Short-term wins keep motivation high. Long-term goals remind us why we’re doing the work.
Factors to Consider When Choosing ABA Goals
Setting the “right” goals is just as important as how we write them. This section focuses on what to think about when deciding what to target first.
How to Choose Which Goals Matter Most
When
creating ABA therapy goals for a child, the team usually looks at:
- Current skill level and developmental stage
- Safety and independence needs
- Communication needs (Can they ask for help? Can they say “no”?)
- Social opportunities (Do they want to connect with peers?)
- Daily routines that are stressful for the family
- The child’s own interests and motivation
Parent input here is huge. You see needs across bath time, homework time, meals, bedtime, and community outings. Your voice helps shape the most meaningful targets.
Collaborating With Your ABA Team
ABA goal-setting is a team effort. This section explains who’s involved and why that collaboration matters for real-world progress.
How Parents and Caregivers Can Take Part
Your insight matters. You know your child’s strengths, triggers, and daily routines better than anyone. You can help:
- Identify priority skills (“Mornings are a struggle” or “I want them to ask for breaks instead of crying”)
- Report what strategies work at home
- Practice skills outside of sessions to help with generalization
Parent training and regular check-ins keep goals aligned with what your family actually needs—not just what looks good on paper.
Why Teachers and Other Therapists Should Be Involved
When teachers,
ABA therapists, speech therapists, and occupational therapists are all on the same page, kids get consistency. That consistency helps skills transfer across settings.
In school, ABA-related goals can also be written into an IEP (Individualized Education Program). That allows classroom staff to work toward the same targets you’re working on in therapy, using similar supports and language.
How to Get Started Setting ABA Goals
If you’re new to ABA, goal-writing can feel technical. In this section, I’ll walk you through the basic process we use so you can recognize good practice and feel confident asking questions.
Step 1: Assess Current Skills
First, we figure out where your child is right now. That usually includes:
- Observation
- Direct interaction/teaching trials
- Parent interview
- Sometimes standardized assessments
We’re looking at communication, social behavior, self-help skills, attention, regulation, and more. This baseline tells us what to target next.
Step 2: Prioritize What Matters Most
We can’t work on everything at once—and we shouldn’t. We usually choose targets that affect safety, independence, or day-to-day stress first. For example: responding to name, asking for help, transitioning without a meltdown, toileting, following a morning routine.
Picking a manageable number of goals avoids overwhelm and creates early wins.
Step 3: Write SMART Goals
Now we write the actual goals in SMART format. For example:
“Benny will independently put on his shirt each morning for five consecutive school days.”
This is specific, measurable, realistic, functional, and time-based.
Step 4: Review and Finalize as a Team
Before goals are considered “active,” the full team reviews them—including parents. This is where you can say, “This is important,” or “This doesn’t feel like a priority right now.”
Goals are not permanent. As your child meets certain goals (or hits a wall with others), we edit.
Tracking Progress and Updating ABA Goals
Once goals are in place, we don’t just hope for progress—we track it. This section is all about how we monitor growth and when we decide to adjust.
How Progress Is Measured in ABA Therapy
During therapy sessions, data is collected on each target skill. That might include:
- Frequency recording: How often something happens
- Duration recording: How long it lasts
- Accuracy/independence: How often a skill is completed without prompts
That data is then graphed so we can literally see improvement over time.
What Happens If Progress Slows
If progress stalls, that’s normal. We ask questions like:
- Is the goal too big? Should we break it into smaller steps?
- Is the reinforcement motivating enough?
- Are we teaching the skill in the right environment?
- Is this still the right goal for right now?
At that point, we can modify the goal, change the teaching strategy, or redefine mastery criteria. The goal is always to set the child up to succeed.
Conclusion
Setting strong ABA goals is one of the most meaningful things you can do to support your child’s growth. Good goals are clear, realistic, and focused on skills that actually matter in everyday life.
The process is collaborative: you, your child’s ABA team, and (when appropriate) school staff all work together to identify priorities, create SMART goals, monitor progress, and adjust as your child develops.
Most importantly, goal-setting in ABA is not about perfection. It’s about progress—one achievable step at a time—toward more confidence, more independence, and more ease in daily routines.
At
Achieve ABA, we understand that every child’s journey is unique. Our team specializes in creating
personalized ABA therapy plans that include clear, measurable goals for success. We offer:
We proudly serve families across:
If you’re ready to create meaningful ABA goals and see real progress, contact our compassionate team at Achieve ABA. Together, we’ll help your child build confidence, independence, and lifelong skills—one goal at a time.
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