APPLIED BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS IN SPECIAL AND INCLUSIVE EDUCATION: FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE

Ivana TRELLOVÁ

Abstract

The increasing prevalence of students with special needs in inclusive classrooms has prompted teachers to seek and implement innovative teaching methods that support both these students and their peers. Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is a scientifically validated approach to learning and behavior modification, widely used in both special and inclusive education. The aim of this paper is to introduce the core principles of ABA and their application in the education of children with special needs. The theoretical section outlines key ABA mechanisms, including positive reinforcement, motivation, systematic progress measurement, and gradual skill shaping. Special attention is given to assessment tools used to identify children’s needs and to plan subsequent interventions. The paper reports a descriptive, longitudinal single-case study without experimental control. The study reflects the progress of a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), whose development was systematically monitored across key domains, including receptive understanding, visual discrimination, tacting, and motor imitation. Anonymized data and visual summaries illustrate skill growth observed concurrently with an ABA-based intervention. The discussion addresses factors that promote successful learning and obstacles that may impede progress (e.g., the intensity of the intervention). The conclusion outlines practical implications for mainstream classrooms and hypotheses for future implementation research, while recognizing that inclusion-related effects were not directly tested in a general education setting in this case.

Pages: 135 - 146