Word list
Every word, in one line
Nobody hands you a dictionary when your child gets a diagnosis. Here is one. If a therapist uses a word that is not on this list, ask them, and tell us so we can add it.
- ABAApplied Behavior Analysis
- A way of teaching that watches what a child does, counts it, and changes the plan based on what the numbers show.
- BCBABoard Certified Behavior Analyst
- The Board Certified Behavior Analyst who writes your child's plan and supervises everyone else on the case.
- RBT or Behavior TechnicianThe person who does the daily sessions
- Trained and certified to run the plan the BCBA wrote. This is who you will see most often.
- FBAFunctional Behavior Assessment
- Figuring out what a behavior is FOR before trying to change it. A child who screams to escape a task needs something different from a child who screams for attention.
- ReinforcementMore of what works
- When something good happens right after a behavior, that behavior happens more. Timing matters more than size, a few seconds later is what makes it stick.
- GeneralizationIt works everywhere, not just here
- A skill only counts once it works with different people, in different rooms, on a different day. This is the step most often skipped.
- PromptA hint that helps them get it right
- Pointing, saying the first sound of a word, or moving their hand. The goal is always to fade the prompt until they do it alone.
- BaselineWhere we started
- What your child could do before we changed anything. Without it, nobody can honestly say whether therapy helped.
- Behavior Intervention PlanThe written plan
- The document listing your child's goals and exactly how the team will work on them. You get a copy, and you can ask for any goal to be removed.
- Regional CenterHow many California families get funded
- A state-funded agency that arranges services for people with developmental disabilities. Ours is Inland Regional Center, covering Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
- IEPIndividualized Education Program
- The school's written plan for your child's learning support. It is a school document, separate from ABA, but the two should agree with each other.
- StimmingRepeated movement that helps someone regulate
- Hand-flapping, rocking, humming. For many autistic people this is how they calm down or focus. We do not treat it as a problem unless it causes injury.
Heard a word we missed?
Tell us and we will add it. No question is too basic.
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