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( i.e. it can be counted)when it occurs (i.e. the timecan be specified)the length of time it occurs for(duration)its intensity (the force withwhich it occurs)its location (where it occurs)Environment and StimulusK.17You know that the Environment is thecollection of all stimuli that can have aninfluence on behaviour and thatEnvironment includes internal states suchas pain as well, as external stimuli such asthe doorbell ringing.K.18You know that a stimulus is any change inthe environment that can affect behaviour.Relationship between behaviour andenvironmentK.19You know that most behaviour in appliedsettings has been learned: it occursbecause of the event/s that have set theoccasion for the behaviour to occur(antecedent/s), and because of the eventsthat have typically followed in the past(consequence) that make it more or lesslikely for the behaviour to happen again:D.11You give examples from your ownbehaviour and examples from the learnersyou work with of the relationship betweenan antecedent and a response.D.12You give examples from your ownbehaviour and examples from the learnersyou work with of the relationship betweena response and a consequenceD.13You seek to identify the reason why aparticular behaviour occurs (using theprocedures outlined by your supervisor) byreference to antecedents andconsequences and without makingassumptions about why a behaviouroccurs.D.14You give examples of behaviours thathave increased as a result ofreinforcement, in yourself and in thelearners you work with. the antecedent (e.g., antecedent: thephone rings; response: you pick it up) and the consequence (e.g., response:you pick it up; consequence: youspeak to someone.K.20You know that the consequences that leadto learned behaviour are either reinforcing(increasing behaviour) or punishing(decreasing behaviour).ReinforcementK.21You know that reinforcement is the mostimportant principle of behaviour and that it isused in almost all behaviour changeprogrammes, including the teaching of newskills.UK ABA Autism Education Competence Framework11

K.22You know that reinforcement is thestrengthening of a behaviour as a result ofsomething that has followed that behaviour(a reinforcer) which increases the likelihoodof the behaviour happening again.K.23You know that reinforcers are definedfunctionally (i.e. a reinforcer is any stimulusthat follows a behaviour and, as a result, thebehaviour is more likely to occur in thefuture). A consequence is only a reinforcer ifit has a strengthening effect upon abehaviour.Positive reinforcementK.24You know that positive reinforcement occurswhen a behaviour is followed immediatelyby the presentation of a stimulus and, as aresult, the behaviour occurs more often inthe future.K.25Negative reinforcementYou know that negative reinforcementoccurs when a behaviour is followedimmediately by the withdrawal or terminationof a stimulus and, as a result, the behaviouroccurs more often in the future.D.15You give examples of stimuli and/or eventsthat are positive reinforcers for yourbehaviour and that of the learners that youwork with.D.16You give examples of stimuli and/or eventsthat are negatively reinforcing for yourbehaviour and that of the learners youwork with.D.17You give examples of stimuli and/or eventsoften considered to beunconditioned/primary reinforcers andprovide examples of stimuli and/or eventsoften considered to beconditioned/secondary reinforcers for yourbehaviour and that of the learners youwork with.D.18You do not use punishment unless at thespecific request of your supervisor andwhen you are satisfied that ethicalguidelines have been adhered to.Unconditioned (primary) reinforcers andConditioned (secondary) reinforcersK.26You know that unconditioned reinforcers(often called primary reinforcers) are thosethat require no previous learning (e.g., food,warmth, sensory stimulation) and thatconditioned reinforcers (often calledsecondary reinforcers) are those that haveacquired reinforcing properties as a result ofan association (pairing) with anunconditioned reinforcer (e.g., praise,tokens, task completion).PunishmentK.27You know that although punishment is animportant principle of behaviour it shouldonly be used to change behaviour underexceptional circumstances, only undersupervision and only after appropriateethical review.K.28You know that there are strict ethicalguidelines surrounding the use ofUK ABA Autism Education Competence Framework12

