The Effectiveness of a Program Based on Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) Strategies in Reducing Maladaptive Behaviours and Developing Life Skills in Educable Intellectually Disabled Children

Al-Kotkat, Lobna Muhammad Ali; Ibrahim, Sahar Abd El Hakim Arafat

doi:10.21608/jsrep.2025.434635

The Effectiveness of a Program Based on Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) Strategies in Reducing Maladaptive Behaviours and Developing Life Skills in Educable Intellectually Disabled Children

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Lecturer of Psychology -Faculty of Humanities in Dakahlia, Egypt.

² Lecturer of Kingergarten - Faculty of Humanities in Dakahlia, Egypt.

10.21608/jsrep.2025.434635

Abstract

The present study aimed to examine the effectiveness of a program based on Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) strategies in reducing certain maladaptive behaviours and its impact on the development of life skills in educable intellectually disabled children. The study sample consisted of 20 children (14 males and 6 females) with educable intellectual disabilities, aged between 5 and 7 years, with a mean age of 6.7 years and a standard deviation of 0.56. The sample was divided into two equal groups: an experimental group and a control group, each comprising 10 children. The researchers used the Socioeconomic Status Form (prepared by Mohamed Saafan and Doaa Khattab, 2016), the Maladaptive Behaviours Scale, and the Life Skills Scale (both developed by the researchers), in addition to the training program based on ABA strategies (also developed by the researchers).
The results indicated statistically significant differences between the mean ranks of maladaptive behaviours and life skills scores in the post-test between the experimental and control groups, in favour of the experimental group. Additionally, there were statistically significant differences in the experimental group's pre- and post-test scores in both maladaptive behaviours and life skills, in favour of the post-test. Furthermore, the findings revealed no statistically significant differences between the post-test and follow-up test scores in the experimental group, indicating the sustained impact of the program in reducing maladaptive behaviours and enhancing life skills among the participating children.

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References

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