Behavior Norms in Neurotypical Children

This 22-page reference guide — based on VanDevander, Warner, Kazemi & Fahmie (2023) — provides developmentally-normed data on the frequency, intensity, and duration of challenging behaviors in neurotypical children, helping BCBAs set realistic, fair behavior goals.

What You'll Learn

• What research says about typical tantrum and challenging behavior frequency across age groups
• How to use developmental norms to determine clinical concern vs. typical development
• How to write mastery criteria that are fair, individualized, and developmentally appropriate
• How to apply this data directly to the BACB test outline item H.1 on Setting Effective Behavior Reduction Goals

Who Is This For

BCBAs writing behavior reduction goals, preparing for the BCBA exam, or participating in BCBA supervision.

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Before writing a behavior reduction goal, BCBAs need a baseline: what's actually typical for this age? Without developmental context, goals risk being unfair, unmeasurable, or clinically indefensible. This resource brings together research on typical tantrum frequency, challenging behavior rates, and developmental milestones — so you can set behavior goals grounded in realistic norms, not assumptions.

This resource is especially useful for:

• BCBAs setting behavior reduction goals for young children
• Supervisors reviewing goal appropriateness in peer review or supervision
• BCBAs preparing for the BACB exam (BCBA test outline item H.1)
• Teams explaining goal rationale to families or school teams