Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA)

ABA is about understanding why people do what they do, and using that knowledge to help them change behaviour in helpful, real-world ways. ABA focuses on making environmental changes to help an individual succeed based on evidence, observation and data, not guesswork.

Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT)

ACT helps people manage difficult thoughts and feelings so they can live in alignment with what truly matters to them. ACT focuses on using mindfulness and flexibility to help individuals lead more meaningful lives by focusing on taking action based on your values instead of your mood.

Antecedent

An antecedent is what occurs right before a behaviour of concern. Antecedents can be events, situations, or other stimuli that triggers or set the stage for the occurrence of a behaviour to occur.

Baseline

Information collected about a behaviour before any change or intervention begins. Baseline shows what the behaviour look like right now, at the starting point. Baseline enables comparison of before to after.

Behaviour

In ABA, behaviour simply means anything a person does that can be seen or measured. Something someone does, that another person can see and that can be counted, timed or described clearly.

Behavioural Skills Training (BST)

BST is a simple, yet structured way of teaching someone how to do a skill correctly and confidently. BST focuses not just on hearing what to do, but on practicing the behaviours of the skill until it sticks, turning knowledge into action. There are four key steps: explain what to do, show how to do it, let the person try (practice), ad give feedback on how they did.

Committed Action

A committed action is doing what matters, even when it’s hard or uncomfortable. Committed actions are those actions that move an individual towards their goals and values.

Competing Contingencies

Competing contingencies are when different consequences compete for different behaviours. Typically the behaviour that produces immediate short-term rewards or results in a larger or faster access to a reward tends to win out over another behaviour that is attached to long-term rewards.

Consequence

A consequence is what happens after a behaviour that affects whether the behaviour will happen again in the future. Consequences can either increase or decrease the chance of the behaviour occurring again by effect, not intention.

Defusion

Within ACT, defusion is the practice of seeing thoughts as just thoughts, and not as facts or commands that must be followed. Defusion is the act of separating self from thoughts or seeing “self as context” so that one is not controlled by thoughts or feelings.

Experiential Avoidance (EA)

Experiential avoidance occurs when a person attempts to avoid or escape, or control discomforting thoughts, feelings, or sensations, even when doing so may limit access to what matters most. EA results in attempts at avoiding internal life experiences, even if those behaviours result in harm or acting in ways inconsistent with one’s values.

Fusion

Within ACT, fusion occurs when you become stuck to thoughts, treating them as absolute truth. Fusion is the act of believing fully what the mind says.

Generalization

Generalization means a behaviour shows up in new places, with new people or in new situations. Or simply, the behaviour spreads.

Growth Mindset

A growth mindset is the belief that a person’s abilities and skills can improve with effort, strategy and feedback. A growth mindset focuses on progress, not perfection, seeing challenges and mistakes as learning opportunities.

Intervention

An intervention is a planned change to the environment or deliberate strategy designed to change behaviour. It is what is intentionally done differently, based on data, with the intention of increasing helpful behaviours or decreasing unhelpful ones.

Maintenance

Maintenance means a behaviour continues over time, even after intervention supports are reduced or removed.

Mindfulness

In ACT, mindfulness is the practice of fully paying attention to the present moment, on purpose, with acceptance instead of judgement . Mindfulness is the practice of noticing thoughts, feelings, and senses right now; focusing on what’s currently happening, instead of working or planning about the past or future.

Motivating Operations (MOs)

MOs affect whether a behaviour happens, by making a consequence more or less valuable. MOs influence how likely a person is to engage in a particular behaviour, depending on how valuable the potential consequence is in the moment.

Operational Definition

A clear, specific description of a behaviour that anyone could recognize and measure the same way. Operational definitions explain exactly what a behaviour looks like, so there is no guessing. They allow different people to know what counts as the behaviour and what doesn’t.

Positive Tipping Point

A positive tipping point, is the moment the small changes made add up, suddenly leading to large, lasting shift in behaviour change.

Psychological Flexibility

Psychological flexibility is the ability to adapt to life’s challenges and choosing behaviours that align with on'e’s values, while accepting without judgement negative thoughts, emotions or internal senses.

Punishment

Punishment is a consequences that follows a behaviour, making it less likely for that behaviour to occur in the future under similar circumstances.

Reinforcement

Reinforcement is a consequence that follows a behaviour, making it more likely for that behaviour to occur again in the future under similar circumstances.

Values

In ACT, values are the things that matter most to a person in life, providing it meaning. Values are not goals, but guiding principles that direct choices and behaviours that align with who a person is.