ABA Operational Definitions for Problem Behaviors

Stop writing behavioral definitions from scratch for every new client. This resource gives you 60 professionally written, operationally defined problem behaviors — the most comprehensive operational definition library available for ABA practitioners.

Every definition is written to BACB clinical standards and insurance audit requirements. Each one includes everything your FBA report and BIP need: what the behavior looks like, when it starts, when it ends, what counts, what doesn't, and exactly how to measure it reliably.

What every definition includes:

✔ Observable, measurable operational definition

✔ Onset criteria — exactly when the behavior begins

✔ Offset criteria — exactly when the behavior ends

✔ What COUNTS as an instance (with boundary examples)

✔ What does NOT count (prevents ambiguous scoring)

✔ Suggested dimension of measurement with clinical rationale (frequency, rate, duration, latency, IRT)

✔ Suggested measurement method (event recording, duration recording, MTS, PIR, WIR, permanent product)

✔ Recommended IOA method with rationale

✔ Blank template to create your own definitions in the same format

60 behaviors across 13 categories: Aggression (8) · Self-Injurious Behavior (8) · Elopement (3) · Non-Compliance (4) · Stereotypy/Self-Stimulatory (5) · Vocal Behaviors (5) · Feeding Behaviors (4) · Disruptive Behaviors (5) · Social Behaviors (5) · Executive Function/Transitions (4) · Sleep/Health-Related (3) · Safety Behaviors (3)

Who it's for: BCBAs writing FBAs and BIPs · Clinic owners standardizing documentation · BCBA exam candidates studying measurement · Supervisors training new staff on operational definitions

This resource saves hours of clinical writing time per client and ensures your definitions meet the standard that insurance auditors and BACB reviewers expect.