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. 2024 Oct 17;12(1):568.
doi: 10.1186/s40359-024-02045-5.

The effectiveness of applied behavior analysis program training on enhancing autistic children's emotional-social skills

Geng Du  1 , Yuanbing Guo  2   3 , Weihong Xu  4
Affiliations

The effectiveness of applied behavior analysis program training on enhancing autistic children's emotional-social skills

Geng Du et al. BMC Psychol. .

Abstract

Background: This study focuses on the potential of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) to improve emotional and social skills in children with autism spectrum disorder. ABA is a well-established therapeutic approach that uses behavior modification techniques to encourage positive behaviors and reduce challenging ones. Despite its widespread use, further research is needed to better understand its specific impact on emotional and social development in autistic children.

Objective: This research aims to investigate an effective method for improving and enhancing institutionalized children's social, communicative, and daily life skills. The study also examines the impact of behavioral analysis on these children's social and emotional skills.

Method: The research is categorized as applied in terms of objectives and quasi-experimental in data collection. It involves a control group, an experimental group, and a covariance analysis model. The research population consists of 100 volunteer boys aged 4 to 11 residing in institutional care in Wuhan during the year 2023. Among them, 60 individuals were selected and divided into control and experimental groups, each comprising 30 participants. Data for the study were collected using the kindergarten inventory of social/ emotional tendencies (KIST. The applied behavioral analysis program was implemented individually for the experimental group in eight one-hour sessions twice a week.

Findings: Data analysis was conducted using SPSS-24 software and a multivariate analysis of the covariance method. The results indicated that the behavioral analysis program significantly impacts institutionalized children's social and communicative skills, improving their daily lives (p < .05).

Conclusion: The findings of this study demonstrate that the applied behavior analysis program significantly improves the social, communicative, and daily life skills of institutionalized children with autism spectrum disorder. ABA interventions, delivered through structured sessions, effectively enhance emotional and social development, confirming its value as a therapeutic approach in institutional care settings.

Keywords: Autistic children; Behavioral analysis; Emotional skills; Social skills.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

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