TCX

Applied Behavior
Analysis in the
Classroom
Applied Behavior Analysis: A Valuable
Partner in Special Education
Robert Pennington

TEACHING Exceptional Children, Vol. 54, No. 4, pp. 315­–317. Copyright 2022 The Author(s). DOI: 10.1177/00400599221079130
M
y early years as a special educator comprised some of the best years et al., 2020). It is a systematic approach to
of my life. I reveled in getting to know my students and their families intervention and education that has been
and in the constant barrage of opportunities to learn more about used to improve outcomes for individuals
my teaching practice and ultimately, myself. These years were also difficult; with support needs for over 70 years
some days seemed tantamount to a Himalayan trek or a push through an (Green, 2001). Its practices have
endless jungle. I often found myself lost amid the demands of supporting
accumulated substantial support in the
research literature; been adopted broadly
my students’ complex needs, erratically wielding the few tools my teacher
across disciplines; been used to support
preparation program had given me. I struggled with an increasing dread of
students, families, and educators with a
incompetence, perplexed in why some students were not making the progress
range of support needs; and evolved and
I had hoped and why I could not prevent my students from engaging in often improved over time. Although ABA
behaviors that were potentially harmful and stigmatizing. Often, I found myself has long been a part of special education
against the ropes, that is, until I found applied behavior analysis (ABA). programming (e.g., direct instruction,
Gersten, 1985; positive behavior supports,
Carr et al., 2002; response prompting,
ABA provided me a framework with objectivity and as opportunities to change Wolery et al., 1992), many special
which to understand my teaching world, and improve my practice. educators, related service providers, and
showing me that my students’ behavior ABA is a science of human behavior in family members may have difficulty
and learning difficulties were reasonable which practices derived from well- accessing the full range of available
and even predictable given their learning established behavioral principles (e.g., behavioral practices. These practices are
history and the current classroom positive reinforcement, stimulus control) often published in non-special-education
environment. Furthermore, it offered a are used to improve socially significant journals (Pennington et al., 2016),
powerful set of evidence-based practices outcomes (i.e., meaningful behavior described using technical behavioral
(e.g., functional assessment, response change) and experimentation (i.e., data jargon (Friman, 2021a) and, in some cases,
prompting, incidental teaching, embedded collection and comparison of performance discouraged by stakeholders unfamiliar
instruction) to support my students in across at least two conditions) is used to with the full scope of ABA.
improving their lives across a range of identify which variables (e.g., Given the importance of ABA in
contexts. Most importantly, it taught me intervention, instructional elements) are special education, the Editor of Teaching
to view my teaching failures with responsible for improvement (Cooper Exceptional Children (TEC) has committed

