The purpose of the information here will help your understanding about the history and current relationship between Applied Behavior Analysis and Positive Behavior Support.
The content in the pages linked below will address these practices from several angles including values, science, practice standards, and how the Minnesota Positive Behavior Support Network and Minnesota Northland ABA are working together to provide up-to-date resources for practitioners who are working to improve quality of life for people.
- ABA and PBS Values
- MNABA and MNPBS Working Together
- Standards for ABA and PBS
- Evidence-Base for ABA and PBS
Collaborators Forum 2022
Take a look at the following video clips from the 2022 Collaborators Forum panel discussion. These clips include family members and advocates talking about how they have used Applied Behavior Analysis, Positive Behavior Support, and Person-Centered Practices.
Example of Shared Research: Functional Behavioral Assessment
Establishing an Operational Definition
One of the first steps of completing a functional assessment is to define the challenging behavior(s) in observable and measurable terms. This is known as an operational definition. A solid operational definition of a challenging behavior is key to ensure:
- Consistency: that all team members are talking about the same thing
- Objectivity: that all team members refer to the challenging behavior in the same way
- Reliability: that recorded observations are the same (or similar) across different observers
An operational definition should be:
- Objective (measureable, observable)
- Clear
- Complete (the boundaries of the behavior are described precisely and there is differentiation between occurrences from non-occurrences of the target behavior)
Examples:
Criterion | What it means | Good Example | Bad Example |
Observable | Can it be seen | Bites at arms of staff members | Is aggressive towards staff members |
Measurable | Can it be counted reliably | Yells “I hate you” at a staff member during dinner | Is rude to a staff member during dinner |
Repeatable | Is the behavior a one time occurrence or representative of a pattern? | Hits head against wall | Tries to hurt self |