Learn more about these common terms you’ll likely hear during Behaviour therapy
Has your child recently started Behaviour therapy? Or, did your child recently receive an autism diagnosis? As you seek out resources to help your family down this path, you may start to hear new terms that are foreign to you, making meetings with specialists confusing or possibly even frustrating. Your team at Acorn Health has put together a list of the top 10 terms used in Behaviour, with simple definitions to explain what they mean. Now, during your next meeting with an Behaviour therapist, you’ll have a better understanding of what to expect.
1. ANTECEDENT
The events, action(s), or circumstances that occur immediately before a behavior. These are important aspects for your BCBA’s to recognize and observe to better understand your child’s behaviors.
2. BEHAVIOR
This word is commonly used in everyday language, but in Behaviour therapy it specifically refers to any action that can be observed and measured.
3. CONSEQUENCE
You may consider the term “CONSEQUENCE” to have a negative connotation, but in Behaviour it can have a different meaning. It is anything that happens directly after a behavior occurs. This can be good, bad, or neutral. These events help your BCBA determine the possible function of the behavior.
4. FUNCTIONAL BEHAVIOR ASSESSMENT
This refers to the process used to find and define target behaviors and their possible functions. There are three main parts to the FBA process:
- Gathering information (caregiver interviews)
- Direct observations (data collection)
- Creating a plan of action
5. BEHAVIOR INTERVENTION PLAN
This term refers to the treatment plan, which takes the results from the FBA and turns it into a plan of action. Some key components of a BIP include:
- Target behavior definitions
- Hypothesized functions
- Medical Necessity
- Prevention strategies
- Consequence strategies
- Client goals
- Caregiver goals
6. FUNCTIONAL COMMUNICATION
Following an effective assessment process, treatment often involves teaching the child to obtain the same outcomes in the same contexts with another, more effective, safer behavior. This is called functional communication training or FCT.
7. POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT
This is anything added that increases a targeted behavior. What is reinforcing will differ with every child and should be reviewed frequently throughout treatment.
8. PAIRING
This is the process of building rapport by “pairing” oneself with the child’s favorite items and activities. Through these repeated connections, we take on the reinforcing value of all the good stuff, leading to better outcomes in therapy.
9. MAND
A request to fulfill a want or need. Manding is one of the first forms of communication naturally acquired.
10. TACT
A label for something the speaker sees, hears, smells, or tastes.