Introduction to Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Online Tutorial
	Module 2: History of ABA ABA and Autism "If a child cannot learn in the way we teach...we must teach in a way the child can learn." - Dr. O. Ivar Lovaas In the 1960s, Dr. O. Ivar Lovaas proposed a teaching application of behavior analysis. He used the principles of behaviorism, including reinforcement of appropriate social and learning behaviors, to teach children with autism and other disabilities. Dr. Lovaas’ work with young children with autism focused on intensive (typically thought of as 30-40 hours per week) one-on-one behavioral intervention programs. According to his research, approximately half of the children in this program made large gains in both cognitive and social skills. Initially, Dr. Lovaas’ interventions focused on both reinforcement of appropriate behaviors, and punishment of inappropriate behaviors (in the form of aversives). This has been criticized by some, and many modern behavior analysts (including Dr. Lovaas and those using his methods today) focus on using positive reinforcement to increase behaviors and teach new skills. While there have been some criticisms of his research (as there have been with many lines of autism research), one of Dr. Lovaas’ greatest contributions (in my opinion) was the demonstration that children with autism were capable of learning and making incredible progress. This view was uncommon at the time, because, at that point, many effective interventions for autism had not been identified. Many parents of children with autism were advised to send their children to live in institutions. Thankfully today, we have a variety of intervention programs, many of which are based on ABA, that can help children with autism to effectively learn from their environments. The Lovaas methods may be thought of discrete trial teaching (DTT). Many modern behavior analysts use a combination of DTT and naturalistic interventions. These will be described later in the tutorial. References: Principles of Everyday Behavior Analysis by L. Keith Miller Christina Burk's ABA Website The Lovaas Institute Next --> Module 3: Data and Observing Behavior