VB Model Vs Traditional ABA Model

Applied Behavior Analysis and Verbal Behavioral Analysis. ABA is the science of Applied Behavior Analysis. It provides a structure for looking at human behaviors, what causes them and how to make them increase or decrease. It also provides a basic structure for teaching new skills (behaviors we want to increase!) The basic information you need to know regarding the teaching procedures include: shaping, prompting, fading, chaining and differential reinforcement. VERY simplistic explanations are provided below:
A. Shaping- A process through which we gradually modify the child’s existing behavior into what we want it to be. This is typically done by adjusting the requirements before reinforcement is given. For example, if a child is just learning
Prompting- Assistance given by the teacher to promote correct responding. One of the primary differences between most traditional ABA programs and the VB model is the use of “errorless learning” in the VB model and “no, no, prompt” procedures in traditional ABA models. Prompts range in intrusiveness from physical guidance, to demonstration, verbal cues, visual cues, pointing, and within stimulus prompts such as proximity. We should always try to use the least intrusive prompt that will cause the behavior to occur. For example, when initially teaching a child to “touch” a given object or picture, you may need to actually move his hand to the object at the beginning.
C. Fading- This is a critical part of teaching children to NOT become dependent on prompts. Any prompts used are gradually removed as the child becomes successful until he can respond correctly with no prompts. To use the above example, if we wanted to teach a child to touch a ball we may start by physically moving his hand to the ball, and then provide less physical guidance by just touching his elbow, then pointing at the ball etc. until the child was able to successfully touch the ball when told to. (Most children would not require this many prompts to learn to “touch” an