The nature of behavioral assessment: A commentary.

O and colleagues wrote a commentary in 1979. They looked at how behavior analysts measure behavior.

The paper did not test kids or clients. It explained how to do good behavioral assessment.

The authors said behavioral assessment is the heart of ABA. Without good measurement, nothing else works.

They showed that careful observation and data collection set ABA apart from other fields.

Hart et al. (1968) came first. That paper laid out what makes ABA special. Straub et al. (1979) built on it by focusing on how to measure those special parts.

Kranak et al. (2022) shows the next step. They reviewed how we now teach graphing skills. This extends the 1979 ideas into modern training.

Neely et al. (2021) tested remote assessments. They found telehealth works for most assessments. This updates the 1979 in-person methods for today's world.

Ferrier et al. (2025) looked at punishment use. They found we assess behavior differently now. We do more social validity checks than in 1979.

This 1979 paper reminds you that measurement is your superpower. When you write goals, start with clear definitions you can count. When you train staff, show them why data comes before any intervention. The field has grown, but the core rule stays the same: if you cannot measure it, you cannot change it.