Will ABA Turn My Kid Into A Robot Who Will Only Work For Candy?

Is This Caricature About The Dangers of ABA Accurate?

Unfortunately, through misinformation and an improper utilization of ABA- ‘robots’ and ‘candy’ are actual criticisms and concerns of some ABA programs. Some of this is due to an overgeneralization of the initial teaching process (e.g. sitting at a table while answering personal safety questions for candy)- but this is just the first step in a four-step learning process.

The clinician makes a choice based on how your child (aka the learner) learns. They determine if a skill should be initially taught at a table in a very structured way or if a different approach or context is more appropriate. Many learners benefit from this approach, referred to as discrete trial training (DTT). With DTT the learning opportunities for a skill are led by the therapist and offer a high rate of practice to acquire the skill quickly.

With this first step of the learning process, the learner needs to acquire a skill which might include lots of practice while sitting at a table and earning candy. This learning format provides high rates of structured practice which can enable learners to more rapidly acquire a skill because they’re motivated to earn a specific thing (e.g. candy) for correct answers. Following many teaching opportunities, the learner can demonstrate their ability to ‘know’ this skill across multiple teaching sessions and multiple therapists; at that point, it is considered acquired.

Then, they move on to practicing this skill “on the fly”, with speed, and when the skill is teed-up out of context (i.e. learner is able to quickly state their phone number when asked by the therapist while in the middle of a card game and then quickly switch back to answering questions about the game). The fluency step of the learning process enables the learner to quickly shift ‘on-topic and off-topic’ but still retrieve the information needed for the context. The motivation is no longer exclusively through the delivery of candy, but through the ability to emit the correct response quickly and move onto other things. Additionally, the way in which the question is asked will also vary. At times, the therapist may say “Jimmy, what’s your phone number?”, or “tell me your mom’s number”, or “what’s your number?”. The varying ways in which this question is asked is also practiced so the learner does not become dependent on hearing the exact same words in the exact same order each time in order to answer the question. If number recognition exists in this learner’s repertoire, the therapist may also teach the learner to “type your number” when given a phone opened to the keypad on the phone app

Next, the skill is generalized to other environments, other contexts, and other people outside of the therapy team. This might mean going through the grocery store line and responding to the clerk’s request for a phone number to get the sale price on grocery items. This might also mean the learner interacting with a peer at the park and sharing their phone number with them so they can set up a playdate in the future. All of this can happen with or without the therapy team present. In their presence, they would look for opportunities for the learner to demonstrate this skill. In their absence, they would coach caregivers to take similar steps in finding opportunities to let the learner practice this skill in the generalization step of this learning process. Now that the learner no longer requires candy for their ability to give the right answer to this question, the reinforcement or reason they continue to emit this skill is because of the satisfaction that comes from being able to set up a playdate with a new friend or from the praise mom gives for helping her save money on her groceries.

The final step in the four-step learning process is maintenance. During this step, the learner is able to emit this skill after they have gone an extended time without practicing it. This might mean four months down the road, the therapist is running a maintenance trial during the session and they pop the question “what’s your phone number?”. Or, this can happen at home when mom is bragging to grandma about how much their gaining for ABA and grandma decides to quiz the learner on their phone number. If the learner is able to emit the correct response quickly (within three seconds) and with no assistance, this is then considered to be a mastered skill that has made it through all four steps of the teaching process.

This four-step systematic approach to teaching makes it impossible for a learner to become rigid or robotic in their responses because a skill is taught in so many different contexts, across so many different people, and in so many different ways. Furthermore, the delivery of the motivating item (reinforcer) following their emission of the correct answer is also faded and changed over time. Edibles are often quickly paired together with verbal praise and/or preferred physical interactions (tousling the hair, a squeeze on the shoulder, etc) as the first step into fading the need for candy as soon as possible. This process is called ‘pairing’ and it allows verbal praise and physical interactions to take on the value of the candy so it can be used in place of candy in the future. The pairing process can be done across any items and interactions. If the learner is highly motivated to earn some iPad time, tickles from their therapist, stickers, etc- this can be paired with verbal praise and much more easily doled out when they emit the correct response.

But, in real life- there is not always someone standing and waiting to give out treats or even verbal praise when the learner emits the correct response. It is the therapy team’s responsibility to systematically fade how often these treats or praises are given. This might mean delivering candy only every other time the learner emits the correct response. The therapist is taxed with strategically fading the need for such salient reinforcement so the learner does not become dependent on the candy in order to give the correct response.

ABA programs should include all of the features discussed above to address parents’ concerns about the dangers of ABA. The presence of these features means the clinical team is carrying out the science of ABA to modify a learner’s behavior. If this is the case, then a learner will not respond in a scripted or robotic way nor will they become dependent on candy in order to comply.

Written By: Natalie M. Kulesza, MS, BCBA

Natalie has been serving individuals with developmental delays and genetic disorders since 2009. She started as a Client Assistant Program (CAP) worker working one-on-one in the home and community settings providing habilitative services to adolescents with autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Cerebral Palsy, and Down syndrome. During this time, her interest in behavior modification grew and she went on to train families and staff members in behavior protocols as a Natural Supports Education (NSE) instructor at a local case management agency. As she gathered her field hours toward her BCBA credential, she worked as an ABA tutor and eventually a Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) at a local ABA agency serving individuals with ASD. In 2013 she received her Masters of Science in Psychology with a focus in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and in 2015 earned her BCBA credential. Natalie has worked in private and charter schools, daycares, day programs, camps, alternative family living (AFL) arrangements, homes, and clinic settings. In 2017 she contracted with a case management company in the eastern part of NC as a Specialized Consultative Service (SCS) provider to consult on challenging behaviors for individuals with developmental delays and serious mental illnesses. She consulted with these individuals in intensive behavior clinics, in-home, and in the community. Over time, she began exclusively working in the out-patient setting consulting with families, mentoring BCBAs, and supervising graduate students in the Triangle area. Her passion for serving pre-teens, teens, and adults inspired her to create and host monthly teen events and eventually led her to become a PEERS Certified Instructor through UCLAs Semel Institute where she was trained to provide evidence-based social skills treatment to adolescents (12-21 years-old). Natalie has continued to work with client’s and families in the Triangle area and has recently become an Authorized Continuing Education (ACE) provider through the Behavior Analytic Certification Board to provide and host continuing education opportunities to professionals in the field of Behavior Analysis. Natalie joined Triangle ABA in November of 2021 and is thrilled to be working in early intervention again!