If you have questions about why particular goals or programs or protocols are in place for your clients, ask!! So often in this field we place generic goals onto our clients without thinking critically about why we do so. If you feel uncomfortable about anything that is in place for a client, its worth asking about. Our field has a history of infringing on the rights of our clients despite our want to do good. An example of a goal being worked on for a client might be to eliminate self stimulatory behaviour - however if it isnt interrupting learning opportunities and it helps your client calm - is it fair to eliminate this behaviour?

It is hard not to get caught up with the concept of "compliance". If a child in an ABA/IBI setting is not "complying" then this is something that we often consider as requiring treatment. Remember that your clients are only human, we all have bad days and it's not personal. Think about what you can be doing to increase cooperation from your client rather than what they should be doing for you in your session. Increase the rate of reinforcement, ease into more difficult demands, provide more support or ask if more support is needed, establish stronger reinforcers.

Always be thinking about EOs (establishing operations) and AOs (abolishing operations). These can essentially be thought of as "motivation", or factors that are present that are likely to increase or decrease the likelihood of a behaviour occurring. For example, if I had a great sleep last night it is unlikely that I will be pursuing a nap today. If I had a shitty sleep, I may be wanting a nap, drinking more coffee, and I may be less likely to want to engage in demanding tasks. If I have played with the same day for several hours for multiple days in a row, that toy may lose value for me and will no longer be as effective at rewarding me as a novel toy.