What is maintenance in ABA and how can you promote it?

What is maintenance in ABA and how can you promote it?

• A. Maintenance is the rapid acquisition of new skills during intervention.
• B. Maintenance is the persistence of a behavior only during the intervention period.
• C. Maintenance refers to generalization across settings.
• D. Maintenance is the persistence of a behavior after intervention; promote via booster sessions, fading prompts, and teaching self-management.

Answer: (D)

Maintenance involves the persistence of a learned behavior after the structured intervention has ended. It shows whether the skill will continue to be performed without ongoing coaching. This is different from acquisition, which is about how quickly a behavior is learned during intervention, and from generalization, which is about performing the behavior in new settings or with new people. To promote maintenance, use booster sessions after the main intervention to refresh the skill, fade prompts gradually so the learner relies less on external supports, and teach self-management strategies that help the learner monitor and reinforce their own performance, increasing the likelihood of continued use in natural environments.

Maintenance involves the persistence of a learned behavior after the structured intervention has ended. It shows whether the skill will continue to be performed without ongoing coaching. This is different from acquisition, which is about how quickly a behavior is learned during intervention, and from generalization, which is about performing the behavior in new settings or with new people. To promote maintenance, use booster sessions after the main intervention to refresh the skill, fade prompts gradually so the learner relies less on external supports, and teach self-management strategies that help the learner monitor and reinforce their own performance, increasing the likelihood of continued use in natural environments.