Teachers sometimes ask me, “How do I use ABA (i.e., Applied Behavior Analysis) in the classroom to teach academic subjects?” One approach suggests that a teacher must become familiar with the types of tasks that are suitable for a highly structured lesson, which is the essence of ABA. A teacher must then determine how their learning objectives can be made compatible with these tasks.
Examples of highly structured tasks include:
- Matching tasks (e.g., Matching geometric shapes to printed names for Math)
- Sorting tasks (e.g., Sorting pictures of different animals by single-word classifications like “mammal” or “reptile” for Science)
- Identification tasks (e.g., Asking the student to “Show me Texas” on a map for Social Studies)
- Sequencing tasks (e.g., Asking the student to “Show me what happens” by ordering images and text representing key events in a narrative for Language Arts)
- Multiple choice tasks (e.g., Formatting quizzes using “true or false” questions, or having the student select answers from 2-5 options)
Highly structured tasks can be helpful because the student is always expected to respond in the same way. Tasks must be designed in a way that clarifies what you are expecting the student to do and provide a visual foundation. This makes it easier for a student with autism to understand the activity and focus on the information being taught. Teachers can easily decrease or increase the level of difficulty by changing the number of possible responses, and altering the level of prompting and support given to the student.
Before preparing a new lesson, remember to ask yourself these key questions:
- Do I know how to teach the student to respond correctly without prompting?
- Do I know how to decrease or increase the difficulty level?
- Do I know what to do when the student is successful? (i.e., rewards)
- Do I know what to do when the student is not successful? (i.e., prompts)
- Do I know if the student is capable of meeting these expectations? (i.e., does he/she have the underlying skills needed to complete the task)
If you feel prepared for all of these scenarios, forge ahead. If you answered “no” to any of these questions, get help before designing the lesson!
