How Does Reinforcement Work in Applied Behavior Analysis Therapy?
Most parents of a child with autism spectrum disorder are familiar with the concept of Applied Behavior Analysis or ABA therapy. ABA serves to help children with an ASD realize their full potential by serving as an intensive form of therapy based in part on a series of repeated commands and a positive reinforcement system. While science soundly backs the therapy and it is currently the only scientifically proven and recommended therapy for helping children with an ASD achieve levels of functioning comparable to their non-autistic peers, many parents are still unsure just how the therapy works or why there is such a strong need for a positive reinforcement system. With autistic children, differentiating between different stimuli is difficult and many children do not understand the concept that some stimuli, such as commands or requests from parents and teachers, should be given more importance than other stimuli, such as sights and sounds in the room around them. Reinforcement serves to
