| When looking at the various aspects of ABA therapy, | | | | Monitoring progress and setbacks is important, but it is |
| it is easy to focus on such things as discrete trial | | | | equally important to make specific notes about |
| teaching, repetition, or reinforcement. There is no doubt | | | | reinforcement offered, prompts used to garner specific |
| that these elements of the treatment are absolutely | | | | responses, and reactions to different stimuli and |
| imperative. With that said, however, it is important for | | | | circumstances. It is also important to collect data on skill |
| parents and educators to understand that even the | | | | acquisition as well as on any improvements or |
| best repetition and trials will be hindered without | | | | changes noticed in any aspect of the therapy. This |
| rigorous and proper data collection. ABA is an | | | | can help educators to understand exactly what is |
| evidence based method of teaching, and the collection | | | | working and what is not and can even help to make |
| of data is absolutely essential. | | | | clear what areas the child experiences the most |
| Data collection helps ABA therapists accurately | | | | difficulty in. |
| measure performance throughout the teaching | | | | Data collection is as important to the student as it is for |
| process. Not only does it provide them with a deeper | | | | the educator. While parents and teachers collect data |
| understanding of how the child progresses, but it | | | | to help themselves understand what is working, the |
| enables them to monitor any setbacks or to identify | | | | data is used to create a better learning environment |
| any changes in environment or stimuli that led to | | | | for the student. ABA is always most effective when |
| different responses. It also helps parents and | | | | offered intensively at both home and school, and data |
| educators come up with behavior plans and to make | | | | collection makes it much easier for parents and |
| adjustments to the curriculum as needed. The | | | | educators to create matching lessons and trials and to |
| diagnostic information provided on data sheets should | | | | compare data from different environments. Providing |
| always be as detailed and accurate as possible, and | | | | these students with the best learning opportunities |
| schools and parents should work together to share | | | | possible is crucial, and this means creating trials that |
| and compare these sheets on a regular basis. | | | | are as identical as possible. ABA can be very |
| There are a number of different types of data | | | | effective, and data collection can help ensure that you |
| collection that help make ABA therapy more effective. | | | | give your child the best opportunities possible. |