How to Use ABA to Expand a Child’s Vocabulary

One of the hallmark symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a deficit in communication. Many children on the autism spectrum develop their language skills at a slower pace than their neurotypical peers, while some will always remain non-verbal.

Since language development is such an important part of living independently, building a child’s vocabulary and communication skills is a major focus of applied behavior analysis, or ABA therapy.

Through science-based interventions, ABA therapy works to expand a child’s vocabulary so they can more effectively communicate their thoughts, feelings, needs and wants.

In this article, we’ll discuss how this is done.

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Personalized Treatment Plans

A vital aspect of ABA therapy is the fact that all treatment plans are personalized to each individual patient’s unique strengths, needs, challenges and preferences. A vast amount of information is gained through initial evaluation and observation, which is used to assess a child’s development and where they may need improvement.

An initial treatment plan will be crafted based on that information. Things such as where they are in their language development, what sensory challenges they face, and what items or actions motivate them are all used to craft their individualized plan.

Then, ABA therapists will use the plan to create interventions that target the specific skills the child needs to gain, using the specific strategies that are most likely to work for them.

Therapists then gather a massive amount of data as the therapy is being administered, which is analyzed later to determine the child’s progress toward their goals.

Discrete Trial Training (DTT)

Discrete Trial Training (DTT) is one of the most common strategies that is used in ABA therapy to expand a child’s vocabulary. This fundamental technique involves using structured trial series to teach children new skills.

In terms of language development and vocabulary expansion, therapists can use DTT to teach children new words and how sentences are structured. From there, they can teach them conversational skills so they can take what they’ve learned about language and vocabulary and apply it in practical, real-world scenarios.

Every trial in DTT includes clear instruction, which is followed by the child responding and finally the consequence. It follows the ABC theory that a child’s behavior (B) is affected by what the antecedent (A) that comes before it as well as the consequence (C) that comes after it.

In DTT, the consequence is either a positive reinforcement or a correction.

If the child successfully responds the way the therapist wants them to, then they are given a reward in the form of a toy they like, extra praise or a token they can exchange later. If they don’t respond in the correct way, the therapist will simply correct the action but not punish the child.

This step-by-step approach to language development helps children to string together the skills they learn to expand their vocabulary.

Natural Environment Teaching (NET)

Another common ABA strategy used to expand a child’s vocabulary is Natural Environment Teaching (NET). This involves integrating learning opportunities in real-world settings.

Once the child has learned some of the basics of language development, the therapist can take them outside of the therapy environment and into new environments where they might come across the things they’ve learned.

For instance, a trip to the grocery store is a great way for a child to see items in-person that they’ve seen in pictures during sessions. This helps them to connect the concepts they’re learning in therapy sessions to what they might encounter in the real world.

In addition, examples like this are a great opportunity for them to expand their vocabulary as they can interact with other people, hear other words and converse with family members and/or therapists, using synonyms for common words.

Simple conversations in real-world settings can go a long way in helping a child build language skills and expand their vocabulary.

Your Child Can Expand Their Vocabulary at Blue Gems ABA

Language development is a major aspect of ABA therapy. Through targeted interventions and strategies, ABA therapy can help expand your child’s vocabulary and overall communication skills.

At Blue Gems ABA, we create personalized ABA therapy treatment plans that specifically target the skills your child needs to expand their vocabulary. We then help them generalize those skills so they can apply them in real-world settings.

To learn more, please contact us today.