. In order to do this, the professional will have to assess the behavior, gather data, identify a target behavior, propose a hypothesis about an intervention, implement the modification program, gather more data about the effectiveness of the program, and report about the outcome.

Modeling is undoubtedly a pervasive tendency that governs a variety of human behaviors. Albert Bandura (2006) states that modeling is an effective tool to elicit society-wide change across cultural boundaries. He goes on to say that observational learning is an evolutionary adaptation that allows development of the self and overall functioning. By observing others, people can learn to behave like the models that they observe (Spiegler, 2010). This is simply referred to as imitation. Modeling requires two fundamental elements to be effective. First, an observer must be able to see what the model did, and then the observer must be able to see what happened to the model as a result of the behavior. By the observer observing the cause-and-effect

Per Ms. Smith (MHS), Samantha is described as moody, verbally aggressive and manipulating. Samantha continues to have positive and negative peer and adult interactions in the community and school. Samantha has difficulties with focusing, accepting redirection and responsibility for her behaviors. Samantha’s behaviors continue to be unpredictable.

Total behavior is the next concept that permeates reality therapy. According to choice theory “the key characteristic of all human beings from birth to death is the fact that we behave” (Tan, 2011, p. 185). Total behavior consists of “acting, thinking, feeling, and physiology” (Tan, 2011, p. 185-186). Glasser believed that all four of these were connected, and effected each other. Glasser used an analogy of a car to explain this concept (1990). There is car run by engine that “contains the individual’s basic needs” (Tan, 2011, p. 186). The steering wheel of the vehicle is controlled by the person’s wants. The front two tires of the car represent acting and thinking because “an individual can directly control” these aspects (Tan, 2011, p. 186).

Behavior profiling is a record of typical activity for the user. Adaptive Authentication compares the profile for the activity with the usual behavior to assess risk. The user profile determines if the various activities are typical for that user or if the behavior is indicative of known fraudulent patterns. Parameters examined include frequency, time of day and type of