ABA therapy stands for Applied Behavior Analysis. It’s a type of therapy that helps people learn helpful skills and reduce behaviors that make daily life harder. It’s most commonly used with children and teens with autism, but it can help others too.

What ABA therapy focuses on:

• Teaching skills: communication, social skills, self-care (like brushing teeth), school skills

• Reducing challenging behaviors: like aggression, self-injury, or behaviors that interfere with learning

• Encouraging positive behavior using rewards and encouragement 

How it works

• A therapist observes behavior and looks at what happens before and after it

• Skills are broken into small, manageable steps

• Positive behaviors are reinforced (praised or rewarded) so they happen more often

• Progress is tracked with data to see what’s working

What a session might look like

• Playing games while practicing communication or turn-taking

• Practicing real-life skills (asking for help, following instructions)

• Getting praise, tokens, or other rewards for effort and success