When parents first hear about ABA, they often get a vague answer to a reasonable question: what will it actually work on? This guide gives a concrete one. It walks through the skill areas ABA programs usually cover, with everyday examples, explains the difference between a broad program and a focused one, and is honest about what ABA is not designed to do.
What is ABA therapy designed to do?
ABA (applied behavior analysis) uses the science of how behavior is learned to teach useful skills and to make harmful or limiting behaviors less necessary. Florida's insurance statute describes the goal as producing "socially significant improvement in human behavior." The words "socially significant" matter: a goal should make a real difference in your child's life, at home, at school or out in the community.
The CDC puts it this way: ABA "encourages desired behaviors and discourages undesired behaviors to improve a variety of skills." In modern practice, most of the work is building skills. When a child has a better way to ask for a break, get attention or say "no," the behaviors that used to do that job often fade.
Which skill areas does ABA usually work on?
Every child's plan is different, but most goals fall into a handful of areas. Here they are with examples of what a goal might look like.
| Area | What it covers | Example goals |
|---|---|---|
| Communication | Words, signs, pictures or a device (AAC) to ask, refuse, comment and answer | Asks for "help" or "break"; uses a device to request snacks; answers "what's your name?" |
| Daily living | Self-care routines and independence | Washes hands with fewer prompts; puts on shoes; uses the toilet; tries a new food |
| Safety | Skills that keep your child safe in Florida life: roads, parking lots, water, strangers | Stops at a curb when told "wait"; stays with an adult in a store; responds to name |
| Social and play | Joining others, taking turns, playing with toys in new ways | Takes turns in a simple game; plays near and then with a sibling; greets a classmate |
| Learning readiness | Skills that make school and group settings easier | Follows a two-step direction; sits for a short group story; moves between activities |
| Coping and flexibility | Handling changes, waiting, and losing a game | Waits a short time for a preferred item; uses a calming strategy when plans change |
| Behavior that causes harm or blocks learning | Self-injury, aggression, property destruction, running off (elopement) | Fewer incidents of hitting, with a taught replacement such as asking for space |
Insurers and public programs look for these same areas. For example, Florida Medicaid's behavior analysis policy lists impairments in safety (aggression, self-injury, property destruction, elopement), communication, self-stimulating behavior and self-care as reasons services may be needed. Commercial policies such as Aetna's ABA guide look for measurable impairment on standardized tools and for goals tied to everyday functioning.
Communication is often the center of the plan
Many behaviors that worry parents are a way of communicating: "I want that," "stop," "this is too loud." Teaching a faster, easier way to say the same thing is one of the most common and useful ABA goals. That way does not have to be speech. Pictures, sign language and speech-generating devices all count. Our guide on how ABA builds language, gestures and AAC skills goes deeper.
What is the difference between comprehensive and focused ABA?
Payers often sort ABA programs into two types, and the type shapes how many goals and hours your child has.
- Comprehensive ABA works across many skill areas at once. One insurer behavioral health policy (Lucet's 2026 ABA policy) describes it as "primarily directed to children ages 3 to 8," at 25 to 40 hours of direct services a week, with caregiver training as an essential part.
- Focused ABA targets a smaller number of goals, such as a specific safety behavior, toileting, or a behavior that causes harm. The same policy describes it as typically 10 to 25 hours a week. Aetna's guide describes focused ABA as available at all ages.
These hour ranges come from payer policies, not from a rule about what your child needs. Your child's BCBA recommends hours based on the assessment, and the plan decides what it authorizes. Many families also choose fewer hours to fit school, sleep and family life. Our guide on focused vs comprehensive ABA hours compares the two.
What does ABA help with at different ages?
The skill areas stay the same, but the goals change as children grow.
- Toddlers and preschoolers: early communication, responding to name, imitation, play, sleep and mealtime routines, and safety near roads and water.
- School-age children: following classroom routines, making requests at school, friendships, homework routines, coping with transitions, and independence with self-care.
- Teens: self-advocacy, managing anxiety-producing situations, community skills (ordering food, using money), personal safety, and early job or life skills. ABA for teens should be planned with the teen, not just for them. See ABA for teenagers.
What is ABA not designed to do?
Being clear about limits helps you judge whether a program is on track.
- ABA does not change who your child is. Autism is part of your child. Good ABA builds skills and comfort in your child's world; it should not aim to make your child look less autistic for its own sake. Harmless behaviors such as hand-flapping or a favorite topic are usually left alone unless they cause harm or your child wants help with them.
- ABA is not a replacement for school. Payer policies such as Cigna's (Evernorth) exclude services that are "primarily educational," and ABA cannot stand in for a classroom aide or teacher.
- ABA is not a substitute for medical care, speech therapy or occupational therapy. Feeding problems, sleep issues and sensory needs can have medical causes. The BACB Ethics Code requires behavior analysts to make sure medical needs are assessed when a behavior may have a medical or biological cause.
- ABA is not a promise of a particular result. Progress varies a lot between children. A good team sets goals, measures them and changes the plan when data show it is not working.
How are my child's goals chosen?
Goals come from three places: the BCBA's assessment (observation, interviews and standardized tools), what your family needs most in daily life, and, as much as possible, what your child wants. The BACB Ethics Code says behavior analysts should involve clients and stakeholders "throughout the service relationship, including selecting goals."
Before the first assessment, it helps to write down:
- The three situations that are hardest for your family right now.
- Skills you would love your child to have in six months.
- Things your child loves (these become motivation in sessions).
- Any safety concerns, especially water, roads and wandering.
- Goals your child's school, doctor or speech therapist is already working on.
Then ask the BCBA to show you how each goal in the written plan connects to that list. The guide inside an ABA treatment plan explains how goals, targets and mastery criteria are written.
How Hope Center sets goals with families
At Hope Center for Behavior Change, BCBAs write each plan after an initial assessment, and our clinical director reviews every plan before it goes to insurance. We train parents weekly and talk through goals in those sessions, so you always know what your child is working on and why. Our approach is play-based and assent-based. Learn more about ABA at Hope Center, read our new families page, or call 561-337-8865.