When parents first hear about Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy, one of the most common questions is, “What behaviors does ABA actually address?”
The answer depends on the child.
ABA therapy isn’t designed around a universal list of behaviors that every child with autism needs to change. Instead, a child’s treatment team looks at the behaviors that are affecting communication, learning, safety, independence, relationships, or participation in everyday activities.
Sometimes the focus is reducing a behavior that creates a safety concern. Other times, the goal is to teach a child a more effective way to communicate or participate.
This distinction is important. ABA isn’t simply about stopping behaviors. A major part of effective behavior support is understanding why a behavior occurs and what skill can be taught in its place.
Here are some of the behaviors commonly addressed in ABA therapy.
1. Tantrums and Emotional Outbursts
Tantrums can happen for many reasons. A child may become upset because they cannot communicate what they want, have difficulty with a transition, are asked to stop a preferred activity, or don’t know how to respond to frustration.
ABA therapy may look for patterns surrounding these episodes.
For example, a therapist might notice that a child frequently becomes upset when asked to leave the playground. Rather than simply trying to stop the reaction, the therapist may work on transition skills, visual supports, communication, waiting, or requesting additional time.
The goal is to help the child develop a more functional way to handle the situation.
2. Aggressive Behaviors
Aggression can include hitting, kicking, biting, pushing, scratching, or other behaviors that may hurt the child or another person.
When aggression occurs, safety is the first priority.
A behavior analyst may examine what tends to happen before and after the behavior. This can help identify patterns and determine whether the child may be attempting to communicate something, escape a difficult situation, gain attention, access something they want, or respond to another factor.
Treatment may then focus on teaching safer alternatives.
For example, a child may learn to request help, ask for a break, communicate “no,” or use another appropriate response.
3. Self-Injurious Behaviors
Some children may engage in behaviors that can cause injury to themselves, such as head banging, biting themselves, hitting themselves, or other forms of self-injury.
These behaviors require careful attention because of their potential safety risks.
A qualified professional should assess the behavior rather than assuming why it occurs.
ABA-based intervention may involve identifying triggers, changing aspects of the environment, teaching alternative communication, and reinforcing safer responses.
Because self-injury can have serious causes and consequences, parents should seek professional guidance when this type of behavior occurs.
4. Property Destruction
Throwing objects, breaking items, ripping materials, or damaging household belongings can be challenging for families.
Like other behaviors, property destruction can have different causes.
A child may throw objects when frustrated, during a transition, when seeking attention, or when attempting to escape a difficult task.
ABA therapy can focus on identifying the pattern and teaching alternative behaviors.
For example, if a child throws materials when an activity becomes difficult, they may learn to request help or a break instead.
The goal is to give the child a safer and more effective response.
5. Elopement and Wandering
Elopement refers to leaving a safe or supervised area unexpectedly.
For some children, wandering can create serious safety concerns, particularly near roads, parking lots, bodies of water, or unfamiliar environments.
ABA therapy may address skills related to staying with caregivers, responding to safety instructions, stopping when asked, communicating where they want to go, and appropriately requesting access to preferred places or activities.
Safety plans should be individualized and should involve caregivers and qualified professionals.
6. Difficulty Following Directions
Some children have difficulty responding to everyday instructions.
A child may struggle with directions such as “come here,” “put your shoes on,” or “clean up.”
ABA therapy can break instructions into manageable steps and provide appropriate teaching supports.
The focus should be on helping the child understand and participate in everyday routines—not simply demanding compliance.
As skills develop, children may learn to follow increasingly complex directions and complete more routines independently.
7. Difficulty With Transitions
Moving from one activity to another can be challenging for some children.
A child may become upset when it is time to stop playing, leave the house, start homework, get ready for bed, or move to another activity.
ABA therapy may address transition-related behaviors by making routines more predictable and teaching skills such as waiting, requesting more time, using visual schedules, and communicating frustration.
A simple “first-then” structure can sometimes help:
First: Clean up
Then: Favorite activity
The specific strategy depends on the child and the situation.
8. Refusal or Avoidance
Some children may frequently avoid activities that are difficult, unfamiliar, or less preferred.
This might look like walking away, dropping to the floor, ignoring instructions, or refusing to participate.
Instead of assuming that the child is simply being “defiant,” therapists can investigate why the activity is difficult.
Perhaps the task is too challenging. Perhaps the child doesn’t understand what is expected. Perhaps they need a way to request help or a break.
Teaching those skills can make participation more successful.
