ABA Drill Sergeants: ABOUT FACE...

...and keep on marching!

Posted by: Natalie, Special Educator

Out of our wonderfully assembled team of brilliant, hardworking women dedicated to improving the lives of children with special needs and their families, I believe I am the newest one to the field. I dabbled in high school history, elementary school math, and middle school ELA. But then, I stumbled across this science called ABA in my graduate program at Teachers College, Columbia University and hit the ground running! Never having been more passionate about anything else in my entire life, I've dedicated myself to trying to be the best teacher, behavior therapist, and play buddy for all of the students I have had the honor to work with.

In my first ABA class in graduate school, my professor took us through the history of the field, teaching us about the most notable psychologists and studies (Dr. Igor Lovaas, Dr. Richard M. Foxx, etc.). Completely enthralled, I later consulted my trusty friend Google, researched and watched many videos of ABA in practice dated from the 1970s and 1980s. These videos were, for lack of a better word, extremely old-school. I didn't understand the drilling, repeating instructions, and the "Good girl/boy" pats on the head given to the children once they did what they were instructed to do. The ABA therapists looked like drill sergeants--stony faced, monotone, and cold. "Point to black. Point to black. Point to black. Point to black," the ABA therapist said at least ten times in a row to a child who was very pointedly not paying attention to her. What is going on here?

Aching for more knowledge, I followed a colleague's advice and entered the field in the same Early Intervention Center I am proud to still be a part of today. What I saw and was trained to do was miles away from what I researched on the internet a  year prior. I was able to be my silly, loud, and playful self with the children in the Center. In fact, it was part of the ABA therapy. We learned about the importance of building rapport with the students--you must be the giver of the goods, the child must want to come to you, the child's fun and interaction is magnified by 100 because you are making it more fun for him. What is this?

Stimulus-Stimulus Pairing : a process by which a neutral stimulus (person, object, activity, place) becomes a conditioned reinforcer.

...Huh? What this actually means is that as a therapist, you are a neutral stimulus (a neutral person). You must then pair yourself--associate yourself, put yourself together with--all of the most amazing things the child loves so that he then begins to see you as a reinforcer, or something that he loves. Subsequently, because you've established yourself as a fun and exciting stimulus, it increases the likelihood that the child will want to be around you, play with you, and ultimately (and most importantly) learn from you.

Our blog was founded on these words by Temple Grandin: "...I cannot emphasize　enough the importance of a good teacher." In turn, I cannot stress enough the importance of pairing, as this is the first and most important procedure you must ｉｍｐｌｅｍｅｎｔ　aｓ　ａｎ　ＡＢＡ therapist. When pairing, the ABAｔｈｅｒａｐｉｓｔ　ｉｓ　ｔｏ　ｐｌａｃｅ　ｎｏ　ｄｅｍａｎｄｓ　ｏｎ　ｔｈｅ　ｃｈｉｌｄ(other than those that promote safety) and exhaust his/her efforts to find the most motivating items or activities for the child and engage with the child with these items or activities. As the therapist, you are a part of these activities and expand on them, make them more fun, be the “giver of the goods.” When pairing is successful, the child should be following the therapist, laughing, smiling, making eye contact. If you find that upon your presence and prior to placing demands the child engages in avoidant behavior (runs away, cries, etc.), or follows instructions given by others but not you, then perhaps it is time to re-pair with the child. Re-associate yourself with all of those things that the child finds reinforcing, and re-build your rapport. And yes, it is true that every individual has a personality, and not all therapist-child matches are perfect. But as a therapist, it is your job to exhaust all of your efforts, utilize every trick in your bag, and work, work, work to pair with that child consistently. Every session a therapist spends with a student should be a combination of pairing and teaching--pairing doesn't stop after just five minutes; it occurs throughout the entire session.



Learning time is precious time, especially in Early Intervention. Therapists should not be wasting time saying, “This child just doesn’t want to play with me.” Therapists should not be wasting time drilling, repeating instructions, and walking away from the child to take data. For many of our learners, social interactions and play are significant areas of need. Pairing is the most important time to show and teach the child that playing with others is fun. Good things do happen when eye contact is made. Coming out into the environment means exciting experiences.

So, my message to all of those Drill-Sergeant ABA therapists who do not understand the importance of pairing, or who waste time with drills instead of engaging in meaningful interactions and teaching moments is: “ABOUT FACE!” Turn around, and keep on marching right through where you came from (and perhaps to a more modern ABA training facility). This is not a true representation of what ABA is like today. ABA therapists should be working tirelessly to build an engaging and meaningful rapport with their students, to build on their socialization (eye contact, joint attention, reciprocal interactions) and play skills (cause and effect, reciprocal play)—those skills that involve interactions with others in a reinforcing and fun way.

Parents, keep an eye on the way that your child’s therapist is engaging with your child. Therapists, keep an eye on the way your student responds to your presence and interaction. There should be a lot more going on than monotone instructions and stony faces. These therapists misrepresent what ABA is all about—and that is why we’re here. We’re clearing up the misconceptions, stopping all the rumors, searching for best practices, and Getting the Words Out on what we love and dedicated our lives to do.