Oana Baloc
Guide for integrative therapy processes, intended for the whole team around a child. I strongly believe in the importance of love, respect and authenticity as bases for creating frameworks and therapeutic relationships with a focus on trust, safety, connection. I am an accredited behavioral analyst (2019), guiding as an evaluator, coordinator of therapy programs at home and in centers, supervisor for those undergoing international accreditation and mentor. I am part of the ABA field and have been walking alongside the world of autism for 13 years, having previously been trained in experiential child, couple and family counseling.
Presentation: The ABC of needs - Behavior functions and related needs
Abstract:
In the context of identifying the source of disruptive behaviors, what generates and maintains them, we look at one of the 4 basic functions of behavior and the types of reinforcers. Humanistic psychology talks about the fact that behind the function there is a need, a state of inner tension designed to make us act towards the restoration of balance and evolution. We propose a framework to identify this need and correlate it with behavioral function, providing an accessible method without requiring deep knowledge of applied behavior analysis terminology.
By transferring information from fields such as child psychology, age psychology and neuroscience, we bring essential concepts and elements into relation with applied behavior analysis. Our goal is to make this information more accessible in language and easy to understand, both for parents and teachers or therapists that are just starting out. We also aim to bring into practice behavior repertoires that we tend to leave outside ABA sphere (games, natural activities, information), wanting to create a more natural bridge between specialists and non-specialists.
We focus on three essential aspects: behavior, its function and the needs that underlie it. At the same time, we emphasize the practical applicability of these concepts, providing an exchange of skills and a better understanding of behavior. Thus, the idea of need becomes central, being placed in the continuation of the functions of behavior. This approach not only enriches the response repertoire of parents, teachers and therapists, but also facilitates a more effective collaboration between them, contributing to a better oriented and adapted intervention to the individual needs of the child and the child-adult dyad.