What is ABA | ABA Therapy Brussels

ABA is a fascinating science

ABA for children within Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

In many countries, ABA is considered the standard approach for working with children diagnosed with ASD and ADHD.

In ABA, we help children learn and improve behaviors by using reinforcement. This means we reward a behavior until it becomes a natural part of what the child does daily. For example, a child might first learn to cut pretend plastic fruits because they receive a reward, but over time, they enjoy the activity itself and include it in their daily play without needing rewards.

We also use prompts—guiding the child how to do something—and once the child learns how to use a toy or do a task, we slowly fade those prompts so they can do it on their own.

Another method we use is called chaining, which helps children learn step-by-step tasks, such as washing their hands or tying their shoelaces. Each small step is taught one at a time, and eventually, the whole routine comes together.

When we want to help a child learn something more complex, we use shaping. This means we start with simple actions and gradually guide them toward the full skill. For example, learning to talk begins with sounds, then imitating words, intonations, then using simple words with meaning.

Parents and teachers often use shaping naturally when teaching kids new things—but in ABA, we do it in a more structured way, especially to support children with disabilities, setting clear goals for each step of learning.

At the heart of ABA therapy is the child’s motivation. We begin by understanding what are the interests of the child—what makes them want to take part, what activates them. Then, step by step, we gently expand that motivation to help them stay engaged, try new things, and learn new skills over time.

The Goals of ABA Therapy:

In ABA, we start with simple skills and gradually build up to more complex ones. The idea is to help children grow step by step in many important areas. Some of the key goals include:

Building attention skills
Learning to notice and explore objects and the world around them
Developing joint attention (like looking at something together with someone else)
Learning and using language in a meaningful way—asking for things, understanding instructions, and having conversations
Exploring and playing with more toys and activities, both alone and with others
Learning new behaviors and skills that support everyday life
Becoming more comfortable and tolerant with daily routines, new situations and new people
Getting to know different people and places

ABA acts on these large layers:

Encouraging and reinforcing desired behaviors
Reducing behaviors that may get in the way of learning or safety
developing new behavior

All these small goals are core components of a personalized intervention plan.

There is one main purpose in ABA: helping your child become as independent as possible. Autonomy.

The sooner we start, the better the outcomes.

Some history and the presence of ABA in our daily life

ABA is a science widely used in helping professions, aimed at creating meaningful and lasting changes in human behavior.

The science of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) has evolved gradually since the 1940s and emerged in the 1950s as a treatment approach for children with intellectual disabilities and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Since then, more than 2,000 peer-reviewed studies have supported the principles and effectiveness of ABA in areas such as autism intervention, education, behavior interventions, and skill acquisition.

Over the past 50 years, much of this research has been published in respected journals, including the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis (JABA), Behavior Analysis in Practice, and The Analysis of Verbal Behavior.

The training of professionals certified by behavior analyst boards around the world is comparable to the formal education required in medical and psychological fields. It involves a defined number of theoretical instruction hours, extensive supervised practical experience, completion of applied projects, and multiple examinations throughout the process—culminating in a final board certification exam.

ABA has also expanded beyond clinical settings into many other fields. Today, behavior analysts and consultants apply its principles in areas such as technology, organizational behavior management (OBM), forensics, law enforcement, airport operations, and more.

The influence of ABA is widespread because it is rooted in the natural patterns of human behavior—based on systematic, structured observation and analysis.

Examples of ABA’s influence can be seen in everyday systems, such as the widely used token economy (in online games, points are earned and something else more valuable after a certain number of points – in the stores where we shop we receive points with which we can later purchase more valuable items or even a free shopping cart), or the foundational behavioral principles behind compensation and benefits programs across the world.

Much of our behavior becomes rule-governed—meaning we learn to follow rules or instructions to avoid negative outcomes, even without experiencing them directly. For example, we may drive within the speed limit because we understand the rule and want to avoid getting a speeding ticket.

In contrast, contingency-shaped behavior is learned through direct experience. For instance, if someone receives a parking fine because they didn’t notice the payment signs, that unpleasant experience acts as a consequence that directly affects them—either through discomfort, inconvenience, or cost. This will start to shape their behavior - a direct experience derives its power from the way it affect them directly on their senses or conceptually and next time they will pay more attention to the signs - so a fine is a stimulus that will shape their antecedent behavior in the future to prevent discomfort. Eventually, this response becomes automatic and part of their behavioral repertoire.

Our behaviors and experiences are not static—they are dynamic and adaptable. We are constantly modifying and expanding our behavior based on new experiences, both direct and indirect.

ABA is not taught using robots. Children and individuals with autism who struggle with social understanding need human interaction to truly learn social skills and decode the complex, nuanced nature of human communication.

While robots may be helpful in teaching certain limited or structured tasks, they cannot provide genuine social interaction. A robot never hug and never radiate life, human warmth and the diversity of vocal tones and what comes and we receive through the sense of presence we emanate.

For more information on ABA, you can watch this video from the UK Society for Behavior Analysis: https://uk-sba.org/this-is-aba/

There are countless resources online that offer information about ABA, but no single source can fully capture the depth, methods, and wide range of applications covered by this incredible science of human behavior:

https://www.bacb.com/about-behavior-analysis/

https://theibao.com/ethics

https://www.autismspeaks.org/autism-therapies

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What ABA is not

ABA is not social assistance. True ABA is a systematic technique aimed at helping individuals acquire new skills or reduce problematic behaviors.

ABA is also not babysitting. During ABA sessions at home, parents do not get free time—they need to be actively engaged and present throughout the process.

ABA is not about punishment. Research shows that we learn and develop skills most effectively in warm, supportive environments where we receive positive reinforcement and are surrounded by people we trust—not through punishment. In my practice, 100% of the time is focused on building skills, expanding behavioral repertoires, reinforcing appropriate behaviors and accepted rules, and preventing undesired behaviors from occurring.