Beyond Autism Treatment Application of ABA in Treatment of Emotional and Psychological Disorders

Beyond Autism Treatment: The Application of Applied Behavior Analysis in the Treatment of Emotional and Psychological Disorders by Robert K. Ross

In the article written in the International Journal of Behavioral Consultation and Therapy, called Beyond Autism Treatment: The Application of Applied Behavior Analysis in the Treatment of Emotional and Psychological Disorders, Robert K. Ross talks about why Applied behavior analysis (ABA) based approaches are widely applied in autism treatment but are less accepted in the treatment of psychological and emotional issues. This is due to the differences in psychologists approach and the behavior analyst approach. The article goes on to define how ABA treatment can be empirically effective for psychological and emotional disorders.

The starting point for the treatment is to identify specific and measureable evidence for the disorder/diagnosis, and then apply treatment. Subsequent evaluation of levels of the symptoms then determines empirically if treatment is to be reduced, increased or had no effect on these symptoms.

Applied behavior analysis (ABA) is a science that involves using modern behavioral learning theory to modify behaviors. Behavior analysts reject the use of hypothetical constructs and focus on the observable relationship of behavior to the environment. By functionally assessing the relationship between a targeted behavior and the environment, the methods of ABA can be used to change that behavior. Research in applied behavior analysis ranges from behavioral intervention methods to basic research which investigates the rules by which humans adapt and maintain behavior.

The article then goes on to highlight how behavior analytic and non-behavior analytic approaches fundamentally differs in terms of how professionals describe and treat these issues. Non-behavior analytic framework involves the use of descriptions of hypothesized mental processes while treatment consistent with the principles of ABA require analyst to define in objective and reliably measurable terms, what is meant by those concepts or terms that are used to make diagnoses or describe emotional or psychological disorders.

Psychologists define terms such as "mind," "mood," and "emotions" to have clear meaning while behavior analysts state that they represent imaginary concepts, euphemisms for observable measurable behavior, and hypotheses of causes of behavior. In order to apply ABA to emotional or psychological disorders a common and mutually acceptable framework needs to be developed whereby behavior analysts need to develop measurable definitions in conjunction with non-behavior analysts and to get agreement from them that this is what they mean by these terms (Lovaas, 1987).

The next step is to correctly describe the baseline status of the condition and to specify the treatment goal or expected outcome. The symptom logy that comprise the condition should be distinguished into two categories: Motor-physical (non-verbal) behavior and verbal behavior. Finally it needs to be determined if the condition being treated occurs because the individual lacks knowledge. We then need to analyze what their verbal behavior indicates and whether provision of information would eliminate the problem. If the answer is no then it is a motor performance problem.

Precise descriptions of the desired short- and long-term outcomes is then the next critical step in defining the treatment strategies themselves. An instructional program or skill practice activity is developed rather than a traditional therapy approach to the problem of moral development or lack of internalization of rules.

Behavior is viewed by traditional psychologists as a symptom of a disorder or condition and not as a functional response that enables one to escape, avoid or mitigate exposure to this unpleasant condition. Conversely, behavior analysts describes what the child does and does not do, and what specific skills need to be developed and then establishes the process of effective treatment. This is a motor task and not a change in verbal behavior. Practitioners in the fields of psychology and psychiatry are still primarily attempting to treat behavior by changing "thoughts" of that person. This is a change in verbal behavior.

A further difference is that behavior analysts look for precision in descriptions of human behavior and instead find terms that have no single agreed-upon meaning in psychological literature. These terms are unhelpful and highly misleading. The difference can be eroded by shifting from an objective description of the behavior occurring to a subjective categorization of the behavior (complete with hypothesized cause) to create a pathology and a rationalization that flows directly from the subjective interpretations. The child can also provide insight into his or her behavior. Rather than abandoning these vague terms behavior analysts can simply define what they mean for a particular person by describing the behaviors that lead to that label for that particular person and then come up with an effective treatment (New York State Department of Health Early Intervention Program, 1999).

The traditional approach is that the solution to the problems or condition lies in getting the child to have a better understanding of the past. However if the problem and its causes are very complex, treatment would not be readily accessible and effective in solving the problem. The author rejects this approach and suggests the readers to first reduce complexity by providing objective descriptions of specific behaviors and then building more complex behaviors by establishing simple skills and expanding on those basic skills. If the problem is one of skill deficits then the solution should be one of skill development (Behavior Analyst Certification Board, 2005).