ABA -Automaticity (Funny).

[Guest guest]

Once upon a time Mr. Skinner (the "founder" of ABA) and other intelligent men attended a meeting with Mr. Fromm (super psychologist). Fromm was a bit upset with Skinner because Skinner had just published a paper on reinforcement, and Fromm did not like it. He said that we people are not like pigeons. We don't just do things because we receive some reinforcer. Skinner got very irritated, and while Fromm was speaking, Skinner decided to prove that pigeons or no pigeons, we all "fall for" reinforcement without even being aware of it.

Skinner then, during this very meeting, decided to "shape" one of Fromm's behaviors using reinforcement rignt there and then. He wanted to make Fromm move his arm up and down without Fromm being aware of why he was doing it. So, every time Fromm happened to move his arm up, Skinner quickly looked right at Fromm ( perhaps pretending that he was very interested in what Fromm had to say), and when Fromm moved his arm down, Skinner would nod and smile (pretending perhaps that he agreed with Fromm). It did not take long before Fromm was moving his arm up and down like cracy. It was so bad that his wristwatch kept falling off his arm. Ha ha. Fromm did not know that Skinner was sitting there intentionally reinforcing his arm movements. However, Skinner had proved his point. Oh yes!

The lesson to be learned here(remember I am a teacher , is that we can use reinforcers to shape a child's behavior whether the child realizes it or not. It just happens. And this my friends is called: Automaticity of Reinforcement. So, the word "automaticity" has a lot to do with ABA. It was a term used by B. F. Skinner himself. God bless him!

Homework today: Read p. 266 in Applied Behavior Analysis by et al. Second Edition.

To: sList Sent: Monday, May 23, 2011 2:15 PMSubject: Re: Why ABA Therapy?

I'm very sorry that you feel that way; we named the company Automaticity because it is one of the basic principals discussed in Behavior Analysis. As there are many different professional fields that utilize their own terminology and jargon, I'm sure you are aware that words have more than one definition, depending on the context in which you use them. Take the term reinforcement as an example; from a behavior analytic perspective the term explains the process by which a stimulus change immediately following a response increases the future frequency of that response in similar conditions. From a different perspective, the term can be defined as the process of providing support or added strength for something, possibly while constructing a building. I understand that you have a different perspective on the usage of the term Automaticity, however, that particular term is a very basic precept in Behavior Analysis, referring to the notion

that behavior is modified by its consequences irrespective of an individual's awareness; a person does not have to recognize or verbalize the relation between her behavior and a reinforcing consequence, or even know that a consequence has occurred, for reinforcement to work (, Heron & Heward 2007). We thought this was a creative way to emphasize the often times clandestine nature of applied behavior analytic therapy. I hope this helps clear up any misunderstandings about the association between the word "Automaticity" and ABA therapy. - Adam Ventura Clinical Director, MS, BCBA > > > > > > > > I don't want to start any fights but I just have to chime in....I think it's ironic how the company is called automaticity inc when ABA has NOTHING to do with automaticity! ABA builds the left hemisphere

and leaves the brain disconnected from the right causing more problems for the already disconnected child. It gives the left faster timing and the poor right (with all the social skills, immune system, motor, gestalt, non verbal, and sensory functions) nothing! It (right) gets slower and more out of sync. Nothing can go to automaticity until the primitive reflexes are integrated, it's nothing that can be taught.>