BEHAVIOR OBSERVATION AND MEASUREMENT

Abstract

The purpose of applied behavior analysis (ABA) is the improvement of behavior in meaningful and socially important ways. The primary method for assessing behavior change is through repeated observation, measurement, and visual inspection of graphed data. This practice makes it possible to determine when interventions are effective or ineffective so that effective interventions are maintained and ineffective interventions are not continued for extended periods of time. Practitioners of ABA-based assessment and intervention for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) will find that their day-to-day job will entail some sort of observation and measurement of what the individuals with whom they are working are doing. This chapter will describe the basic observation and measurement procedures that have proven useful to practitioners over decades and will provide a step-by-step guide for putting them into practice. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)