ABA Jargon 101: ABA Therapy Terms Every Parent Should Know
- Chris Topham
- Feb 16, 2025
- 7 min read
Updated: Mar 25
You're sitting in your child's first therapy meeting, nodding along, and quietly googling 'prompt
fading' under the table.
You are not the only one. ABA therapy comes with a whole vocabulary that no one hands you a decoder ring for. But the more you understand these terms, the more you can show up as a genuine partner in your child's progress — not just an observer.
This guide covers the 15 most common ABA therapy terms you'll actually encounter, explained the way we'd explain them to a parent across a kitchen table. No degree required.
The Foundation: Understanding the A-B-C Framework
Almost everything in ABA comes back to three building blocks: what happens before a behavior, the behavior itself, and what happens after. Your BCBA will reference this framework constantly, so understanding it first makes everything else click.
1️⃣ Antecedent
What it means: Anything that happens immediately before a behavior occurs. Think of it as the trigger or setup.
Example: You say 'time to turn off the iPad' (antecedent) and your child starts crying (behavior).
Why it matters: Identifying antecedents helps your BCBA predict and prevent challenging behaviors before they start — often by changing the setup rather than reacting to the outcome.
2️⃣ Behavior
What it means: Any observable, measurable action — not just 'bad' behavior. Saying hello, making eye contact, and sitting at the table are all behaviors in ABA terms.
Example: Raising a hand, saying 'no', sharing a toy.
Why it matters: ABA works with behaviors because they can be observed and measured. If you can measure it, you can track progress.
3️⃣ Consequence
What it means: What happens immediately after a behavior. In ABA, a consequence isn't always negative — it's simply whatever follows.
Example: Your child shares a toy and you praise them. The praise is the consequence.
Why it matters: Consequences either make a behavior more likely to happen again (reinforcement) or less likely (extinction or punishment). This is how ABA shapes behavior over time.
Reinforcement, Motivation, and What Actually Works
4️⃣ Reinforcement
What it means: A consequence that makes a behavior more likely to happen again. Positive reinforcement adds something desirable; negative reinforcement removes something unpleasant.
Example: Your child says 'please' and gets their favorite snack. They're more likely to say 'please' next time.
Why it matters: Reinforcement is the engine of ABA. It's not bribery — it's teaching. The difference is that reinforcement happens after the behavior, not as a bargain before it.
5️⃣ Preference Assessment
What it means: A process to find out what your child is genuinely motivated by — what they'll actually work for.
Example: A BCBA presents several toys and observes which ones your child reaches for, plays with the longest, or returns to.
Why it matters: Reinforcement only works if the reward actually matters to your child. Preference assessments make sure therapy is motivating, not just going through the motions.
6️⃣ Function of Behavior
What it means: The reason or purpose behind a behavior. Every behavior has a function — typically to gain something (attention, a preferred item, sensory input) or avoid something (a task, a person, a sensation).
Example: Your child has a meltdown when asked to leave the park. The function might be 'access' — they're trying to keep something they enjoy.
Why it matters: Treating the behavior without understanding the function often doesn't work. Your BCBA figures out the 'why' first, then builds a plan around it.
7️⃣ Prompt
What it means: A cue or assistance that helps your child perform a desired behavior. Prompts can be physical (hand-over-hand guidance), verbal ('say hello'), visual (pointing), or gestural.
Example: Gently guiding your child's hand to wave at a neighbor is a physical prompt.
Why it matters: Prompts help your child experience success while learning. The goal is always to fade them over time so the skill becomes independent.
8️⃣ Prompt Fading
What it means: Gradually reducing prompts as your child gains independence with a skill.
Example: Starting with a full physical prompt for hand-washing, then moving to a gesture, then just a verbal reminder, then no prompt at all.
Why it matters: The goal of all ABA therapy is independence. Fading is how you get there without suddenly pulling the rug out.
9️⃣ Shaping
What it means: Reinforcing small steps toward a bigger skill. You reward progress, not perfection, and gradually raise the bar.
Example: Teaching a child to say 'mama' might start with reinforcing the 'mmm' sound, then 'ma', then the full word.
Why it matters: Big skills are built from small ones. Shaping makes complex learning achievable.
🔟 Discrete Trial Training (DTT)
What it means: A structured teaching method where a skill is broken into small steps, taught one at a time with a clear instruction, a response opportunity, and immediate feedback.
Example: 'Touch red' [child touches red block] 'Great job!' — then a brief pause, then repeat. Each repetition is a 'trial'.
