ABOUT US
Silicon Valley Applied Behavior Analysis (SVABA) is a Non-Public Agency (NPA) providing Applied Behavior Analysis. SVABACS is also a service provider for San Andreas Regional Center and major private health insurance to provide behavioral treatment. SVABA, founded in 2007, services children diagnosed with autism and other similar neurological disorders. SVABA is implementing objective discipline method. SVABA focuses on the reliable measurement and objective evaluation of observable behavior.
At SVABA, we use ABA methods to support individual with autism in at least six ways:
SVABA program includes six phases of service to help stabilize skills and behaviors in the beginning but work towards an effective and efficient transition to parents and caregivers. During case planning phase, an electronic medical record (EMR) document is being created. Client EMR contains all the client objectives that were set during the assessment and continuous direct assessment. Each objective is broken down into transition steps.
Specific drills are also created for each objective. These drills (task analysis, shaping steps) are individualized based on the client level of functioning and the behavior problem (e.g. skill deficit, performance problem, stimulus control, generalization problem). Behavior change procedures are also set to effectively perform the drills. Combination of continuous and discontinuous recordings is being implemented to measure behavior. For skill acquisition, % independence criterion (discrete categorization) is used to measure response (cold probe). For behavior reduction, event recording for restrictive operant is used to measure response rate.
SVABA implements reliable measurement to effectively evaluate the functional relation of our treatment and behavior. Treatment target are defined objectively. Vague terms such as anger, depression, aggression or tantrums are redefined in observable and quantifiable terms, so their frequency, duration or other measurable properties can be directly recorded (Sulzer-Azaroff & Mayer, 1991). For example, a goal to reduce a child's aggressive behavior might define "aggression" as: "attempts, episodes or occurrences (each separated by 10 seconds) of biting, scratching, pinching or pulling hair." "Initiating social interaction with peers" might be defined as: "looking at classmate and verbalizing an appropriate greeting."
At SVABA, we use ABA methods to support individual with autism in at least six ways:
- to increase behavior (e.g. reinforcement procedures increase on-task behavior, or social interactions);
- APPLIED BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS (ABA)to teach new skills (e.g. systematic instruction and reinforcement procedures teach functional life skills, communication skills, or social skills);
- to maintain behavior (e.g. teaching self control and self-monitoring procedures to maintain and generalize job-related social skills);
- to generalize or to transfer behavior from one situation or response to another;
- to restrict or narrow conditions under which interfering behaviors occur (eg, modifying the learning environment); and
- to reduce interfering behaviors (e.g. self injury or stereotypy).
SVABA program includes six phases of service to help stabilize skills and behaviors in the beginning but work towards an effective and efficient transition to parents and caregivers. During case planning phase, an electronic medical record (EMR) document is being created. Client EMR contains all the client objectives that were set during the assessment and continuous direct assessment. Each objective is broken down into transition steps.
Specific drills are also created for each objective. These drills (task analysis, shaping steps) are individualized based on the client level of functioning and the behavior problem (e.g. skill deficit, performance problem, stimulus control, generalization problem). Behavior change procedures are also set to effectively perform the drills. Combination of continuous and discontinuous recordings is being implemented to measure behavior. For skill acquisition, % independence criterion (discrete categorization) is used to measure response (cold probe). For behavior reduction, event recording for restrictive operant is used to measure response rate.
SVABA implements reliable measurement to effectively evaluate the functional relation of our treatment and behavior. Treatment target are defined objectively. Vague terms such as anger, depression, aggression or tantrums are redefined in observable and quantifiable terms, so their frequency, duration or other measurable properties can be directly recorded (Sulzer-Azaroff & Mayer, 1991). For example, a goal to reduce a child's aggressive behavior might define "aggression" as: "attempts, episodes or occurrences (each separated by 10 seconds) of biting, scratching, pinching or pulling hair." "Initiating social interaction with peers" might be defined as: "looking at classmate and verbalizing an appropriate greeting."
