ABA Term of the Month – “Latency”

By Francisco Prieto, M.A., M.S.

December 2019 Term of the Month: “Latency”

In ABA, “latency” is a type of recording in which involves an observer measuring how long it takes for a behavior to begin after a specific verbal demand or event has occurred.

Prompts or events that indicate the start of latency recording must be specifically stated. After a prompt or event occurs, time must be allowed for student or client to process the information.

Latency goals must be appropriate to the cognitive level of the student and/or client.
Units of times must be indicated: “hours, minutes, and seconds”

Example:

• Johnny will return to task within 1 minute with moderate prompts.
• Johnny will return to task within 1 minute with moderate prompts.
• Johnny meets the goal by returning to task within 1 minute with moderate prompts.
• Fading will include reducing the amount of prompts required and time.
• Johnny will return to task within 45 seconds with minimal prompts.

The above example may or may not apply with your client, so please discuss strategies with your supervisor for your assigned client before applying them in practice. These terms and examples are not to be used by the reader, they are simply explanations of the terms.