How to Know if an ABA Goal is Too Easy (or Too Hard)

Goals are a significant part of applied behavior analysis (ABA therapy). After an initial period of assessments, evaluations, observations and discussions, the therapy team will create specific goals for each individual patient that target certain skills and/or behaviors.

The goals are important because they will form the basis of the treatment plan itself. In other words, different tools and strategies will be chosen for the child’s treatment plan so they address the specific goals.

These goals will typically follow the SMART process — meaning they are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-bound. This helps to ensure that the therapist can help the patient  achieve the goal, and that progress toward the goal can be measured through data collection and analysis.

As the therapy is administered, though, a therapist may find that an ABA goal is too easy or too hard for the patient. In this article, we’ll discuss how to identify this so that children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can gain the most from ABA therapy.

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What Are the Signs That an ABA Goal is Too Easy?

As therapists are administering ABA therapy treatment plans to their patients, they will be collecting a lot of data, which will then be analyzed to assess the child’s progress toward goals. This process helps to identify whether an ABA goal is appropriate for the child, or if things need to be adjusted.

If an ABA goal is too easy, the child may show progress at a significantly faster rate than the therapy team expected. They may start to speak multiple words, phrases or short sentences within the first few weeks of therapy, for example, when the team expected slow and steady progress over a few months at least.

This will reveal itself in the data that’s being collected, with charts showing much sharper inclines rather than slower, rounded curves.

You might also notice that the child is starting to disengage from the therapy or become bored with it since it’s no longer a challenge.

What Are the Signs That an ABA Goal is Too Hard?

On the flip side, you might find that certain ABA goals are too hard for the child to complete just yet.

If this is the case, you might observe that the child isn’t making the progress that you expected toward the goal, even if consistent effort is made and the appropriate support is provided. You may notice that the child struggles to fully understand what they’re expected to do.

It’s also possible that the child may start to exhibit negative behaviors or resistance to the therapy itself if a goal is too hard. When a therapist begins the intervention for that particular goal, for instance, the child might become aggressive, throw tantrums or display other non-compliance behaviors.

How Are Inappropriate Goals Addressed in ABA Therapy?

If an ABA goal is too easy or too hard for the child, it’s not appropriate for them — at least at this stage in their therapy. Luckily, ABA therapy is built to address these concerns.

Since therapists will constantly be collecting data during sessions, they’ll be able to identify rather early if an ABA goal is too easy or too hard. This will be based on the progress that the child is showing toward achieving the goal, or lack thereof, as well as the different behaviors they are exhibiting during sessions.

The entire therapy team will then discuss the goals with the child’s parents after reviewing the data and make recommended changes so the goals better meet the child where they’re currently at.

The flexibility that ABA therapy provides in this manner is why it’s so successful at helping patients achieve desired results.

Blue Gems ABA Constantly Monitors ABA Goals

ABA goals are set so that children with ASD can learn to master skills and desired behaviors. At times, though, these goals may need to be adjusted if they prove too easy or too hard for the child to complete.

At Blue Gems ABA, we constantly monitor all our patients’ progress toward their goals through in-depth data analysis. By doing this, we ensure that goals are always representative of where each individual patient currently is and are appropriate for them.

To learn more, please contact us today.