315
 a special column focused on ABA practices significant role in students’ behavior and, students’ progress in typical school
titled “Applied Behavior Analysis in the ultimately, success, ABA requires settings (e.g., incidental teaching, Hart &
Classroom.” This column will include educators to consider each student’s Risley, 1975; embedded instruction,
practitioner-oriented descriptions of unique current and future environments McDonnell et al., 2006; good behavior
behavioral practices and principles that when designing educational programs and game, Joslyn et al., 2019) and for training
can be used to improve student and selecting instructional targets. Although other professionals to implement
teacher outcomes. I look forward to ABA is often misconstrued as only the specialized teaching and behavioral
serving as a co-editor of this column and delivery of intervention under tightly intervention techniques (behavioral skills
hope you enjoy this exciting new addition. controlled conditions for students with training, directed rehearsal, performance
In this inaugural article in the “Applied complex needs (e.g., repeated trials of feedback; DiGennaro-Reed et al., 2018)
Behavior Analysis in the Classroom” teaching a child at a table to label
series, I would like to highlight four of the pictures), it also asks educators to go out
Helps Educators Improve
many ways ABA can assist educators in and teach skills under the natural
Student Outcomes and
improving outcomes for students with a conditions they will likely be used.
range of support needs and potentially Furthermore, it demands educators Teaching Practices
dispel some misconceptions. employ strategies to help students Finally, behavior analytic practices have
generalize skills to all potential contexts been demonstrated to be highly effective.
they might encounter (Stokes & Baer, Many of these practices have been deemed
Using ABA in Education
1977). evidence-based and high-leverage
Helps Educators Focus Researchers in ABA also have practices for supporting students with a
on Changing Behavior positioned students in the center of wide range of support needs. Practices
From a behavioral perspective, students educational practice through the such as model-lead-test, response
learn to respond in a myriad of ways to development of methods to assess prompting, functional assessment,
their circumstances. Sometimes, those students’ personal preferences and function-based intervention, and picture
responses are contextually inappropriate (Cannella-Malone et al., 2013), teach exchange communication have been
(e.g., yelling in class vs. yelling at a rowdy students to advocate for their needs (Tapp widely adopted within educational
soccer game), emitted too often (e.g., et al., 2021), and manage their own settings, providing students with new
interrupting the teacher), or not emitted behavior (Mooney et al., 2005). Finally, opportunities for learning and the
at all (e.g., not asking for assistance). From through ABA, the field has developed and development of meaningful relationships.
this viewpoint, there is no such thing as a refined a range of procedures (i.e., Most importantly, ABA requires
“bad” kid (Friman, 2021b) or one that is functional behavior assessment) that educators to commit to the frequent
too “disabled” to learn; there are only permits students to tell and show evaluation of both student progress and
students with diverse instructional and educators and families why they engage in teaching effectiveness, ensuring students
behavior support needs. When educators problem behavior before efforts are made have minimal exposure to ineffective
focus on student behavior, they direct to change those behaviors. practices. ABA asks educators to make
their efforts toward more meaningful systematic changes in their teaching when
outcomes, including increasing behaviors data indicate a lack of sufficient student
that produce access to academic content, Facilitates Inclusive Education
progress and to subsequently use data to
social relationships, typical daily routines, ABA’s focus on social significance can help evaluate their students’ response to those
and employment and decreasing behaviors educators understand the importance of changes. This analytic process (Baer et al.,
that are harmful, stigmatizing, and students’ “being there” (Schwartz, 2005) 1968) can help educators become more
prevent learning. Furthermore, they are when planning for instruction. If students reflective in their teaching while honing
able support students in their behavior are to live self-determined lives within their practice.
change while respecting students’ unique natural environments, it is incumbent on
identities. teachers to continuously assess student
Final Words
performance and provide instruction
TEACHING Exceptional Children, Vol. 54, No. 4

within those natural environments. ABA Applied behavior analysis, its framework,
Promotes Person-Centered
also warns us against instructing students and practices can help educators better
Educational Programming
in segregated settings and “hoping” they support students and improve their
In 2005, Bill Heward proffered “Twelve will be successful in their natural teaching practice. In this new column of
Reasons Why ABA Is Good for communities (Stokes & Baer, 1977). TEC, authors will distill findings from
Education.” In this powerful chapter, he This focus also extends to ensuring high-quality ABA research into
thoughtfully listed “ABA is meaningful” students have meaningful experiences in actionable practices that can be
(p. 319) as his first reason and noted inclusive settings. That is, students are implemented in the classroom. The
ABA’s intended focus on socially provided the opportunity and supports to editor of TEC, Dawn Rowe, and I are
significant outcomes. Within an ABA engage in both academic instruction and excited to be a part of this new venture in
framework, students are situated at the social interactions that produce sharing ABA with educators,
center of educational programming. reinforcing outcomes. Fortunately, ABA is administrators, and families. We hope
Because the environment plays a replete with strategies for supporting you enjoy the new content.

316
 Robert Friman, P. C. (2021a). Dissemination of direct in Developmental Disabilities, 41(2),
Pennington, PhD instruction: Ponder these while pursuing that. 125–138.
BCBA-D, Lake and Perspectives on Behavior Science, 44(2), Mooney, P., Ryan, J. B., Uhing, B. M., Reid,
Edward J. Snyder Jr. 307–316. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40614- R., & Epstein, M. H. (2005). A review of
Distinguished 021-00285-z self-management interventions targeting
Professor in Special Friman, P. C. (2021b). There is no such thing academic outcomes for students with
Education, University as a bad boy: The circumstances view emotional and behavioral disorders.
of North Carolina at of problem behavior. Journal of Applied Journal of Behavioral Education, 14(3),
Charlotte, Department Behavior Analysis, 54(2), 636–653. https:// 203–221.
of Special Education doi.org/10.1002/jaba.816 Pennington, R. C., Ault, M. J., Schmuck, D. G.,
and Child Gersten, R. (1985). Direct instruction with Burt, J., & Ferguson, L. (2016). Frequency
Development special education students: A review of mand instruction reported in behavioral,
[email protected] of evaluation research. The Journal of special education, and speech journals.
Special Education, 19(1), 41–58. https://doi. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 9, 235–242.
org/10.1177/002246698501900104 https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-015-0095-7
Green, G. (2001). Behavior analytic instruction Schwartz, I. S. (2005). Inclusion and applied
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