punishment, including the fact thatalternatives to punishment must be triedbefore a punishment procedure is put inplace.K.29You know that punishment is the weakeningof a behaviour as a result of something thathas followed that behaviour (a punisher)which decreases the likelihood of thebehaviour happening again.D.19You give examples of events that may bepunishing for your behaviour and that ofthe learners you work with.K.30You know that punishers are definedfunctionally (i.e. a punisher is any stimulusthat follows a behaviour and, as a result, thebehaviour is less likely to occur in thefuture). A consequence is only a punisher ifit has a weakening effect upon a behaviour.D.20You recognise when a consequence thatyou deliver (including your own behaviour)is inadvertently aversive (and is likelytherefore to function as a punisher) andyou change the consequence.K.31You know that some procedures commonlyused in educational practice, such as timeout and response cost, are punishmentprocedures.K.32You know that, like reinforcement,punishment can occur when a behaviour isfollowed immediately by the presentation ofa stimulus and, as a result that behaviouroccurs less often in the future, or when abehaviour is followed immediately by thewithdrawal or termination of a stimulus and,as a result that behaviour occurs less oftenin the future.K.33Unconditioned (primary) punishment andConditioned (secondary) punishmentD.21You give examples of stimuli and/or eventsoften considered to beunconditioned/primary punishers andstimuli and/or events often considered tobe conditioned/secondary punishers foryour behaviour and that of the learners youwork with.You know that unconditioned punishers(often called primary punishers) are thosethat require no previous learning (e.g., pain)and that conditioned punishers (often calledsecondary punishers) are those that haveacquired punishing properties as a result ofan association (pairing) with anunconditioned punisher (e.g., being told off).Motivating OperationsK.34You know that the effectiveness of aUK ABA Autism Education Competence Framework13

reinforcer can change – something that hasworked in one instance as a reinforcer maynot work on another occasion.K.35You know that this could be because of amotivating operation (MO): something whichmomentarily changes both the effectivenessof a consequence, and the frequency of thebehaviour that has in the past resulted inthat consequence.K.36You know that common motivatingoperations are deprivation (when a learnerhas not had a reinforcer for a long time andtherefore its value is likely to increase) andsatiation (when a learner has had lots of areinforcer in the recent past and therefore itis likely to be of less interest)D.22You recognise when a consequence islikely to be more effective (e.g., a snackbefore lunch) and when it is less likely tobe effective (e.g., a break followingunstructured play) and adjust your use ofthat consequence accordingly.D.23You give examples of S s that evokeresponses in the learners you work with.D.24You identify the antecedent variables (Sand any relevant MOs) and consequencesof any specified instance of behaviour.D.25You incorporate opportunities forgeneralisation and maintenance into allStimulus controlK.37You know that stimulus control is a situationin which some dimension of behaviour isaltered by the presence or absence of aspecific antecedent stimulus (e.g., Stimulus green man shows at a pelican crossing;response cross road)Discriminative StimulusK.38DYou know that a discriminative stimulus (S )is an antecedent stimulus that increases thelikelihood that a response or pattern ofresponding will occur because in the pastthat response or pattern of responding hasDbeen reinforced in the presence of the SD4-term contingencyK.39You know that the 4-term contingency is theinterdependent relationship between anyDmotivating operations (MO), an S ,behaviour and consequence.K.40You know that any consequence-basedbehaviour change programme designedeither to increase or decrease behaviourmust consider all 4 components of the 4term contingency.DGeneralisation and MaintenanceK.41You know that generalisation occurs wherethe effects of a procedure that was used toUK ABA Autism Education Competence Framework14

change a target behaviour spread, such thatsimilar behaviour changes also occur inother situations (stimulus generalisation),other behaviours also change (responsegeneralisation), or the effects endure overtime in the absence of a continuingprogramme (maintenance).programmes.UK ABA Autism Education Competence Framework15

