Back to Relationship Between ABA and PBS Page

The values within Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and Positive Behavior Support (PBS) are with many of the same values appearing in both fields. Person and family-centered approaches are important for both ABA and PBS. Improving the quality of life for people is a main goal for practitioners in both fields.

Applied Behavior Analysis has included seven core dimensions since its founding:

  • Applied
  • Behavioral
  • Analytic
  • Conceptually Systematic
  • Technological, Effective
  • Resulting in Generality.

Learn more about these seven dimensions of ABA. Many of these dimensions reflect similar values compared to how positive behavior support is defined. Practitioners of ABA often use the seven dimensions to define the field and describe its most important values. The Applied dimension addresses similar values to those reflected in student, person, and family-centered practices. Baer and his colleagues asked this question in 1968:

  • How immediately important is this behavior or these stimuli to this subject?

This question is critical when building a relationship with another person and over time. It is common for researchers in both ABA and PBS to use social validity measures to determine the extent to which the activities and outcomes are working for the people receiving support. Important additional questions include:

  • Is the encounter with ABA a meaningful one for the person?
  • Is life improving for the person?
  • Does the person want to continue using ABA approaches?

The dimensions of Effectiveness and Generality with more questions including:

  • How impactful has the support been in achieving the stated goal?
  • Has the effectiveness of the support provided spread to other areas of the person’s life in clinically and socially significant ways?

For more information, visit the Association for Behavior Analysis International webpage. Visit this page to learn more about Donald M. Baer.

A young person with short black hair and shaving cream on their face is getting help to shave.

Positive behavior support emphasizes the following key features in its definition:

  • Valued Outcomes
  • Biomedical and Behavioral Research
  • Validated Procedures
  • Systems Change

The connection to ABA is considered an important part of the the field as part of Behavioral Research. Visit the APBS page called What is Positive Behavior Support? to learn more about each of these key features. Other practices like person-centered planning, wrap, wraparound planning and other team-based processes for empowering people receiving support to make their own decisions and lead action-planning efforts to achieve the lives they want.

Biomedical and mental health practices are integrated with positive behavior and considered integral to the overall process. Multiple interventions that are proven by research as valid are used in each positive behavior support plan. A validated procedure refers to interventions that have been proven to be effective. Positive behavior support uses interventions that have already been proven to be effective and are evidence based.

Systems change is used in positive behavior support to ensure sustainability and to “scale up” implementation so that more people can benefit from this practice. Another goal of systems change is to integrate other positive support practices and to make sure that the actions taken to improve quality of life can be sustained over time. Learn more about how the term positive supports is used in Minnesota.

As you can see, although different terms are used, many of the core elements of both applied behavior analysis and positive behavior support are similar.

Links

A boy smiling at the camera sits in a chair at a desk. A book is in front of him. k