What is ABA/NDBI therapy?

Although Discrete Trial Training (DTT) is most often used synonymously with ABA, it is just one of the many teaching approaches to ABA. Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Intervention (NDBI) is a naturalistic, play-based teaching approach to ABA that is now considered best practice for toddlers and young children diagnosed with ASD. NDBI combines the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis and developmental science to improve a range of areas in child development including communication, engagement, joint attention, imitation, peer interactions, play skills, social-emotional skills, and challenging behaviors. 

ABA/NDBI therapy is implemented in the child's natural setting, usually in the home, and consists of targeting developmentally-appropriate skills with a strong component of parent training and family involvement. ABA/NDBI therapy targets learning opportunities that are naturally embedded throughout the child and family’s existing daily routines and geared toward the child’s developmental level to build foundations in the core areas needed to reach developmental milestones (i.e., joint attention and responding), and taps into utilizing engagement and motivation to enhance key areas of development. 

Elevated Kids implements ABA/NDBI therapy under the supervision of a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). The overarching approaches and strategies of intervention include:

• Providing opportunities for a child’s skill-building in the context of interactive, natural settings across a range of daily routines, social interactions, and play activities
• Emphasizing the use of environmental reinforcers that are directly related to the activity presented
• Following the child’s play interests to guide activities and capture learning opportunities to increase motivation and engagement for learning interchanges
• An overarching emphasis on the child’s social engagement and building meaningful interactions within the learning context
• Explicit focus on coaching parents on the techniques to promote learning, engagement, and connection throughout daily family routines