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The Benefits of Speaking with a Behavioural Consultant

When you think about therapy, what comes to mind? Lying on a couch, talking about your past, or discussing your current struggles? Well, that’s not always the case; the field of applied behavioural analysis, or ABA, is dedicated to assessing and changing troublesome behaviours. 

The Origins of Behavioural Analysis 

In essence, ABA is the science of applying the principles of learning and behaviour that have been studied by behavioural psychologists for over a century. You may have heard of Ivan Pavlov and his dogs. If not, Pavlov's experiment went as follows: Ring a bell just before giving the dogs food, repeat on multiple occasions and then ring the bell without giving the dogs food. 

What's so interesting? Well, after a while, Pavlov found that the dogs would start salivating after he rang the bell even if he didn’t give them food. In psychological terms, the bell, previously a ‘neutral stimulus’, was paired with food, a ‘unconditioned stimulus ’, causing salivation, an ‘unconditioned response.’ After enough pairings, the bell changed from a ‘neutral stimulus’ to a ‘conditioned stimulus,’ and ringing it causes salivation, now a ‘conditioned response.’ This is classical conditioning

A good few years after Pavlov, B.F. Skinner came along with a slightly new theory of operant conditioning. His experiments centred around rewards and punishment, like a rat pressing a lever, with food as ‘positive reinforcement’ each time it occurred. Over time, the rat learned to press the lever more frequently to receive the reward. What’s interesting? The rat’s behaviour was shaped by consequences; reinforcement increased the behaviour, while punishment decreased it. 

In psychological terms, the lever-pressing ‘operant behaviour’ was strengthened by the food ‘reinforcer’, demonstrating operant conditioning, where behaviours are influenced by their outcomes, unlike Pavlov’s classical conditioning.

Behaviourism Applied

Okay, so these two theories are interesting, but pretty, pretty animal-oriented. However, behaviourists argue that if we put you in a giant box with a lever, you would act the same way. Of course, this can be unethical, and you would probably be yelling for someone to let you out pretty quickly. The point is that the rules governing behaviour are universal; they are not distinctly human. There have also been plenty of studies on classical and operant conditioning in humans. 

ABA is the scientific method of modifying behaviour, using techniques from these two overarching principles. For example, classical conditioning can help to reduce phobias by pairing feared stimuli with positive experiences, while operant conditioning shapes behaviours like studying through rewards. 

These principles underpin ABA, which systematically applies reinforcement and stimulus associations to teach skills or reduce challenging behaviours, especially in autism therapy. 

Behavioural Consulting: The Power of ABA 

A behavioural consultant, often a Board Certified Behaviour Analyst (BCBA) who has completed a Graduate Diploma in Psychology (Advanced) or similar, is a psychologist who specialises in ABA and uses it to create intervention plans and change behavioural patterns. 

The first step for a behavioural consultant is to determine exactly what behaviours they want to increase or decrease. By using well-researched data collection methods, an ABA practitioner will carefully document the behaviour, decide the best tool to address it and create a custom treatment plan. 

The real beauty of ABA is its precision in simplicity, used to create a treatment that is always customised to suit the client's needs. These intervention plans help people to achieve clear goals that are decided on beforehand, with the consultant, and regular progress updates.

ABA for ASD 

Autism Spectrum Disorder, or ASD, has become increasingly common, with over 290,000 Australians living with ASD in 2022.  On the bright side, the rise in prevalence has led to new ways to treat ASD, and ABA is very popular. 

The fact that ABA treatment can be highly targeted and customised makes theme ideal for ASD. Breaking troublesome behaviours like stimming or hand flapping can be broken down and adapted. 

Because ABA doesn’t take a one-size-fits-all approach, it can adapt to anyone's developmental stage, communication style, and goals, whether that’s learning to make eye contact, improving conversation skills, or gaining independence in daily routines.

Strategies For Change 

Discrete trial training, or DTT, is an ABA method that breaks down behaviours into their smallest possible steps. For example, an autistic person may struggle to produce certain words. The consultant can break the production of these words down to individual sounds and practise with the client, rewarding them every time the sound is correct until it becomes automatic. 

Another useful technique is modelling, where consultants either do the desired behaviour themselves while the client is watching, or show them a video, audio, etc. Afterwards, they ask the client to copy the modelled behaviour and reward them accordingly.  

Pivotal Response Treatment, or PRT, is a naturalistic tool used by ABA practitioners to target pivotal areas of a child’s development, like motivation and self-initiation, to improve social, communication and behavioural skills. Using child-led, play-based interactions in natural settings, PRT reinforces positive behaviours by capitalising on a child’s interests and intrinsic motivation. For example, if a child who usually grabs other kids’ toys is playing and asks nicely to borrow the other kids’ toy, reward that behaviour. 

Transforming Mental Health 

The benefits of a behavioural consultant go beyond managing surface-level behaviours or struggles. Adapting behaviour can have massive implications for someone's wellbeing. Imagine an autistic person who is unable to function on a day-to-day basis because they can't communicate clearly–ABA could slowly change that, one syllable at a time. 

It is also a common misconception that behaviourists do not ‘get to the root cause,’ because they are not spending hours talking to a client about their past. By getting straight into the maladaptive behaviours that are affecting functioning, ABA can and does help people to understand why they act the way they do, empowering them to make meaningful change. 

Perhaps most importantly, ABA gives people hope. After just a few sessions, people can see progress and a path towards change. It's not just ‘correcting’ behaviour; they build skills, increase independence and help clients lead fuller, more confident lives. 

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