Overcorrection in ABA Therapy: Complete Guide

In ABA, overcorrection is a powerful intervention for children with problem behaviors.

Steven Zauderer
August 4, 2025

What is restitutional overcorrection in ABA therapy?

In ABA therapy, restitutional overcorrection is a powerful intervention for children with problem behaviors - the student will be required to complete an effortful behavior to fix the damage caused by their inappropriate behavior.

Overcorrection can also involve extra work and time which can be very punishing, and will reduce the future chance of problem behaviors in the child.

Example of restitutional overcorrection

For example, after a child yells and knocks over items in a tantrum, then they will be required to clean the mess they created and also do numerous house chores which they otherwise wouldn’t be expected to do. Once the child is required to return the environment to its previous state and do more work on top of that, they will think twice about repeating their negative behavior.

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