In Module 1, we discussed the characteristics of ABA. You may remember the acronym GETACAB which stood for:
1. Generalisation (Generality) ? An ABA intervention seeks to generalise the findings from the teacher or therapist and the intervention environment to other environments and other people.
2. Effective ? The intervention should make a real, positive difference in a client?s life. It can only be said to have been effective if it has reduces a problem to a level that is reasonable to expect a client to live with.
3. Technological ? Procedures to be used are describe in a clear, concise and complete manner.
4. Analytic – ABA attempts to identify cause and effect relationships between the environment and the rate of a particular behaviour. It does this through data-based decision making.
5. Conceptually Systematic ? This means that the behaviour and intervention are described with reference to the principles of behaviour.
6. Applied – You should be familiar with this dimension from previous lessons. It means that ABA focuses on changing behaviors that improve a person?s life.
7. Behavioral ? You already know how behaviour analysts define behaviour. It is anything a person does. In ABA, we tend to focus on observable behaviours. This is because observable behaviours are measurable.
In previous modules and lessons, we?ve talked about what we meant by what it means to be applied and effective. We?ve also introduced you to the principles and procedures of ABA which relate to being conceptually systematic.
In this module, we?ll look at methods of measuring behaviours. When we use measurement, we enable ourselves to live up to the behavioural and analytic dimensions of ABA. As you know, in ABA we use data-based decision making. However, the quality of those decisions are dependent on the reliable collection of data using an appropriate measurement system.
But what is Measurement?
Measurement is the process of applying quantitative labels to observed properties of events using a standard set of rules.
As we cannot measure covert behaviour (private events) we tend to focus on observable behaviour.
Measurement is a critical component of behavioral interventions that allows for assessment and monitoring progress. Objective data collection allows for forming more accurate opinions about the needs of an individual and their progress.
There are two main categories of measurement used in ABA: Continuous methods and Discontinuous methods..
Continuous measurement of behavior is generally preferred over discontinuous measurement because continuous measurement involves recording all of the behavior as it actually occurs during an observation.
However, discontinuous measurement is often more practical than continuous measurement. It is usually used when continuous measurement (for example frequency or duration) would be too difficult for you to do, given all of the other demands placed on you in the moment
Discontinuous measurement methods provide only an estimate of a behaviour and data may need to be collected for longer in order to detect differences
Several factors should be examined when selecting a data collection method. Factors to be considered include the number of behaviours being observed, the staff:client ratio, whether a behaviour has clear onset/offset and the rate at which a behaviour occurs.
Objective data collection is an essential component of ABA services. Data is collected throughout the day on a variety of behaviours to allow for the assessment of behaviour and an individual’s needs, to measure progress and to ensure that we are accountable to all stakeholders