ABA. 3:Increasing Behaviour: Rationale for targets, choosing and monitoringKnowledgeDemonstrable BehaviourRationale for targetsK.42You know that behaviour targets areidentified through an assessment of alearner’s skills, are appropriate to thelearner’s developmental level, and focus onbehaviours that will be helpful to and/or arevalued by them.K.43You know that there are a number ofspecific assessment tools available toassess a learner’s existing level across alldomains: daily living skills, social skills,imitation, play; and you are familiar withthose used in your setting.K.44You know that targets are prioritised interms of the immediate benefits for thelearner and developing the building blocksfor longer term learning (i.e., teaching key orpivotal skills first).D.26You contribute, under supervision, to theassessments carried out in your settingusing the available tools.D.27You use the specified performance criteriawhen working with identified targets foreach of the learners with whom you work.D.28You accurately record data as specified byyour supervisor.Defining performance criteria (Mastery)K.45You know that a target behaviour isdescribed and defined using observable andmeasurable dimensions.K.46You know that the performance criteriaspecify observable or measureabledimensions.Monitoring and changing targetsK.47You know that decision making should bedata driven, and that this necessitatesaccurate data collection as specified foreach intervention.UK ABA Autism Education Competence Framework16

ABA 4:Increasing Behaviour: Consequence based strategies - reinforcementKnowledgeK.48You know that the rationale for usingspecific positive reinforcers with learners isthat you cannot assume any individual willbe motivated by things that typicallymotivate others (praise, imitating peers, andtask completion).K.49You know that the aim when working withany learner is to move towards the use ofnaturally occurring reinforcers (e.g., taskcompletion, praise, school/society basedsystems of reward).Demonstrable BehaviourEstablishing and choosing reinforcersK.50You know it is important to sample a widerange of potential reinforcers across avariety of different sensory modalities (e.g.,tactile – hugs, tickling, heavy blanket;vestibular – rocking, swings; auditory –music, singing; gustatory – sweets, crisps;visual – lights, different colours).D.29You create opportunities for the learner tosample multiple potential reinforcers byproviding items/activities on a noncontingent basis (i.e. items, activities,attention or downtime given to the learnerthat is not dependent on a specifiedresponse).K.51You know the importance of continuouslyestablishing new reinforcers (i.e., because alearner’s interests can be transient andsatiation may come into play).D.30You identify and use a variety of potentialreinforcers for learnersK.52You know how to pair establishedreinforcers with other items/activities/peopleto increase the range of potential reinforcersavailable.D.31You increase the range of potentialreinforcers through pairing items/activitieswith established reinforcers as specified inthe intervention/programme.K.53You know that activities learners engage induring their free time may be used asreinforcers because they are likely to bepreferred activities. Such activities mayinclude aspects of stereotypic/repetitivebehaviour.D.32You choose a learner’s high preferenceitems or activities as potential reinforcersduring teaching.D.33You choose as potential reinforcers itemsor activities that appear to have the samefunction as a learner’s preferred items oractivities.K.54You know a range of procedures to identifywhat is potentially reinforcing for a learner atany time (e.g., asking, observing, formalpreference assessments).D.34You use a range of procedures to selectpotential reinforcers.K.55You know the significance of varyingreinforcers in a session (i.e., to reduce thechances of satiation).D.35You continuously assess the environmentto inform the selection and use ofreinforcersUK ABA Autism Education Competence Framework17

