Natural Environment Teaching (NET) / Naturalistic Teaching or Training

Natural Environment Training (NET) or Naturalistic Learning (also known as Naturalistic Teaching / Training) is a type of ABA treatment where learning occurs incidentally and often playfully in natural environments, such as at the bus stop, a local playground, or during dinner. NET is based on the child’s activities and interests. With NET, skills are taught or generalized within the natural environment (the place where these skills will typically be used and/or a place that the child is familiar with). NET typically incorporates Pivotal Response Training, Incidental Teaching, and the Natural Language Paradigm.

Natural Language Paradigm

The Natural Language Paradigm (NLP) is a form of Incidental Teaching that addresses deficits in verbal communication. NLP provides opportunities for acquiring verbal communication skills through a specific arrangement of the environment. Specifically, the environment mimics a naturally occurring setting where the conversation would typically occur. The goal of NLP is to help an individual learn to apply conversation skills in a variety of environments and in response to a naturally occurring or spontaneous conversation. 

Negative Punishment

Negative punishment is used as a consequence to reduce a specific undesirable behavior by removing an item from the environment, such as taking away a reinforcer or a toy in response to the undesired behavior. 

Negative Reinforcement

Negative reinforcement is a component of operant conditioning in which a desirable behavior is reinforced by removing an aversive stimulus that is causing an undesirable behavior. With negative reinforcement, by removing the aversive stimulus, the undesirable behavior ceases, leaving room for the desirable behavior to be displayed.

Neurodiversity

The term neurodiversity refers to the differences in all individuals’ cognitive functioning and personal characteristics that influence how individuals view and behave in daily functioning, wherein all different forms of daily functioning and behavior are accepted as equally appropriate. The idea of neurodiversity is based on the idea that differences in cognition and functioning are traits to be embraced and not disease symptoms to be cured. 

Neurotypical

Neurotypical is a term used to describe people who do not have ASD or other neurological or neurodevelopmental difficulties / differences. On the other hand, people who do have ASD or other neurological differences are described as “neurodiverse.”

Occupational Therapist

An occupational therapist is a healthcare professional who evaluates and helps an individual improve with vocational, daily living, and other skills that promote independence. For example, occupational therapists can help improve fine motor skills for the purpose of being able to engage in daily living tasks.

Operant

An operant is the basic unit of behavior, and it encompasses voluntary behaviors only. An operant behavior refers to a behavior that acts or operates on the environment to produce an effect. The operant behavior is defined by the consequence it has, and not by the motivation that caused it to occur.

Operant Conditioning

In operant conditioning, behaviors or operants are modified based on the consequences they have on the environment. In operant conditioning, behavior is conditioned through manipulation of consequences according to Thorndike’s Law of Effect. In other words, behavior is learned based on consequences (reinforcers or punishers). Specifically, operant conditioning employs the use of reinforcement to strengthen desirable behaviors and removal of the reinforcement (punishment) to weaken undesirable behaviors. Operant conditioning was detailed by behavioral psychologist B. F. Skinner in his 1938 book The Behavior of Organisms: An Experimental Analysis.