Every ABA team reaches that moment where learners can label everything, but struggle to connect ideas. That’s what the PEAK Relational Training System brings to Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) for individuals with autism and other developmental needs: a structured, evidence-based way to teach both basic and advanced language, cognition, and problem-solving.
But knowing what PEAK is and knowing how to use it effectively in daily practice are two different things. Let’s see how ABA teams can implement PEAK with consistency and confidence.
What Is the PEAK Relational Training System (and Why It Matters in ABA)
The PEAK Relational Training System—short for Promoting Emergence of Advanced Knowledge—was developed by Dr. Mark Dixon as a comprehensive assessment and curriculum framework for ABA practitioners.
PEAK is widely used in ABA programs serving learners with autism, language delays, and related developmental differences. It’s designed to go beyond direct teaching and target derived relational responding: the ability to make flexible connections between concepts without needing every single skill to be taught directly.
PEAK’s structure combines the rigor of traditional ABA programs with the creativity of cognitive development. It’s composed of four modules that collectively teach learners to apply skills in new contexts and think relationally:
- Direct Training
- Generalization
- Equivalence
- Transformation
In practical terms, PEAK helps clinicians:
- Assess where a learner stands across a wide range of verbal and cognitive skills.
- Design programs that build both foundational and higher-order thinking.
- Measure how new learning emerges from prior relations.
From Theory to Practice: What PEAK Looks Like in Real ABA Sessions
Understanding the modules conceptually is one thing. Running them in an active clinic, with multiple learners and rotating staff, is another.
A BCBA® might start by conducting the PEAK ABA assessment, which pinpoints existing skills and relational deficits. From there, the curriculum provides program templates, each targeting a specific learning relation.
An RBT® can then run teaching trials, enter responses, and monitor generalization directly in session.
In practice, PEAK blends seamlessly with other ABA methods:
- It starts from the same data-driven foundation as discrete trial teaching.
- It expands those methods by encouraging relational learning—understanding why “dog,” “animal,” and “pet” are connected.
- It provides built-in progression: once mastery is demonstrated in one relation, new, derived ones can be tested automatically.
That means PEAK can sit comfortably within an ABA program’s daily flow, if implemented with the right structure and data systems.
The Four PEAK Modules Explained
Each module builds on the one before it, moving from concrete learning to flexible reasoning.
1. Direct Training: Building the Foundation for New Skills
The Direct Training module targets fundamental skills that can be taught and measured directly. Examples include labeling, following instructions, or requesting items.
A clinician might teach a learner to identify colors or answer simple “what” questions. Once mastered, these basic discriminations become the raw material for more complex relational learning later on.
Recording accuracy, prompt levels, and session notes consistently is critical here because these data determine when the learner is ready to advance.
2. Generalization: Transferring Skills Beyond the Session
Once a skill is mastered, the next step is applying it in new contexts.
The Generalization module focuses on that transfer: helping learners respond correctly with new people, materials, and environments.
A learner who can match a printed “dog” card might then identify a dog in a book, in a park, or in conversation. The goal isn’t just repetition; it’s flexibility.
BCBAs use the PEAK ABA assessment to track whether generalization is happening across conditions. Digital data collection tools make this easier, especially when multiple technicians or classrooms are involved.
3. Equivalence: Connecting Concepts Without Direct Instruction
This module teaches symbolic relations. It’s where learners begin linking words, pictures, and categories without needing every connection to be explicitly taught.
For instance, once a learner knows that a spoon is used for eating and that utensils are a category of items used for eating, they can infer that a spoon belongs to the utensil category, even if that specific relation was never trained.
That ability to infer new relations (derived relational responding) is what distinguishes PEAK from simpler curricula. Over time, it builds the learner’s capacity to understand broader categories and abstract language.
4. Transformation: Developing Flexible Thinking and Perspective Taking
The Transformation module moves into relational reasoning and perspective taking—skills often associated with advanced cognition. Here, learners begin to identify relationships such as more than, less than, opposite of, or if–then.
A therapist might teach comparative relations using animals: “Dolphins are friendlier than sharks.” Later, the learner may apply this logic in other contexts (“Cats are friendlier than snakes”).
It’s where ABA meets creative problem-solving, and where data collection can become more complex without the right system in place.
Common Challenges When Implementing PEAK
Even seasoned clinicians find PEAK implementation challenging at first. The framework is clear, but consistency takes coordination.
Time and setup
Building and scoring PEAK programs can feel overwhelming when done manually. Between entering stimuli, printing materials, and graphing scores, staff spend more time managing paperwork than teaching.
Fidelity and training
Maintaining procedural fidelity across RBTs and sites is another challenge. When instructions or scoring criteria aren’t standardized, data drift occurs, and relational outcomes become harder to interpret.
Data management
The very strength of PEAK (its detailed structure) can also make it troublesome without automation. Many teams struggle to maintain accurate progress records or visualize results in real time.
How teams address it:
- Using shared digital templates to ensure every ABA professional is following the same protocol.
- Automating graphing and scoring so BCBAs can review results immediately.
- Building supervision routines around live data instead of end-of-week reviews.
By bringing PEAK programs into their digital data systems, teams reduce errors, improve fidelity, and keep staff focused on learners.
How Motivity Supports PEAK Implementation
Implementing PEAK effectively depends on structure, communication, and reliable data. That’s why so many ABA teams use Motivity to make PEAK easier to set up and sustain.
Setup that saves hours
Instead of building every PEAK program from scratch, teams start with Motivity’s ready-to-use templates aligned with PEAK’s teaching and test phases. It takes minutes to launch new programs or adjust criteria, freeing BCBAs to focus on program design rather than formatting.
Sessions that run more fluidly
During teaching, RBTs record data on any device while the system automatically applies mastery rules (for example, “9 of 10 correct across two blocks”). That automation keeps teaching blocks consistent and ensures learners move forward only when ready.
Supervision that actually fits into the day
BCBAs can join sessions remotely, observe data as it’s collected, and adjust programs instantly. This visibility improves fidelity across staff and settings.
Reliable reporting and documentation
Graphs and progress reports generate instantly, ready for caregiver meetings, audits, or funding reviews. Data is always accessible and secure; nothing gets lost between sessions.
Across practices using Motivity, these small efficiencies save thousands of staff hours each year and provide more consistent outcomes for learners.
Book a walkthrough to see how PEAK comes to life in Motivity, alongside every other program you run.
*Motivity is not affiliated with or endorsed by the PEAK Relational Training System or its creators. This article is for educational purposes to help ABA professionals understand how digital tools can support their existing PEAK workflows.