K.56You know the importance of maintaining thevalue of reinforcers and that if reinforcersare available at other times (i.e., when theyare not contingent on a target behaviour)then they will become less effectiveD.36You ensure, where possible, thatreinforcers are not available noncontingently other than if pre-determinedby your supervisor (see section on NonContingent Reinforcement K.167).K.57You know that primary reinforcers are mostoften used during the early stages ofintervention and also understand theimportance of fading their use as soon aspossible.D.37You try to avoid relying entirely on primaryreinforcers, and whenever possible youattempt to establish or use conditionedreinforcersK.58You know the ethical implications of usingprimary reinforcers such as the need to usethem in moderation.D.38You abide by ethical guidelines as to whatprimary reinforcers are appropriate foruse, when to use them, and in whatquantities.D.39You fade the use of unconditioned/primaryreinforcers and increase use ofconditioned reinforcers when appropriateunder supervision.K.59You know that the advantages of usingprimary reinforcers include the fact that theydo not depend on learning and can be verypowerful.K.60You know the disadvantages of primaryreinforcers including the fact that they canbe difficult to fade and that their use canseem strange in some environments toother professionals, family members, or thegeneral public.K.61You know that it is important to establishsecondary reinforcers as a step towardsmore naturally occurring reinforcementcontingencies.D.40You pair secondary reinforcement(praise/social attention/activities) withprimary reinforcement on a contingentbasis under supervision.K.62You know the importance of pairing yourown presence with reinforcement: thelearner comes to associate a teachingsession with activities that are of interest tothem, and your praise/socialattention/activities become secondaryreinforcers.D.41You create an environment that motivatesthe learner to interact with you by pairingyour presence with established reinforcers(e.g., praise, smile, toy, tickle) on a noncontingent basis.D.42You initially provide immediatereinforcement of each instance of thecompleted target response when teachingDelivering reinforcement: Schedules ofreinforcementK.63You know that reinforcement can bedelivered following every response (i.e.continuous reinforcement) or intermittentlyUK ABA Autism Education Competence Framework18

(i.e. after a fixed or variable number ofresponses, or fixed or variable amount oftime) and that the way that reinforcement isdelivered (the schedule of reinforcement)affects learning.a new skill.K.64You know that, when working on a new skill,reinforcement should occur after eachresponse (i.e., because it provides thestrongest association between the responseand the reinforcer) Providing reinforcersrapidly also reduces the chances that otherinappropriate behaviours may beinadvertently reinforced.K.65You know that once a skill has beenacquired, it is important to gradually andsystematically thin a schedule ofreinforcement so the learner getsaccustomed to more natural contingenciesof reinforcement (i.e. reinforcers areincreasingly delivered intermittently).D.43You thin a schedule of reinforcement asdirected by your supervisor during a newskill teaching programme.K.66You know that on occasion it may benecessary to temporarily increase thefrequency of reinforcement or return totangible (i.e., something material)reinforcement to maintain motivation.D.44You follow an agreed protocol with respectto the temporary (within session only)relaxation of a schedule of reinforcementbased on a learner’s motivation, anddiscuss any such instances with yoursupervisor.D.45You consistently provide positivereinforcers when the learner is engagingin appropriate behaviour (e.g., remainingon task or using an appropriatecommunicative response rather thanengaging in problem behaviour)D.46You use various token systems toDelivering reinforcement: DifferentialreinforcementK.67K.68You know that programmed differentialreinforcement is the delivery of reinforcers toonly those responses that meet a specifiedcriterion whilst not reinforcing otherresponses.You know that differential reinforcement canbe used to strengthen and shape desirablebehaviour and weaken undesirablebehaviour.K.69You know to look for opportunities toreinforce a learner’s appropriate behavioureven when it is not specifically targeted in aprogramme.K.70You know the importance of relying on thehighest value reinforcers (those whichappear to be most effective) for thosebehaviours that a learner finds most difficult.Delivering reinforcement: Token SystemsK.71You know that a token system is aUK ABA Autism Education Competence Framework19

reinforcement system used when it is helpfulto be able to delay the delivery of a chosenreinforcer until after a certain period of timehas elapsed or an activity has finished, butin the meantime some form of reinforcementis necessary.K.72You know that tokens are generalizedconditioned reinforcement (i.e., that tokenscan be exchanged for a number ofreinforcers).K.73You know that the “back up” reinforcer is theobject or activity/experience that can bepurchased by or exchanged for tokens.K.74You know that strategies to ensure that atoken system remains effective includeadjusting the reinforcement schedule andreassessing the learner’s preferences.increase target behaviours.D.47You deliver a token immediatelycontingent on a target behaviour andmake sure the learner sees that a tokenhas been obtained

What is the UK ABA Autism Education Competence Framework? The UK ABA Autism Education Competence Framework is a detailed framework of the knowledge and demonstrable behaviours (i.e., things that can be demonstrated to another person) that are important for anyone in UK education settings working with children and young people with autism using .