How ABA Therapists Decide Which Behaviors Not to Target

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may exhibit behaviors that their neurotypical peers do not. These can range from self-stimulatory such as excessive tapping of their feet, to repetitive behaviors such as rocking back and forth, to even self-harming behaviors such as banging their head.

There are many possible underlying causes for these behaviors, including hyper- or hyposensitivity to sensory stimuli, challenges processing information, anxiety, and deficits with communication and social interactions.

One of the main benefits of applied behavior analysis (ABA therapy) is that it can target many of these behaviors and help children with autism better manage their emotions, build foundational skills and find replacement behaviors for anything negative and/or harmful.

But, how do ABA therapy teams decide which behaviors should be a focal point of the treatment plan and which behaviors they are not going to target? We’ll discuss that topic in this article.

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How Does ABA Therapy Identify Potential Behaviors to Target?

All ABA therapy treatment plans are based on each child’s unique strengths, challenges, preferences and needs. These are discovered through initial evaluations, which include parental and caregiver feedback, observations and one-on-one experience with the child.

As part of these evaluations, therapy teams will conduct what’s known as Functional Behavior Assessments (FBA), which will help uncover these characteristics in more detail. From these FBAs, the team will have in-depth knowledge about what challenges the child faces, what skills they need to build, what behaviors may be standing in the way of development, and what preferences they have for how they interact with others and items that motivate them to stay engaged and keep trying.

After the FBA is completed, the therapy team will come up with a list of skills and behaviors that should be included as part of the ABA therapy treatment plan.

Typically speaking, the primary focus of these plans will be on essential skills the child needs to build as well as behaviors that are significantly impacting the child’s ability to learn and function.

What Types of Behaviors Are Typically Not Targeted in ABA Therapy?

As a parent, you may notice that your child’s ABA therapy treatment plan does not target some atypical behaviors your child exhibits. This could include some stimming behaviors or others that you may notice are unique to your child and not of their neurotypical peers.

The reason for this is that ABA therapy typically will not target behaviors that are harmless and don’t stand in the way of them acquiring skills, communicating or completing essential daily living responsibilities.

ABA therapists will also evaluate the child’s age, cultural background and other factors when deciding whether or not to target them in a treatment plan. The measuring stick in this respect is whether the behavior is socially acceptable and age appropriate.

You may hear behaviors that ABA therapy does not target referred to as “neutral.” It’s not that they aren’t being recognized as atypical; it’s just that they aren’t causing physical harm to the child, others or property; they aren’t interfering with the child’s development; and they are socially acceptable and age appropriate.

Children with ASD may exhibit many of these atypical behaviors, but it’s important to recognize that some of them may be helping them cope with their feelings. For instance, if they tap their hands on their laps repeatedly when they’re in large crowds, it could be a way they’re trying to center themselves and reduce anxiety they may be feeling.

In this regard, the behavior is not harmful nor is it standing in the way of their development. In fact, it could actually be beneficial to them.

If anything, ABA therapists may help the child manage their emotions such as anxiety and feeling overwhelmed by providing them with sensory tools such as fidget toys or noise-cancelling headphones.

Blue Gems ABA Evaluates All Behaviors for Treatment Plans

ABA therapists will sometimes decide not to target certain behaviors that children with ASD exhibit. There may be many reasons for this, including if they are not harmful, are age appropriate, socially acceptable and are not standing in the way of the child’s learning abilities or development.

At Blue Gems ABA, we conduct thorough evaluations in the initial stages and throughout therapy to ensure every treatment plan is reflective of essential skills the child needs to build and behaviors they need to replace. In this way, we ensure that every child we serve is being supported as best as possible.

To learn more, please contact us today.