Why it matters: DTT is highly effective for teaching discrete skills like colors, letters, or following instructions. You may see your BCBA run several trials in a row during structured parts of a session.
1️⃣1️⃣ Natural Environment Teaching (NET)
What it means: Teaching skills in the context of everyday activities and routines rather than structured drills.
Example: Practicing requesting during snack time, working on turn-taking during a board game, or teaching 'more' while playing with bubbles.
Why it matters: Skills learned in natural contexts tend to generalize better. Your BCBA will often blend DTT and NET depending on what your child needs at a given point.
How Skills Stick: Generalization and Fading
1️⃣2️⃣ Generalization
What it means: The ability to use a learned skill across different people, settings, and situations — not just in therapy.
Example: Your child learns to say 'hi' to their BCBA and then starts greeting teachers, neighbors, and grandparents on their own.
Why it matters: If a skill only works during therapy sessions, it hasn't fully been learned yet. Generalization is the real finish line.
1️⃣3️⃣ Extinction
What it means: Stopping the reinforcement of a behavior so it decreases over time.
Example: If a child has been getting attention by whining, consistently not responding to the whine (while responding to calmer requests) will eventually reduce it.
Why it matters: Extinction is often paired with teaching a replacement behavior. A brief increase in the behavior (called an 'extinction burst') before it decreases is normal and expected — your BCBA will warn you about this.
Terms You'll Hear Around Assessments and Plans
1️⃣4️⃣ Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA)
What it means: A structured process to identify why a specific behavior is happening — what's triggering it and what's maintaining it.
Example: Before building a plan to reduce aggression, your BCBA conducts an FBA to determine whether it's happening to gain attention, escape demands, access something specific, or for sensory reasons.
Why it matters: An FBA is the clinical foundation for any behavior intervention plan. It ensures the plan is built around your child's actual needs, not a one-size-fits-all approach.
1️⃣5️⃣ Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP)
What it means: A written plan, typically based on the FBA, that outlines strategies for reducing challenging behaviors and teaching replacement skills.
Example: A BIP might outline that when your child begins to escalate, the first step is to offer a visual choice board, and that the replacement behavior being taught is a 'break request'.
Why it matters: A BIP gives everyone — your BCBA, you, and your child's school team — a consistent roadmap. Consistency across settings is what makes progress stick.
You Don't Have to Learn All of This at Once
These terms will start to feel familiar quickly — especially once you're watching a BCBA work with your child and the vocabulary starts connecting to what you're actually seeing.
The best thing you can do is ask questions. Every term your BCBA uses is an invitation to understand your child's therapy more deeply. If something is unclear, say so. A good BCBA welcomes that — because when you understand what's happening, you become a far more effective partner between sessions.
If you're in the Bay Area and want to talk through your child's therapy or get started with an in-home ABA assessment, we'd love to hear from you. At Celeration ABA, every family gets a BCBA from day one — not a technician, not a handoff. Just consistent, expert support built around your child.
Frequently Asked Questions About ABA Therapy Terms
What is the difference between positive and negative reinforcement in ABA?
Both positive and negative reinforcement increase a behavior — they just work differently. Positive reinforcement adds something desirable after a behavior (praise, a preferred toy, a snack). Negative reinforcement removes something unpleasant after a behavior (turning off a loud noise when a child uses a calm voice). Despite the word 'negative,' neither type is harmful. Both are tools for teaching and strengthening skills
What does 'prompting' mean in ABA therapy?
A prompt in ABA therapy is any cue or assistance that helps a child perform a desired behavior. Prompts can be physical (guiding a hand), verbal ('say hi'), gestural (pointing), or visual (showing a picture card). The goal is always to fade prompts over time so the child can perform the skill independently. Prompt fading is a deliberate, gradual process — not an abrupt removal.
What is an FBA in ABA therapy?
A Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) is a structured process used by a BCBA to understand why a specific behavior is happening — what's triggering it and what the child is getting from it (attention, escape, access to something preferred, or sensory input). The FBA is the foundation for any behavior intervention plan. Without it, you're guessing at the cause instead of addressing it directly.
What is generalization in ABA, and why does it matter?
Generalization means using a learned skill across different people, places, and situations — not just in the therapy setting where it was first taught. For example, a child who learns to request items with their BCBA has fully generalized that skill when they start doing it with parents, teachers, and peers in everyday contexts. Generalization is the true measure of whether a skill has been learned and planning for it is built into quality ABA programs from the start.