9. Repetitive or Restricted Behaviors
Repetitive behaviors can be part of autism and may include repetitive movements, sounds, object use, or routines.
It is important to distinguish between behaviors that are genuinely interfering with a child’s safety or ability to participate and behaviors that are simply different from what other people expect.
Not every repetitive behavior needs to be eliminated.
ABA goals should be meaningful and individualized. If a behavior is harmless and helps a child regulate or enjoy their environment, there may be no reason to target it.
Intervention is more appropriate when a behavior creates a significant barrier to communication, learning, participation, or safety.
10. Difficulty Communicating Needs
Sometimes what appears to be a “behavior problem” is actually a communication problem.
A child who cannot easily say “help,” “stop,” “I don’t want that,” or “I need a break” may express those needs through crying, screaming, pushing, or other behaviors.
ABA therapy can address the underlying communication need by teaching functional ways to communicate.
This might involve speech, gestures, signs, pictures, or AAC, depending on the child’s communication needs.
When children have more effective ways to communicate, they may have fewer reasons to rely on challenging behaviors to get their message across.
Looking at the Reason Behind Behavior
One of the central ideas in behavior analysis is that behavior doesn’t happen in isolation.
Therapists may look at what happens before, the behavior itself, and what happens afterward.
This is sometimes referred to as the ABC model:
Antecedent → Behavior → Consequence
For example:
A child is asked to clean up → the child screams → the cleanup request is removed.
Looking at this pattern can help a therapist understand what might be maintaining the behavior and identify a more effective teaching strategy.
This doesn’t mean every behavior has one simple explanation. Human behavior can be complex, and professional assessment may be necessary.
Teaching Replacement Behaviors
Reducing a challenging behavior without teaching an alternative may leave the child without a useful way to respond.
That’s why replacement skills can be so important.
A child who throws objects to escape an activity might learn to request a break.
A child who hits to gain attention might learn an appropriate way to ask for attention.
A child who screams because they want an item might learn to request it.
The replacement behavior should serve a meaningful purpose for the child.
When Should a Behavior Be Addressed?
Not every unusual behavior requires intervention.
A behavior is more likely to become a meaningful therapy target when it:
- Creates a safety concern
- Prevents communication
- Interferes with learning
- Makes daily routines difficult
- Limits participation
- Causes significant distress
- Prevents the child from becoming more independent
This is an important distinction for families. The goal should not be to make a child appear “typical.” The goal should be to support skills that improve safety, communication, participation, and quality of life.
The Importance of Individualized Treatment
Two children can display the same behavior for completely different reasons.
For example, two children may both scream during mealtimes. One might be communicating that they dislike a food. Another might be seeking attention. A third might be overwhelmed by the environment.
The appropriate intervention could therefore be different for each child.
Individual assessment helps therapists determine which skills to prioritize and which strategies are appropriate.
How Parents Can Help
Parents have a unique perspective because they see their child across different situations.
Keeping track of when a behavior occurs can provide useful information.
Parents might notice whether the behavior happens during transitions, when the child is tired, during certain activities, or when communication becomes difficult.
Parents can then share those observations with the child’s therapy team.
They can also practice replacement skills during everyday routines when recommended by the treatment team.
In-Home ABA and Everyday Behavior
In-home ABA therapy can provide opportunities to work on behaviors in the environments where they naturally occur.
For example, a therapist may address transitions during a morning routine, communication during meals, cleanup behaviors during play, or safety skills before going outside.
This can help connect therapy goals with real-life situations.
It also gives parents opportunities to learn strategies they can incorporate into normal family routines.
Summary
The most common behaviors addressed in ABA therapy may include tantrums, aggression, self-injury, property destruction, elopement, difficulty following directions, transition challenges, refusal or avoidance, certain repetitive behaviors that interfere with functioning, and behaviors related to difficulty communicating needs.
However, ABA isn’t simply about stopping unwanted behaviors.
A strong approach looks at why a behavior may be occurring and teaches functional alternatives whenever possible. Goals should be individualized and focused on meaningful outcomes such as communication, safety, independence, participation, and quality of life.
Final Thoughts
Every behavior tells us something about what a child is experiencing or trying to accomplish.
Instead of asking only, “How do we stop this behavior?” it can be more helpful to ask, “What is the child communicating, and what skill could help them handle this situation more successfully?”
That shift can lead to more thoughtful and supportive intervention.
For parents considering ABA therapy, understanding how a provider assesses behavior, develops replacement skills, measures progress, and involves the family can provide valuable insight into the treatment approach.