Defining Target Be
Defining Target Behaviors in autism
Any behavior you are attempting to change is typically referred to as the “target”
behavior. You must develop a clear definition of the target behavior in order for your
child to be successful. The definition should be written with enough clarity that a
stranger would be able to identify the presence or absence of the target behavior. Let’s
take the example of the following target behavior: “Given the presence of three blocks,
the child will stack one block on top of another when asked.” Any person reading this
definition should be able to identify the presence of the target behavior (i.e., the child
stacks three blocks when instructed, “Build with these blocks”) or the absence of the
target behavior (i.e., the child pushes blocks around the table when told, “Build with
these blocks”).
In this case, the target behavior is very specific, observable, and can be easily measured.
Defining a target behavior sounds easy, but it is actually difficult. Most people
write vague behavioral definitions without realizing it. For example, “The child will
Understanding the behavior of typically developing children is important because we sometimes
hold our children with ASD to a different behavioral standard than their peers. Some parents or
families set expectations too low and others may set expectations too high. Ask yourself if a typically
developing child would do the same thing on the playground or at the dinner table. Would
this behavior draw attention or be perceived as inappropriate? Expectations for our children
with ASD should never be so low that they do not develop skills that will allow them to reach
their potential and participate in community activities. But children with ASD should also not be
singled out for unreasonably high expectations — all kids occasionally make bad choices, and
many of these choices do not require extensive examination.
66 } A Parent’s Guide to Evidence-based Practice and Autism
play appropriately with the blocks when
given the direction to do so.” Do we all
agree about what “playing appropriately”
means? If the child hits the two blocks
together, is that playing appropriately? If
she is 6 months old, the answer is “yes.”
If she is 5 years old, the answer is “no.”
Without knowing this information about
child development, two observers might
come to very different conclusions about
“playing appropriately.”
It’s also important to specify the
context in which a behavior is expected
to occur. There are behaviors that are
very appropriate at the park but not
remotely appropriate on a shopping trip
to the mall. Definitions of target behavior
should include a clear description of the
context.
Let’s return to our example of “playing
appropriately” to consider how this
applies to treatment for children on the
autism spectrum. By specifying that the
child is expected to stack three blocks
when instructed, “Build with these
blocks,” it is now possible to determine
whether or not the child responded
correctly. Specifically, stacking three
blocks is a correct response. However,
lining blocks in a row or putting them in a
bucket is an incorrect response.
Measuring Behavior
The following information should be
taken as a basic primer of data collection
procedures. Most of the professionals
serving your child should know much
more about data collection than what we
provide here. This should be enough to
help you feel more comfortable addressing
the issue of data collection with the
other experts on your child’s team.
There are many different ways to
collect behavioral data. Some of the
most commonly used data collection
procedures include frequency, time
sampling, duration data, and latency
data. We provide information about
each of these procedures in the tables
on the next several pages. These tables
include a definition, important points to
consider, advantages and disadvantages,
and examples of behaviors that might be
targeted using the data collection procedure.
For some of these procedures,
we also include sample data collection
forms.
Frequency Data
Definition This involves counting the number of times a behavior has occurred in a given period of
time. You make a tally mark on a data sheet each time a target behavior occurs. At the end
of the observation period, you count the number of tally marks. This represents a frequency
count.
See Figure 1 on page 68 for an example of a frequency recording data sheet.
Important Points Frequency data collection is typically used when a behavior has a distinct beginning and
end.
Be sure to collect data for the same length of time and under similar conditions.
It is not necessary to continually collect frequency data in order to come up with valuable
information. It is a “snapshot” approach that provides reliable data.
Advantages and
Disadvantages
There are advantages and disadvantages to collecting frequency data. Recording frequency
data is relatively easy. Unfortunately, it may not always best represent the child’s challenging
behavior. For instance, you may record one tally mark if the child throws a tantrum for
60 minutes, 30 minutes, or five minutes. If you use a frequency count for a behavior such as
tantruming and then implement a treatment, it is harder to see improvement, even when
improvements are made. The tantrum could decrease in length from 60 minutes to five
minutes, but because a tally mark records the occurrence of behavior (and not its duration),
it looks like nothing has changed! You would certainly recognize a change in the behavior,
but you need the duration data collection procedure to capture it as well.
Examples of Target
Behaviors
•• Aggressive behavior such as hitting, kicking, slapping, or pinching
•• Self-injurious behavior such as head-hitting
•• Playing with toys, such as number of puzzles or mazes completed during a specified play
time
•• Academic work such as number of books read or math problems completed during a
specified work time
•• Daily living skills such as number of times the child independently used the toilet or
number of bites taken during a meal
