Parent guide6-minute read
ABA words, translated.
Clinically reviewed by Ruth Gluck, MSEd, BCBA
Therapy comes with vocabulary, and reports sometimes read like they were written for other clinicians (they sort of were). Keep this page handy. Each term below gets a plain-words translation — and if you ever hear a word that isn't here, ask your BCBA to translate. Making it make sense is part of their job.
- ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis)
- The therapy itself: one-on-one teaching that uses what motivates your child to build skills step by step, with progress measured at every session.
- BCBA (Board Certified Behavior Analyst)
- The graduate-level clinician who assesses your child, writes the treatment plan, supervises every session, and coaches you.
- RBT / behavior technician
- The teammate who runs most sessions with your child, following the BCBA's plan. RBT is a national credential with required training and supervision.
- Assessment
- The getting-to-know-your-child phase: observation, play, and parent interviews that show where skills are strong and where help is needed. The plan is built from this.
- Treatment plan
- The written plan listing your child's goals and how each will be taught. Your insurance approves it, and it gets updated as your child progresses.
- Authorization
- Your insurance plan's formal yes — approval of the treatment plan and a set number of therapy hours for a period of time.
- Benefit check
- Finding out what your specific insurance plan covers and what it may cost you, before care starts. Ours is free and usually comes back within a business day.
- Reinforcement
- Following a good try with something your child loves — praise, a tickle, a turn with a favorite toy — so they want to try again. The engine of ABA.
- Reinforcer
- The specific thing your child will work for: bubbles, a song, chase. Finding strong ones is a real part of the job.
- Pairing
- The first job of any new therapist: becoming someone your child likes and trusts, mostly through play, before asking them to do hard things.
- Prompt
- A helping nudge — a gesture, a modeled word, a gentle hand-over-hand — that lets your child succeed while they're still learning.
- Prompt fading
- Gradually shrinking those nudges until your child does the skill on their own. Independence is always the goal.
- Mand
- Clinician word for a request — asking for what you want with a word, sign, or picture. Early plans focus here, because asking beats melting down.
- Tact
- Clinician word for labeling — naming what you see ('dog!', 'bus!'). A building block of conversation.
- NET (Natural Environment Teaching)
- Teaching inside normal play and daily routines — practicing 'more' during tickles, colors during snack — instead of only at a table.
- Task analysis
- Breaking a big skill like hand-washing into small steps, then teaching the steps one at a time until the whole chain works.
- Generalization
- Using a skill everywhere it's needed — not just with one person, one toy, or one room. Good plans build this in on purpose.
- Data
- The notes taken during every session that show what's working. Ask to see yours in plain English — you're entitled to it.
- Parent training
- Coaching for you: learning the same strategies the team uses, practiced on your real routines, at home or by video.
- Telehealth
- Sessions or coaching over secure video. Especially handy for parent coaching after bedtime.