Any observable or measurable act of an individual.

Anything that a person does that can be seen and/or counted.  Also referred to as a response.

Cue

The first message (visual or verbal) that indicates a particular action is necessary.

Fading

The gradual removal of prompts.

Frequency

The number of times a behavior occurs during an observation period.

Generalization

The transfer of learned skills and behaviors to various settings, people and materials.

Imitation

The ability to copy someone's motor movements.

Modeling

The act of demonstrating a behavior or a skill for the learner.

Pairing

Connecting two stimuli (e.g., a food and social praise), one which is generally more reinforcing (the food), and one which is less reinforcing (the social praise).  The intent is for the child to gradually respond to the less reinforcing stimuli (the social praise) because it has been previously paired with the more powerful reinforcer (food).

Prompt

Visual, auditory, or tactile supports added to the teaching of a skill that increases the likelihood of a correct response.

Proximity

Physical closeness to the child, which may be used as a cue or prompt for a desirable behavior.

Reinforcer

Any action, item, or event that follows a behavior, and which directly increases the likelihood that a particular behavior will occur again.

Repertoire

Collection of behaviors that a child can perform.

Self-Stimulatory Behavior

Repetitive body movements, repetitive movements of objects, or mental rehearsal activities the child may display.  They can involve any or all of the senses and interfere with learning.

Trial

A discrete occurrence of a behavior that has a clear beginning and ending.