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ABA Glossary: Common Terms in Plain Language
This glossary explains ABA terms in everyday language so you can feel confident during sessions and meetings. If a term still feels unclear, please ask us—we’re here to help.
- Antecedent
- What happens right before a behavior (like a request, sound, or change in routine).
- Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)
- A science of learning and behavior used to teach meaningful skills and reduce barriers in daily life.
- Baseline
- The starting point—how often or how well something happens before we begin teaching.
- Behavior
- Anything a person does that we can observe and measure (talking, reaching, playing, etc.).
- Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP)
- A plan that outlines strategies to prevent challenging behavior and teach safer alternatives.
- BCBA / RBT
- A BCBA designs and supervises programs; an RBT provides direct support using that plan.
- Chaining
- Breaking a task into steps and teaching them in order (like handwashing or toothbrushing).
- Consequence
- What happens right after a behavior (praise, attention, a break, etc.)—not a punishment word here.
- Data collection
- Tracking progress so we know what’s working and what we should change.
- Differential reinforcement (DRA/DRI/DRO)
- Reinforcing a helpful behavior while reducing attention to a challenging one.
- Discriminative Stimulus (SD)
- A cue that signals a response is likely to be reinforced (like “Time to clean up!” said in a routine).
- Extinction
- Stopping reinforcement for a behavior so it happens less over time, used carefully and with alternatives.
- Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA)
- A process to understand why a behavior is happening, so we can teach a better alternative.
- Functional Communication Training (FCT)
- Teaching a child a simple, effective way to ask for what they need (like a break or help).
- Generalization
- Using a skill in new places, with new people, or in new ways—like saying “hi” to different friends.
- Goal
- A skill we’re working toward, defined clearly so we can see progress.
- IRR / Reinforcer
- Something meaningful that makes a behavior more likely to happen again (praise, play, a favorite snack).
- Mand
- A request—teaching a child to ask for what they want or need in a way that works for them.
- Modeling
- Demonstrating a skill so a child can see what it looks like before trying it themselves.
- Naturalistic Teaching
- Teaching during everyday activities and play rather than at a table.
- Pairing
- Building rapport by connecting ourselves with things a child already enjoys.
- Prompt
- A helpful hint or assistance (like a gesture or model) to make a correct response more likely.
- Prompt Fading
- Gradually reducing help so the child can do the skill more independently.
- Reinforcement
- Providing something meaningful after a behavior so it’s more likely to happen again.
- Response
- What the child does after a cue or instruction (like handing over a toy or saying a word).
- Shaping
- Reinforcing small steps toward a bigger skill (like first trying, then zipping halfway, then zipping fully).
- Stimulus Control
- When a behavior reliably happens in the presence of a certain cue (like “stop” at a curb).
- Task Analysis
- Breaking a complex task into smaller, teachable steps.
- Token System
- Earning small markers for effort that add up to a meaningful reward.
Still unsure about a term?
If a term still feels confusing, you can always ask during sessions—or schedule a call.
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