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Applied behavior analysis for communication, learning, and daily living skills, supervised by behavior analysts.
What behavior support feels like
Applied behavior analysis is a way of teaching that starts from what a child already enjoys, breaks a skill into steps small enough to succeed at, and notices — precisely — what helps.
Rather than describe that, the page does it. Read to the end and you will have used five of its ideas yourself.
1 · Pairing
Before anyone asks a child to do anything, the therapist spends time simply being the person good things happen around: bubbles appear, the train set comes out, the song they like gets sung. This is pairing, and it is why a child runs into a session instead of away from it.
It also tells us what will work as a reward. Pick something you enjoy — it becomes your token on this page.
Choose one
2 · Reinforcement
A behavior that is followed by something the child values is more likely to happen again. That is the heart of reinforcement — and a token board is a practical way to use it, because it shows a child how close they are without stopping the activity every time.
Your board is here — and it follows you down the page. You earn a token for each section you read; the reward is at the end.
0 of 5 sections read
3 · Antecedent, behavior, consequence
To change what happens, we first watch what happens around it: what came just before (the antecedent), what the child did (the behavior), and what came right after (the consequence). Once this is written down over a few days, the pattern is usually clear — and it is almost never “for no reason.”
Try it. Watch what the pattern predicts. In this simple version, only what came after changes the prediction. With a real child, the same behavior can serve different purposes, which is why we always look at what came before as well.
Choose what came before and what came after
A · Before
B · Behavior
the child shouted and threw things
C · After
4 · Prompting and fading
In a session, the first time a child tries something, the therapist shows exactly what to do. Later, a nudge. Then almost nothing — and the child does it anyway. That is prompt fading: as much help as a child needs to succeed, and not a bit more, withdrawn as fast as they can manage.
The aim is always independence. A skill that only works when an adult is prompting is not yet a skill.
5 · Task analysis and chaining
Big skills are chains of small ones. We write the chain down, teach one link at a time — sometimes starting from the first step, sometimes from the last, with an adult helping through the earlier steps so the child finishes every attempt with a success — and celebrate each link as it is learned.
Check off the steps of washing hands. Seven links most people never think about.
Washing hands
6 · Data
Every session is recorded: which steps were independent, which needed a prompt, how long, how often. The graph is looked at before the next session is planned, so a program that has stopped working is noticed and changed.
This example is the kind of graph we keep. The interesting part is not the rise — it is the flat stretch, and what the therapist did about it.
7 · Generalization and assent
A skill that works only in the therapy room, with one therapist, is not finished. Programs are built to move — to parents, to teachers, to different rooms and different people — and parent training is part of every plan.
A child’s assent matters as much as the plan. Turning away, going quiet, pushing the materials off the table: these are data too, and a session changes when they appear.
You did it
You have just been paired, reinforced, prompted, and chained — and you kept reading. Here is what you now know, and something useful to take with you.
You’ve earned it
ABA therapy at Pulse takes place at our center in Umm Suqeim 1, under the direct supervision of our behavior analysts and implemented by our behavior therapists. A behavior analyst provides behavior-analytic services, and supervises and trains the behavior therapists and others who implement behavior-analytic interventions.
Initial consultation and interview by behavior analysts, with ongoing supervision and case management.
Initial assessments (VB-MAPP, ABLLS, PEAK, AFLS) to identify skill levels and develop a plan for intervention.
Individualized ABA teaching provided by behavior therapists, based on the needs of the individual.
Small-group programs, run by trained behavior therapists, focused on social skills and play skills.
Applied behavior analysis (ABA) is a type of therapy that focuses on improving specific behaviors, such as communication, reading, and academics, as well as adaptive learning skills such as dexterity (fine motor skills), hygiene, self-care and independence, punctuality, and competence at assigned tasks. ABA therapy supports children and adults in a range of settings, including schools, workplaces, homes, and clinics.
ABA can help children with autism improve social skills, learn new skills, and maintain positive behaviors.
Applied behavior analysis includes components such as:
The length of time spent in ABA depends on the presenting difficulty and the individual’s rate of progress.
The people your family will meet. Everyone works under the center’s clinical leads and shares one plan for your child.
Inclusion support for mainstream schools and nurseries: IEPs and behavior plans, staff training, SEN consultation, and referrals for therapy.
Inclusion support, referrals to our center in Umm Suqeim 1, and training for educators and parents, for mainstream schools and nurseries in Dubai.
Reach our team, or visit us at the villa in Umm Suqeim 1.
WhatsApp is for arranging a conversation — please don’t send medical details or your child’s information there.
